Cow Hand Soup
Last Saturday some friends and I went to a kind of fundraiser for one of Rio’s top Samba Schools, Portela. It was pretty cool actually, there were a bunch of different bands playing up on a stage, there were plates piled high with feijoada and there were ice buckets full of beer. Oh yes, and there was some serious heat!
A day of samba, cerveja, feijoada and fun!
With the temperatures up around 40°C (104°F), the ice cold beers slipped down very easily (along with a cheeky caipirinha or two). Eventually the sun sank, our boozy afternoon became evening, and I started to experience that special kind of hunger that comes after drinking a little too much.
Luckily for me, Mrs Eat Rio’s appetite tends to be well aligned with mine, so we decided to leave the stage area and go in search of sustenance. We wandered past stalls selling beers and caipirinhas and then we saw the sign.
Mocotó
It’s a funny sounding word that I enjoy saying. Each of the 3 Os are pronounced like the O in “mock” and the accent on the final letter puts the emphasis at the end – mo-co-TO! It originates from the Tupi–Guarani (indigenous languages) word mbo-coto and refers to the foot of a cow.
Now then, I suspect at this point I may lose one or two of you. As well as being the word for a cows foot, Mocotó is also the name of a delicious soup that is made from cows’ feet.
Mocotó – an incredibly rich, satisfying soup made from cows feet stewed with vegetables and linguiça (sausage).
I first tried Mocotó a year or so ago at my (Brazilian) uncle and aunt’s house and was blown away. “What is this?” I asked after my first couple of mouthfuls. The soup was rich, meaty and a little salty, but more than that it had an almost syrupy, gummy consistency. After getting a little on my fingers, I noticed that my fingers were actually sticking together like glue! When I was told of the principal ingredient (cows’ feet) it all made sense.
I guess I must have made rather a fuss over the soup that night because when we left they gave us a container to take home. The next morning when I peeked in the fridge, I found that the soup was solid. I don’t mean “lightly set”, I mean you could turn it out onto a board and cut it into cubes with a knife!
It’s not to everyone’s liking I’m sure, but I love the stuff – it’s especially good if you’re a bit chilly (or drunk!). I decided that I should learn how to make this amazing soup, so I looked over a few recipes and then set off for the supermarket. That’s when the blindingly obvious hit home. If I wanted to make mocotó, I was going to have to deal with some actual mocotós:
You can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs and you can’t make mocotó without dealing with some cow feet.
I’m ashamed to admit it, but this really put me off. Not from eating the soup, but from making it myself.There’s something about those actual hoofy bits – they remind me of really thick finger nails – urgh! Lucky for me these are long gone by the time the soup reaches the bowl, so I’ve decided leave the preparation to others.
Mão de Vaca
In Portugal they call this soup Mão de Vaca – literally ‘Cow Hand’. Something about this makes me chuckle – cow hand! And mão de vaca has another meaning. Someone who is (or perhaps has) mão de vaca is very ‘careful’ with their money (especially when it comes to buying the drinks). The image I have is of a cow clutching a few notes in that ‘hand’ that never opens. Mocotó would actually be perfect for people like this because not only is it delicious and nutritious, but it is cheap to make as well!
What do you think of mocotó? Would you give it a try?
“It’s a funny sounding word that I enjoy saying. Each of the 3 Os are pronounced like the O in “mock” and the accent on the final letter puts the emphasis at the end – mo-co-TO!”
I think you are right about the pronunciation; but if a person were to utter the word as it is spelled then it would sound like – moe – koe- to (with only that last O sounding like the one used in mock). I have heard it pronounced this way as well, yet to a lesser extent. Anyway I’ve been told that this is the “posh” way to say it. Now I am curious, maybe someone else would like to weigh in on this (Andrew Francis, perhaps Mrs. Eat Rio).
Regarding the taste, humm (polite mode on): you are very adventurous when it comes to food.
Something tells me you’d be up for having some of this as well:
http://flavorsofbrazil.blogspot.com.br/2010/06/recipe-sarapatel.html
I am not a fan of cow feet but I sure do like the tongue. Are you a fan?
Oh wow, that Sarapatel sounds challenging doesn’t it? I’d definitely give it a try, but I’d ask for a very small serving to start off with :)
The pronunciation thing can be tricky. It had never occurred to me before, but I see what you mean about the first two Os – I have always just gone by the way I’ve heard it said. I’m also aware that when I say things like “sounds like the O in mock”, Americans and English have a very different way of making that sound. To me, many Americans sound like they are saying something closer ‘mark’ because they make a more rounded O sound compared to the closed English pronunciation of that word.
