The elaborate Atlantidz, an Atlantis-themed barraca. Photo © Rodrigo Teixeira, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
Throughout the Northeast, beach-going would be unimaginable without the ever-present barracas, seaside restaurant-bars where friends and family settle in for a long day of chatting, drinking beer, and nibbling on portions of fried fish and seafood, interrupted by the occasional foray into the ocean to cool off (although many barraca devotees actually never set foot in the water).The classic barraca is no more than a basic shelter made from boards and palm thatch furnished with a smattering of tables and chairs. However, over the years, the barraca has evolved, perhaps nowhere more so than along Fortaleza’s Praia do Futuro, which is renowned for its series of sophisticated megabarracas. Restroom and shower facilities and abundant food and drink are but bare essentials at these private beach clubs, which are outfitted with restaurants and amenities ranging from personal lockers to playgrounds and aquatic parks for the kids. Open daily, barracas really fill up on the weekends as well as Thursday nights, when legendary carangueijadas take place, along with shows of live rock, MPB, and forró.
Most barracas tend to cater to a specific clientele. Among the most popular are:
Excerpted from the Third Edition of Moon Brazil.
