ABAM – Associação das Baianas de Acarajé was founded in 1992, whose main purpose and objective are to promote the means necessary for the development and well-being of its members, in addition to promoting the visibility of Bahia women in the country's cultural scene. de Acarajé aims to preserve the craft of Bahian acarajé, with African roots. Activities that aim to preserve the tradition and culture of the craft.

It is common for a baiana de acarajé to be the first person a visitor has contact with upon arrival. They are the ones who present the city, customs and flavors of our land. The Baianas de Acarajé are historical and affective memories of Bahia. The activity of production and trade of the delicacy is predominantly female, and is found in public spaces, mainly squares, streets, city fairs and seafront, as well as in square parties and other celebrations that mark the city's culture.

The clothing of the Baianas, characteristic of the Candomblé rites, is also a strong element of identification of this craft, consisting of turbans, cloths and bead necklaces that symbolize the religious initiation of the Baianas. On August 4, 2000, the Ofício das Baianas de Acarajé was registered as a Cultural Heritage of Brazil, in the Livro dos Saberes. It was a public act of recognition of the importance of the legacy of African ancestors in the historical process of formation of society and the heritage value of a universal cultural complex. This is also expressed through the knowledge of those who keep this office alive. The record always has as reference the historical continuity of the cultural property and its relevance for the memory, identity and formation of Brazilian society.

The National Day of Baiana de Acarajé is celebrated annually on November 25th. The date pays tribute to the historical and cultural importance of the figure of the Bahian acarajé, the name given to the women who are dedicated to the production and sale of this typical Bahia delicacy. Rita Santos, one of the 12 national coordinators of the Associação das Baianas de Acarajé and who is in charge of the Memorial das Baianas de Acarajé, explains: “It all started in the symbolic. Enslaved women sold acarajé to buy manumissions. In the second stage, it was the women from Bahia going to the streets to market the acarajé to do their duties in the terreiros, usually the daughters of Oiá (it couldn't be just anyone). As time went by, it was seen that, with that cake, she could support the family, that's when the acarajé went out to be commercial. It is commercial, but in my mind it is still symbolic because it is still part of the terreiro, it is still sacred. The acarajé is an offering to Iansã and the abará is an offering to Xangô”.

It has a set of meanings attributed by local and national society to this symbolic element that constitutes Bahia's identity. The making of Bahian food is a cultural practice with a long historical continuity, repeated in the daily life of the Candomblé rites and a strong identity factor in the city of Salvador. All this makes the acarajé baiana a cultural asset.

The Memorial das Baianas de Acarajé is a space dedicated to the history and tradition of the craft of acarajé baianas. However, this memorial understanding is also beyond these walls. It's in squares and squares, at popular festivities, it's in the very experience of eating an acarajé, of sitting next to the baiana, of recognizing the smell of palm oil from the other corner. The Memorial was inaugurated in the historic center of Salvador in June 2009. As the name suggests, the space is dedicated to the tradition and history of the women who sell typical Bahia food, made with black-eyed bean pasta, pepper and shrimp dry, vatapá, caruru and salad.

Israela Ramos

Source: https://www.salvadordabahia.com/experiencias/baianas-de-acaraje/

https://linktr.ee/baianas?fbclid=IwAR0SRXUmoiO7NrgdOIk6hyJCV-LgQwBw3TsjrQuKXPu6kXycbPm4DHiuzhc

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tmpuKZ3FfJCvG-41mikSl8vWafexpZpN/view

http://pelourinhoteste.salvador.ba.gov.br/index.php/28-onde-visitar/institucoes/630-associacao-nacional-das-baianas-de-acaraje-e-mingau-receptivos-e-similares- da-bahia-abam