finally the dish is topped with dried shrimp and a diced tomato salad, with a healthy dash of pimenta malagueta, a typical brazilian hot sauce, to get the tongue wagging.

should the acarajé  get too hot, a fresh green coconut, plucked by hand from a nearby palm tree and sliced open with a machete as you watch, can offer relief - there is truly no better refreshment.

the other classic 'adopted' carioca beverage is the caipirinha - a cocktail made from cachaça, muddled limes and cane sugar and widely regarded as the national drink, the caipirinha is deceptively easy to drink.