What to Eat in Fortaleza

Fortaleza, capital of Ceará in Northeast Brazil, eats to the rhythm of the Atlantic and the sertão. The coast supplies fish and crustaceans, while the hinterland contributes cassava, beans, and dairy. Trade winds and a warm climate favor light plates at the beach and hearty midday meals.

Markets open early, and lunch is the main daily anchor, often followed by late-afternoon snacks. Cassava in many forms, queijo coalho, and aromatic herbs like coentro shape flavors. Families gather on weekends, and beach kiosks serve shareable platters built for sun and salt.

Peixada cearense is a coastal stew built around firm white fish such as sirigado (cobia) or dourado. Fillets simmer gently with tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, potatoes, and sometimes carrots, seasoned with garlic, coentro, and a touch of coconut milk. Hard-boiled eggs are added near the end. The cooking liquid becomes pirão: hot broth whisked off heat with cassava flour until velvety, then served alongside rice.

The broth tastes clean and herbal with mild richness from coconut, while the fish flakes tenderly and the vegetables keep their bite. Pirão adds body and a faint nuttiness characteristic of cassava. The dish reflects Portuguese-style fish stews adapted to Indigenous techniques and local staples. In Fortaleza, it is a weekend or Sunday lunch favorite at homes and beach barracas, fueling long conversations after a swim.

Baião de dois pairs rice with feijão-de-corda (cowpea/black-eyed pea relative) cooked together in a single pot. A refogado of onion, garlic, and sometimes diced bacon starts the base, followed by beans and rice simmered in their seasoned broth. Cubes of queijo coalho go in at the end to soften without dissolving, and manteiga de garrafa lends a buttery aroma. Coentro and cebolinha (cheiro-verde) finish it.

The result is savory, lightly creamy, and pleasantly nutty, with springy beans and elastic pockets of warm cheese. Born in Ceará and Piauí and named after the musical baião, the dish symbolizes rustic ingenuity: two staples feeding many with minimal fuel. In Fortaleza it appears both as a main and as a side to grilled meats or fish at family lunches, neighborhood cookouts, and everyday self-service counters.

Caranguejada centers on mangrove crab, typically caranguejo-uçá, boiled in a seasoned stock of salt, garlic, chili, scallion, cilantro, and sometimes annatto, beer, or cachaça. The crabs are purged, scrubbed, and cooked until the shells glow orange. They arrive piled high with lime wedges, farofa, and a light vinaigrette. Diners use a small mallet and picks to coax the sweet meat from claws and chambers.

The flavor is briny-sweet and faintly herbal, with a gentle heat that builds, while farofa adds crunch and absorbs juices. Fortaleza’s social calendar enshrines Thursday evenings as quinta do caranguejo, a weekly ritual that gathers friends around messy, unhurried eating. Availability responds to tides and season. You’ll find the tradition in beach kiosks and botecos across the city, most lively after sunset when the air cools.

Tapioca, also called beiju, is made from hydrated, sifted cassava starch pressed onto a hot, dry griddle to form a disk that fuses without oil. The base is neutral and slightly chewy, ready for fillings. Savory options include queijo coalho with manteiga de garrafa, shredded chicken, or eggs with coentro; sweet versions feature grated coconut, butter or condensed milk, banana with cinnamon, or local guava paste.

Cooked in minutes, the tapioca turns crisp at the surface while remaining tender inside, making it an easy breakfast or evening snack. Its technique comes from Indigenous cassava knowledge, later adopted across the Northeast. In Fortaleza it’s common at early-morning markets and night stalls, eaten with coffee or caldo de cana. The gluten-free profile suits the heat: light, fast, and customizable to appetite.

Carne de sol is lightly salted beef cured in sun or well-ventilated shade, then rested to develop a gentle, meaty tang. For serving, it’s rinsed if necessary, cut into strips or cubes, and seared or grilled until browned outside and juicy within. It comes with macaxeira (cassava) boiled until creamy or fried until golden, plus onions, farofa, vinagrete, and often a drizzle of manteiga de garrafa. Sometimes slices of grilled queijo coalho join the platter.

Expect concentrated beef flavor with a caramelized crust, balanced by the mellow sweetness of cassava. The pairing grew from the sertão’s need to preserve protein and rely on cassava as a reliable starch. In Fortaleza it’s a go-to shareable plate at sunset, bridging snack and meal after a beach day or as a late dinner. It suits the climate: robust but not heavy, easy to portion among friends.

Fortaleza cuisine blends Atlantic abundance with sertão resilience, anchored by cassava, beans, fresh cheese, and accessible seafood. Dishes favor clean seasoning, herbal notes, and textures built from broth and farinha. It’s a table designed for heat, conversation, and sharing. Explore more food-led travel ideas, weather insights, and filtered destination picks with Sunheron.com’s tools.