(gentle music)
Welcome to my world.
(upbeat music)
Two escargot, pate
brisee, two green salads.
Okay, (mumbles) here.
Lamb chops, steak frites.
Shouldn't you be
doing something?
Two sole fillet
and a pepper steak.
Come on, make the dessert,
chocolate tart please.
As a cook tastes and
smells are my memories.
Now, I'm in search of new ones.
So, I'm leaving New York
City and hope to have
a few epiphanies
around the world.
And, I'm willing to go to
some lengths to do that.
I am looking for extremes
of emotion and experience.
I'll try anything,
I'll risk everything.
I have nothing to lose.
(spiritual music)
Salvador.
(bell rings)
The African heartland of Brazil.
Oh, la, la.
[Anthony] It's where
religions, cultures,
traditions come together to
create something really special.
It's about magic.
It's about food.
It's about music.
It's about people.
It's a whole
different world here.
Let's start someplace
a little more familiar.
(rhythmic music)
Maybe you're asking yourself,
"Gee, I'm a stranger in town"
"where do I find a good
place to eat in country X."
Well, here is Salvador,
like in just about any
other cool country if you're
looking for a good meal
go directly to the market.
Hang out and eat without fear.
I have every confidence
we're gonna find like
good stuff to eat here.
Whoa, watch your back.
Now, is it my sunglasses or
what I had to drink last night
or is that an incredible
color over here?
You see certain
constants when you travel
around the world like I do.
You see all these ready-made
kits of the nasty bits.
Keep that knife
away from me, dude.
Little pockets geared
towards people who
don't have a lot of money,
go to the market and get it.
You see like 75% of the stuff
that seems to be sold here
in the meat department
are the good parts,
the guts, the heads,
the hooves, the snouts.
It looks like a windpipe to me.
Blood cake, which some older
students will recognize
from the Portugal show.
Fried shrimp, palm oil,
chili peppers, coconut
classic elements
of Bahian cuisine.
Let's find out where
the snacks are at.
Ah yes, tasty mystery
bits on a wheel rim grill.
I mean come on,
what's not to like.
It looks like some
sort of a chicken,
some mysterious looking sausage,
and a beef, or beef part
or organ meat.
I mean, come on,
that looks good.
Not only is the grill happening,
but I've managed to make
a new friend or two.
Stay right there.
Whenever I'm on the
road I like to export
American values,
whenever possible.
Okay, I got sausage,
I got some sort of
I don't know, one of
your lesser cuts of beef.
That pork's great.
I'm gonna hook up my
little friend here,
I hope he's hungry.
You guys, hungry?
Here's guys, you share
with him, too okay?
Para dos.
Sausages and mystery meat,
it's a beautiful thing.
And, I've got two new
friends and body guards.
Hey, I'm building
a crew already.
All right, the wheel
rim grill was cool,
but I'm ready to
dig a little deeper,
a lot of good stuff here.
I'm having what I'm told
is sort of a typical
thing to eat around here mocoto.
Mocoto as I understand
it is a soup type thing
involving dried beef
leg, fresh beef,
whatever that means.
I suspect there's some
nasty bits involved.
Listen, how can you go wrong?
It's hot, it's liquid,
it comes in a bowl.
There's lots of locals
sitting around eating it.
It's gotta be good, right?
To prime my palate
for the main entree
my friends at the food
stand hooked me up
with a bowl of beef
broth based porridge.
Thank you, you get all your
fried meat, your fresh meat,
your nasty bits you
cook 'em in broth,
haul out and serve.
The broth then is
thickened with manioc flour
to become this porridgey
gruely and very delicious
sort of substance,
which you can jack
with some nuclear hot salsa.
Yeah, this is good.
Just like in many other
places what was created
by the very poor out
of necessity is now
a mainstay of the
country's cuisine.
But, I digress.
I believe there's some
mystery meat to be had.
Oh yes, pleasure is
not always pretty.
My old friend Jose, my
Portuguese boss back in Leal
he's gonna start heavy
breathing when he sees this.
I don't even know
what this piece is.
I probably don't wanna
know, but it's really good.
I know you're out
there, you're saying,
"Huh, dude how can he
put that in his mouth,"
"that looks nasty."
Well, as every chef knows
that's where the flavor is.
I pity the fool who
doesn't like this.
Oh, that's wonderful.
Kinda like the smiley,
only different.
Organ meat and beer,
what's that beer buzz
early in the morning
that Sheryl Crow song.
There's no line about organ
meat in that song, is there?
Good, I like it,
thank you my good man.
(accordion music)
Tonight, I'm going to witness
my first Candomble ceremony
and I'm a little apprehensive.
