OUR PEOPLE | AMAZON
Turtles: tracajá, pitiú, zé prego, captari, mata-mata, jabuti, are species of turtles in the Amazon region. Some of them are very much appreciated as food by the Riverside folk and by people in general. Today some species are protected, others however can be freely consumed by the local population.
Traditionally it is natural to consume it ground or beaten (type of ground meat), stewed and eaten with farofa (manioc flour toasted in butter or olive oil) in the shell of the turtle.
In the past the eggs of the Purus turtle were hunted to make butter, light, and seasoning. Even today they are exploited and sold as food. On the margins of the Purus River, there are “trays” to protect the turtles and tracajás, where the species lay their eggs in the sand of the beaches ((in holes) for procreation.
These areas are being monitored by environmental organs because it is needed from the "laying of eggs", to keep predators (men) away so that the eggs can be protected and to give the offspring a chance to be born, reach the river and live to adulthood