Tocantins at the Table: Pequi, River Fish & Frontier Flavours
Palmas's food blends the cerrado ingredients of central Brazil with the river fish of the Tocantins and the cultural influence of the nordestino migrants who settled the state — small-pei and pequi define the table
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Peixe Assado Tocantinense
The Tocantins and Araguaia rivers provide extraordinary freshwater fish — the grilled dourado, pacu and tucunaré cooked with lemon and cassava flour in the waterfront restaurants of Palmas is the city's signature
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Pequi: Cerrado's Divisive Fruit
Pequin — the cerrado's pungent yellow fruit cooked with chicken or rice — is Tocantin's most distinctive flavor; its buttery, aromatic character is beloved stateside and infamous to outsiders
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Bolo de Arroz
The rice cake (bolo de arroz) is a Tocantins tradition — made from wet-milled rice with coconut, the steamed cakes wrapped in banana leaves are the state's most distinctive baked product
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Capim Dourado inspired kitchen
Some Palmas restaurants have golden grass-related themes - the communities that harvest the grass also produce honey, pequi oil and cerrado fruits that are featured in innovative local restaurant menus
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Nordestino Food Influence
The massive migration from Maranhão, Piauí and northeastern Brazil that settled in Tocantins brought northeastern food culture — baião de dois, carne de sol and forró music are as present in Palmas as cerrado traditions
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Jalapão Honey
The honey produced by native stingless bees (meliponas) in the Jalapão cerrado is an artisanal product with an exceptional taste — the dark, intense honey from cerrado flowers is sold in the Palmas market and in exclusive restaurants