MUSICAL INTERLUDE - A Preta do Acarajé

My interest in Brazilian culture is certainly not limited to matters gastronomic. Since my first visits to Brazil a long while back, I love the fact that Brazil has such a musical culture, and I love all types of music that are part of Brazilian culture -samba, choro, axé, forró, pagode, funk.

When my two passions combine - music about food - then I'm a very happy fellow. A Brazilian tune about Brazilian food - as they say in Portuguese "que maravilha!"

A short while ago, I posted several articles about acarajé, the street-food that exemplifies the Afro-Brazilian culture of the state of Bahia, and which has been given national heritage status. (Click here to read about acarajé).

A few nights ago, while I was walking along the seashore here in Fortaleza, and listening to my iPod on shuffle, I listened to a song called  A Preta do Acarajé (in English: The Seller of Acarajé) and I knew I had to post it on Flavors of Brazil. The song is an old one, written in 1939 by one of the most famous of the Bahian singer-songwriters Dorival Caymmi. It has been recorded hundreds of times, by such artists as Carmen Miranda, Maria Bethania, Dorival Caymmi himself, and Gal Costa. It was Gal Costa's version that I listened to on my iPod, so I decided to post that one on this blog.

Here it is. (Just click on the YouTube video to listen).


Here are the original Portuguese lyrics, in case you'd like to follow along. It's a beautiful song, very Bahian, and a marvelous performance.

A Preta do Acarajé
Dez horas da noite
Na rua deserta
A preta mercando
Parece um lamento
"Iê o abará!"

Na sua gamela
Tem molho e cheiroso
Pimenta da Costa
Tem acarajé
"Ô acarajé ecó olalai e ô ô"
"Vem benzê!
Tá quentinho!!"

Todo mundo gosta de acarajé
Todo mundo gosta de acarajé
O trabalho que dá pra fazê é que é
O trabalho que dá pra fazê é que é
Todo mundo gosta de acarajé
Todo mundo gosta de acarajé
Todo mundo gosta de abará
Todo mundo gosta de abará
Ninguém quer saber o trabalho que dá
Ninguém quer saber o trabalho que dá
Todo mundo gosta de abará
Todo mundo gosta de abará
Todo mundo gosta de acarajé

Dez horas da noite
Na rua deserta
Quanto mais distante
Mais triste o lamento
"Iê o abará!"

"Ô acarajé ecó olalai e ô ô"
"Vem benzê!
Tá quentinho!!"

Todo mundo gosta de acarajé
Todo mundo gosta de acarajé
O trabalho que dá pra fazê é que é
O trabalho que dá pra fazê é que é
Todo mundo gosta de acarajé
Todo mundo gosta de acarajé
Todo mundo gosta de abará
Todo mundo gosta de abará
Ninguém quer saber o trabalho que dá
Ninguém quer saber o trabalho que dá
Todo mundo gosta de abará
Todo mundo gosta de abará
Todo mundo gosta de acarajé
"Iê o abará!"

Click on "read more" below for a translation of the lyrics into English



Here is a rough translation of the lyrics. I've translated all of the Portuguese, but have left the parts which are in Yoruba in the original tongue, as they are in that language in the original, and because I have no easy way to know how to translate them.

Ten o'clock at night
On a deserted street
A black woman's calling
Sounds like a lament
"Iê o abará!"

In her bowl
There's aromatic sauce
There's Costa peppers
There's acarajé
"Ô acarajé ecó olalai e ô ô"
"Come bless it!
It's nice and hot!!"

Everybody loves acarajé
Everybody loves acarajé
The work it takes is what it is
The work it takes is what it is
Everybody loves acarajé
Everybody loves acarajé
Everybody loves abará
Everybody loves abará
Nobody wants to know how much work it takes
Nobody wants to know how much work it takes
Everybody loves abará
Everybody loves abará
Everybody loves acarajé

Ten o'clock at night
On a deserted street
The greater the distance
The sadder the lament
"Iê o abará!"

"Ô acarajé ecó olalai e ô ô"
"Come bless it!
It's nice and hot!!"

Everybody loves acarajé
Everybody loves acarajé
The work it takes is what it is
The work it takes is what it is
Everybody loves acarajé
Everybody loves acarajé
Everybody loves abará
Everybody loves abará
Nobody wants to know how much work it takes
Nobody wants to know how much work it takes
Everybody loves abará
Everybody loves abará
Everybody loves acarajé
"Iê o abará!"