Much like Bahian
cuisine itself Candomble
is a traditional African religion
filtered through Brazil,
which was for many
years hidden beneath
a veneer of Catholicism.
The ceremony is taking
place at the house of.
Candomble priest Bel D'Osum,
where a new member will be
initiated into the cult.
Candomble is a deeply
felt religious ritual
dating back hundreds of years
where members gather
together to call
the spirits to their aid.
It's a main stream
element of Bahian culture.
Through song and dance
members of the congregation
encourage each other to
enter a trance like state
to help channel
spiritual energy.
Bel serves as the
spiritual leader,
and a rather flamboyant
master of ceremonies
for the group.
It's typical, yes.
[Anthony] Having
said all of that,
I have no idea
what's going on here.
I'm confused, I'm a
little uncomfortable.
And, this thing goes on forever.
Everyone around me's been
swept up in some kind
of transcendental frenzy.
(percussion music)
It's been said that
sometimes even spectators
get caught up in the
outpouring of spiritual energy.
And, I gotta admit
with all this drumming
and shrieking and
rhythmic circular dancing
I'm starting to feel
a little light headed.
It's typical.
[Anthony] Note to
self, avoid falling into
a trance like state at
your next cult ceremony
or keg party.
Happily, when I come to
there's a heaping serving
of post ritual grub
being passed around.
A offering to the
gods consisting of
falafel, rice, beans.
Okay, it's not the best
meal I've ever had,
but if it's fit for a
deity who am I to complain?
I lumber, somewhat
disoriented, back to my hotel
with a belly full of
food and a head full
of African cult gods.
Just another day on the job.
(mellow acoustic guitar music)
It's another beautiful
day in downtown Pelurino,
the old colonial
section of Salvador.
I don't know about you,
but whenever I nearly
black out at a Candomble
ceremony I usually
need something a little
special to get me
back into the swing of things.
My method of
choice, a good meal.
If there's one chef who
really characterizes
the best of Bahian cuisine
by generally consensus
it's agreed that Dada
who we're about to meet
at the restaurant Sorriso
da Dada is that person.
She's the most famous
cook in Brazil.
She has a TV show.
Politicians line up,
clamor to get in.
Dada started cooking, her
first place, out of her house
and has since expanded
and has spectacular,
spectacular success now.
You'd think that it would
be like a slick, corporate
set up upstairs by now.
And, Dada's still
cutting like this.
Dada is not just a brand name.
She still cooks her
meals, still invents,
and oversees every detail.
Notice her knife work?
It's like mom, the
blade against the thumb.
You know, none of the
professional knife technique,
violating every rule
of French cooking.
That's a good sign.
But, technique aside
it's the food, her food
that really sells this place.
Her menu includes
such Bahian favorites
as red fish wrapped
in banana leaf,
crab salad, and the
quintessential dish of Bahia
a seafood and coconut
stew called a moqueca.
Moqueca begins with
diced onions, peppers,
tomatoes, and cilantro.
And, like many Bahian
dishes includes
the holy trinity of
ingredients, shrimp,
coconut, and a generous helping
of fiery dende palm oil,
infamous for wreaking
gastrointestinal distress
on unsuspecting tourists.
A quick simmer on the stove
and simple ingredients
are turned into
something spectacular.
Much like moqueca, red
fish in banana leaves
is also a standard
of Bahian cuisine.
You know, where
did it come from?
Got fish, got traditional
African ingredients,
don't have refrigerators.
Problem, which they
developed a method
of wrapping the fish and
the seasoning in banana leaf
as a means of
preserving the fish.
And, by solving the problem
you make something good.
But, before I get to
the food I want to take
a crack at Dada's seemingly
endless array of caipirinhas.
I promised Dada that I
would sample all of them.
I'll have a cashew
caipirinha, I think.
And, that's fresh cashew,
cachaca, and I'm guessing sugar.
Oh yeah.
All right, more.
Jumbu of some kind (mumbles).
A little sweet for me.
Pineapple, I can have pineapple.
A little too, Don
ho, I don't know.
Mm, I think I'll have another
one of these bad boys.
♪ Suddenly bubbles ♪
God, I drink a lot
of these things here.
Next.
Ah.
Okay, before I wind up
face down on the table
I think it's time for some food.
Shellfish salad.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, beautiful thing.
Oh, look at that moqueca.
Looks like a (speaking
foreign language)
My crab, first good.
With so much before
me I decide to start
with the crab salad
and work my way up.
Oh, I love the crab
coral, look at this
a little piece of crab
coral in there, crab roe.
That's fantastic.
And texture too, you've got
a lot of different textures
going on here.
Like this stuff, it's
like eating sand,
but delicious,
delicious magical sand.
Whole different
spectrum of flavors.
All right, a quick de-boning
and we're on to round two.
