Ode to Grilled Chicken with Açaí

A surprisingly perfect pairing from urban Amazonia.

In Macapá recently, I ate açaí in a way that I found particularly surprising. In the bustling city on the Amazon River, just upriver from its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean, I noticed signs for the combination everywhere: frango assado, grilled chicken, with açaí.

I’m sure the pairing exists in other urban Amazonian areas where açaí is a staple food, such as Belém or even Manaus, but in Macapá there seems to be a particular enthusiasm around it. What was particularly interesting is that there wasn’t a single restaurant that I could find that served it. It was sold only for takeout.