I haven’t had tongue since I was a little kid – my grandparents used to have it sliced, rather like ham. I wasn’t a big fan back then, but back then I was quite fussy!
Yeah, I’d try it, but I’d want it served in something a little more substantial than the styrofoam bowl in your photo, lol.
You could do an entire menu of “vaca,” starting with cow’s tongue (pickled or not, your choice; Gritty is right, it’s delicious); mocotó for the soup course; some form of beef for the entrée (sorry, no fish course on this menu); and finish off with ice cream or gelato for dessert, with whipped cream topping.
You could also have aspic or Jell-O if you could be certain that the gelatin was made from cow’s bones or skin.
Don’t worry, you wouldn’t have to drink milk during the meal. :)
Heh heh, yes, that bowl wasn’t particularly elegant was it? In the heat and the drunken haze I hardly noticed at the time! :D
A second recommendation for cow tongue suggests I need to get myself to an açougueiro!
Phil, dessert would certainly have to be “geleia de mocoto” (4844785_a1.jpg) or “doce de mocoto” (mocoforte.jpg). If that’s too hardcore, powder based jellos like Gelatina Royal (gelatina_yoyalr0030711.jpg) are also made from cows’ feet.
Gritty, I think the pronunciation is a regional matter more than anything else. In Sao Paulo and the Southern states the letter “o” is pronounced more closed compared to Rio and the Northeast. So in the former states, the first syllable might sound a bit like “moe” but only if you cut it short. This might seem confusing but, to the Brazilian ear, an English speaker saying “moe” sounds like “mou” (a Portuguese “o” and a “u” put together – NOT like “mouse” in English). Yeah, that sounds confusing even as I write it. Maybe Danielle can give us a better explanation with her linguistics knowledge. :)
Andrew Francis,
I guess what I should have wrote is that Tom is prounouncing the word as follows: mócótó; when the ‘correct’ what to say it is the way that it’s written: mocotó. Most people I’ve encountered pronounce it like Tom does; the few that don’t are old timers from Minas Gerais. Has this been your experience as well?
Gritty, I see what you mean but in my opinion it’s a matter of regional accents, not right or wrong. Here’s an idea: ask people to say the name of the letter “o”. In Sao Paulo, they say “ô” but in Rio they say “ó”. (This is like “z” in English: Americans say “zee” and Brits say “zed”.) That difference in pronunciation carries into words so that, in Rio, the first two “o”s in “mocotó” are pronounced the same as the last one and the acute accent only stresses the syllable. In Sao Paulo the default “o” is different so the acute accent changes the pronunciation and adds stress.
Ha ha! I must admit, I find the various pronunciations of O some of the hardest to distinguish. My Portuguese teacher and I recently spent quite a while simply saying pode and then pôde – me trying to hear the difference! Tricky!
Olá,
Im really enjoying to read your texts while im here at job haha (dont tell anyone, please)
I am brazilian and i really dont like sopa de mocotó. Actually i never taste it, but it looks.. well.. esquisito. Unfortunatelly im not as brave as you rs
Sorry about my portuenglish haha
Oi Ana!
Não precisa se desculpar – entendi tudo! :)
I understand your reluctance about mocotó – it does look a bit weird doesn’t it? I’m happy you are enjoying the blog – I promise I won’t tell your boss! ;)
In all honesty, Cow hand soup makes me want to projectile vomit everywhere.
But in reality, I’m sure it’s freaking amazing, so I would just have to rename it something like ”Freaking Awesome Soup” or something. I would try it, but just try to not mention cow hands when you’re around me.
Ha ha! You are not alone Alex! I think “Freaking Amazing Soup” is great when you’re in the food (e.g. super-hungry and a little drunk). Probably not so great if you’re feeling a little
hungoverdelicate the next day :)And on the topic of food and language:
http://grittypoet.blogspot.com.br/2012/12/demonstrative-pork-cuts-isso-isto-or.html
Excellent article Gritty! Mrs Eat Rio will be delighted when I present her with a Pig foot and Marmite sandwich! ;)
Tô dentro ! Mocotó é tudo de bom. “Eu quero mocotó” é do ano do meu nascimento – e meu pai nunca parou de cantar até o hoje. ** Sight *** http://letras.mus.br/erlon-chaves/1043638/
Ótimo! Bem legal Ana! Só uma coisa – a ultima linha: “Ele é melhor que chocolate”: muito polêmico! ;)