However, in Brazil, it has evolved into a sacrificial food that is offered to the gods during religious festivals. This evolution began during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, when Yoruba women who were enslaved in Brazil sold Akara as street food to earn money and break away from slavery.

As part of slave resistance, these women would keep a portion of their earnings for themselves and give the rest to their masters. They would call out to potential buyers with “O acará jé ecó olailai ô,” and over time, the name of the popular street food changed from Akara to acarajé.

The women’s street food business grew and evolved, leading to the development of acarajé, which is made in the same way as Akara, using black-eyed peas, salt, pepper, and onions, blended, mixed and deep-fried. However, acarajé is split open, stuffed with shrimp, and topped with vatapá or caruru.

Today, Baianas, the descendants of these women, still sell acarajé on the streets of Bahia, Brazil, often dressed in the traditional costume of their ancestors. In the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé, acarajé is considered a sacrificial food and is offered to the gods during religious festivals. Those who prepare it and offer it to the gods are most often practitioners of the religion and wear white to display their affiliation.