Cooking beyond flavors: Exploring the chemical reactions in the preparation of duck in Tucupi of Pará - Brazil

Regional cuisine is a cultural treasure that offers a wealth of unique flavors, techniques, and traditions. In the Brazilian gastronomic scene, the State of Pará stands out for its culinary diversity and emblematic dishes representing the fusion of indigenous, African, and European influences. "Pato no tucupi" is a typical dish from the region that delicately enchants residents and visitors due to its unique characteristics. Even though it is a traditional preparation, duck in tucupi has attributes that justify the study to understand better the transformations involved in this preparation. This work aimed to understand the chemical transformations associated with the main ingredients of this dish, which are duck, jambu, and tucupi. Bibliographic exploration encompassed Google Scholar, books, articles, and specialized gastronomy and food magazines, supplemented by observational inquiries into tucupi production in a flour mill. Several chemical reactions have been identified in these ingredients, such as the formation of hydrocyanic acid from the enzymatic hydrolysis of the glycosides linamarin and lotaustralin. The duck also undergoes important changes related to non-enzymatic browning through the occurrence of Maillard and protein denaturation caused by heating during preparation. In turn, jambu leaves stand out in the dish's composition due to the sensation of numbness caused by the presence of the aliphatic alkylamine spilanthol. Cooking these leaves leads to the formation of chlorophyllide and pheophytin from chlorophylls a and b. This study delves into the traditional knowledge shaping regional cuisine while offering more profound insights into the chemical reactions driving this culinary process.