Bahian food is one of the most distinctive regional cuisines in Latin America — built on dendê palm oil, coconut milk, dried shrimp, chillies, and African slow-cooking techniques applied to local fish and seafood. The hero dishes are moqueca (fish stew with palm oil, coconut, and coriander), acarajé (black-eyed-pea fritters stuffed with shrimp and vatapá), bobó de camarão (cassava-and-shrimp stew), and caruru (okra with palm oil and dried shrimp).
The Pelourinho has the highest concentration of restaurants aimed at visitors; Rio Vermelho has the better evening scene; and the acarajé baianas around the Largo de Santana are essential street eating. For something less Bahian and more Pan-Brazilian, the restaurants around Barra and Ondina cover the bases.