Do Eat the Buffalo
One of the best things about Marajó is the food. Buffalo is the local specialty, and we were expecting to try a bite, but after a few days we lost track of all the dishes that were in some way or other derived from water buffalo. We tried buffalo roast beef for our first meal. The meat is delicious, very lean and tender, with a stronger taste than cow, though not as pronounced as lamb. For dessert we had caramel pudding made with buffalo milk. In the evening, with the cold beer and view of the sunset, our cook brought us slices of fresh Mozzarella di Buffalo. Only 24 hours old, the cheese had a light, creamy taste. Another dinner started off with a rich cheese and onion soup made with, you guessed it, buffalo cheese, followed by a buffalo meatloaf. Our breakfast buffet included buffalo butter, buffalo milk, buffalo cheese, and buffalo cream, in addition to waffles, omelets (no buffalo eggs), and other goodies. Had we stayed more than a few days it would have taken a buffalo to carry us out of there.
