After being almost banned from participating in the COP30 in the central Amazon, tucupi – a wild cassava broth – is dividing opinions in his homeland. Manyuka, a Brazilian food technology company that works with Amazonian ingredients, such as Tocopi, has as an investor in Japanese giant Ajinomoto, owner of brands such as Sazon, Mead and Fono, which are rich in MSG. For some, this product is considered a villain in the fight against high salt content, and for others, it is inherent, as it is used much less than the recommended maximum. But as the self-respecting Tucopi, chefs from Barra say, is not moving, the blog took advantage of the COP30 to hear from three experts on the subject. Saulo Jennings, of Casa do Saulo, “doesn’t go in” and explains: “In some places they started adding Ajinomoto, because of the very strong force in this industry, as well as the influence of the Japanese community that exists here. There are people who are very conservative and there are people who allow themselves that. In Santarem and Manaus, sweet and sour options are common at the Takaka stalls.” Tokopi is pure umami, Saulo adds, “served hot, it tastes like a hug. For Celeste’s Esther Weil, it also has its origins in great Japanese influence.” The main thing is to let it reduce, because then it purifies the taste. We season it with salt. If the tocopi has a lot of acid, every now and then I add a little sugar, but every now and then it’s too much. “Because I also don’t want it to be sweet, just that way, to give it that balance. But I don’t have anything against using Ajinomoto,” says the chef, who serves pork gyoza cooked in tokopi. Tucupi is the juice of wild cassava from which the starch is separated, fermented and boiled ready to be seasoned for use. Fermentation days vary from one region to another. Celeste’s neighbor at Cidade Velha and Saulo at Casa serves the new Das Onze Janelas, Puba, by Thiago Castanho, pork gyoza in tucupi (R$58), which the chef prepares in the traditional way: “by peeling, grating and squeezing wild cassava to extract the broth. Ajinomoto is not used in the tucupi recipe.”
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