The red fish in banana leaf.
To accompany the
fish Dada has made
a spicy sauce of
chiles, dried shrimp,
and more dende oil.
These are not shy about flavor.
This just reaches down
your throat, grabs you
by the heart and yanks.
Oh yeah, it's great.
The fish is incredible, but
I can't hold out any longer.
I've been gaping in
wonder and anticipation
at that beautiful
moqueca for too long.
Oh yeah, look at that color.
Is that psychedelic
delicious or what?
Look at that, tell
me that's not pretty,
tell me that's not gorgeous.
(laughs)
Incredible.
But, this stuff ain't
for the faint of heart.
It packs some serious heat.
I'm sweating, woo.
Full flop sweat, heat.
Oh course, there's
only one rememdy for
some powerful
thirst around here.
This is a passion
fruit caipirinha.
Slimy with little
chewy delicious seeds
that go popping right
up into your brain.
Oh yeah, you've never
tasted anything like it.
It's magic.
I've always felt the
food at it's best
is a reflection of the
person who made it.
(laughs)
Thank you.
And, an afternoon Soriso
da Dada is an extension,
a reflection of the woman
herself, her personality,
and her passion.
Another example of
the magic that seems
to be everywhere down
here, in the streets,
the music, the people.
Hopefully, just not
in my lower intestine.
(percussion music)
(light uplifting music)
Okay, so it's been great
traveling around Salvador
trying spicy foods, but
let's not forget that
we're about a block
away from the equator.
Obviously, it gets
hot down here.
So, in the interest
of remaining upright
it makes sense to hit their
best local ice cream shop.
There's just one problem,
I'm not an ice cream
sort of a guy.
But, I should be a
good host and give
the Food Network people what
they want, deep insights.
When I'm in a new town
I can't ever leave it
without trying a festive medley
of regional ice cream flavors.
Off the cuff comments,
you should shower more.
A choice selection
of personal memories.
Ah, happy memories
of Carvel as a child.
Ah, the history, that winning
play in the softball game,
the tradition, the first
A on my report card.
Oh, if these walls could talk.
Actually, I didn't have any
of those things in my life.
And, in addition to that I
can't even read this damn menu.
I'm lost.
Being a resourceful Boy
Scout I get some help
from the locals.
Hopefully, I won't
be the lab rat for
some new specialty called
spleen almond chip,
or kidney swirl.
I have no idea what
we're talking about
or what I'm eating,
but it's good.
I'm enjoying it.
Okay, passion fruit.
Ah, yeah, yeah I like this.
Jack fruit.
Jack fruit, oh yeah good,
good I like Jack fruit.
Though, I'm actually enjoying
some of these flavors.
Mild durian, that's
good, citrusy.
Maybe this wasn't a
bad idea after all.
That's great.
And then, I get the
preschool special.
Mongava, this is like
sticky, it's like glue.
Glue?
That's one from the home
team calling the flavor
processed horse hooves.
It doesn't taste
like glue, but it's...
It does, kinda.
I've sniffed this stuff,
I've just never eaten it.
So, playing it safe I decide
on burnt coconut and chocolate.
A beautiful thing.
No problem there, right?
Wrong.
I'm gonna go off and wander.
And, perhaps share some
thoughts on my ice cream.
And, not even remotely good.
Oh yeah, two of my
favorite scenes in one,
ice cream and deep thoughts.
This is harder than
it looks folks.
Oh god, I don't taste coconut.
I don't taste burnt, I
don't taste chocolate.
It stinks.
Let's be honest.
Well, at least I can enjoy the
fine tropical weather, right?
Well, add a little
sun stroke to the mix
along with the pain,
boredom, humiliation
and general witlessness
of this scene
not to mention the thoroughly
worthless (bleep) ice cream.
It's early in the
morning in Salvador.
And, while everyone
is starting fresh
I can't quite put all
the drumming and voodoo
from the other night
out of my head.
So, I'm heading
down to the beach.
The beaches in
Bahian mean more than
blankets and suntan
oil, pack an appetite.
So, I settle in at my table,
sample the refreshments.
Perfect.
Peruse the menu, oh
good, helpful pictures.
Note with displeasure
and envy how much
better looking the
staff is than I am,
and get in the groove.
The idea around here is you
sit around you drink beer,
you can tan while you're
chatting with you friends
and drinking, it's not
the object of the mission
unto itself, it's to have
a good time on the beach.
Food tends to find you.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ever have a cheese-cicle?
That's right, cheese on a stick
toasted over a pot of coals.
I'm starting to get
some traffic here.
Beads, eh what the hell.
Yeah, good.
That browning cheese
over there is putting me
in a festive mood.
You ever had onion soup?
Well, that crispy,
crunchy wonderful stuff
on the outside this is better.
I'm buying everything
on the beach here.
Oh, what's that? I'm interested.
Oh, sugar cane, all of this
is one smack, one hell.
I find it disturbing
in a Freudian way.
Now, my psychiatrist
won't let me enjoy this.
Oh, shrimp dude.
You don't see this on an
American beach, right?
You're just sitting there
somebody brings you by
some whole shrimp, head on.
That's good.
So, maybe you're
thinking, "Okay Tony",
"you've had a few
nice snacks here,"
"but what really separates
this place from Coney Island?"
(fanfare)
Oh dude, quail egg lady.
I've been waiting for
this all afternoon.
Okay, yes, yes, please.
Sell me your wares.
Perfect.
Come on, this is cool.
Quail egg lady ever
visit your beach?
Yeah, I didn't think so.
Salt.
Ah, that's good.
Yes, please let me
sample your nuts.
Cuanto?
This is like a lifetime
supply of turtle wax,
one can perfect.
You can pretty much
sit here all day
and people bring you stuff.
If only all of life
were like that.
And, another staple
of Bahian beach life
hunky waiters in funny hats.
Uh-oh, if he calls me
Gilligan I'm running.
Okay, I know what I want.
Yes, for an appetizer
I'd like to not look like
a shirtless Don Knotts next
to a hunkasaurus over here
and for my entree could you
make this guy remove that hat?
If he calls me little
buddy I'm outta here.
Hopefully, I have
a good meal coming.
I just ordered
from the restaurant
some tiny little fish,
head, bones, skin
everything intact roll them
in flour, deep fry them.
And, I also got a
whole roasted fish,
which is also a good thing
because as we all know
fish on the bone
is always better,
and if you can eat the whole
fish always a good thing.
Oh yeah, oh that
looks really good.
What have we got?
You know, tiny little fish,
head, bones, the works
dipped in batter in
this case and fried.
And this, I'm
deeply suspicious of
'cause it resembles tartar
sauce, something I don't like.
Wilson, my waiter after
deciding to change into
something more casual
has been nice enough
to offer me a lounge chair.
Well, he's just been keeping
track of how much beer
I've been drinking.
The skipper's not so bad.
Hello.
Oh Jesus, it's enormous.
What have we got here?
Oh yeah, good.
That's beautiful,
this is the best.
Carbon is a beautiful thing.
You know, that crispy,
crunchy, light, fleshy oh yeah.
I really, I don't
understand people's fear
of head and bones in fish.
Anybody who's sitting there
thinking, "Oh, ookey."
You're missing, you're
missing the good stuff.
It's all about
flavor and texture.
I mean, what do
you want baby food?
You know, what's the worse
thing that could happen here?
Yeah, a little sun burn,
a headache tomorrow,
maybe a little less
than quality time
on the old thunder bucket
tonight, but hey it's worth it.
I've always wanted a sedentary
lifestyle by the sea.
Drinking heavily
in direct sunlight,
eating beach food,
this is pretty much
my chosen state of existence.
Now, if we could
just get the sound
of that kooky drum beat out
of my head I'll be fine.
(percussion music)
(upbeat music)
So, here I am after a
long day at the beach
soaking up the sun
and drinking heavily,
you know, same old
swinging routine.
After such a hard day at
work like most true Bahians
I've discovered the
joys of acaraje.
Which is yet again another
transplant from Africa.
Acaraje is bean paste that's
been infused with vatapa,
which is a paste made
from fried shrimp,
tomato and seasonings.
The whole thing is
blended together and fried
in a swimming pool of dende oil.
Every mouthful, by the way,
is about 9,000 calories.
It's a heart attack
waiting to happen.
One acaraje (speaking
foreign language).
It's kinda like a
falafel sandwich,
but in this case the
falafel is the sandwich.
They slice it right
up the middle, fill it
with a little dried
shrimp and some salsa
and you're good to go.
(humming)
It's not that it
doesn't taste good,
it's just that with all
that spicy dende oil
I know that each
bite is bringing me
closer to an inevitable
gastrointestinal apocalypse.
It's a broken man
you see before you.
You know, I wish there
could be sort of simul-cam
of the inside of my stomach.
My lower GI folks,
you don't wanna see.
My heart is sort
of working overtime
trying to squish much
needed oxygenated blood
through my now constricted
clogged arteries.
Mm, now that's acaraje.
So, as I head, rather
urgently, back to my hotel
two things come to mind.
Number one God help me
I hope that plumbing
is in working order.
And, number two, Salvador
is without question
one of the great
places on Earth.
It's got it all, sensuality,
spirituality, and great food.
Oh, and by the way
that Candomble business
I ain't buying it.
It's typical.
(upbeat music)
