Manaus was once a dainty little town that flourished during 1890-1920, when the owners of the rubber plantations became extremely wealthy, bringing immense prosperity to the region. With it came immense architecture, such as the Palacio Rio Negro, former home of a German rubber baron before becoming the Governor’s residence. It is now a cultural centre, holding art exhibitions, concerts and performances. The Grand Opera House, known as Teatro Amazonas, is a beautifully constructed building with a colourful dome. It was once deemed to be the ‘Paris of the Tropics’ for so many travelling opera troupes who performed here, until a fatal onset of yellow fever wiped out half of one unfortunate group of singers.

Manaus is now a modern city holding onto its indigenous traditions and thriving from the natural beauty of the land with the popular jungle tours it provides. My father’s enthusiasm and passion for this place was so apparent with the anecdotes from his travels. He was completely humbled by the Amazonian people, known as the Caboclos, and their settlements. The Caboclos mainly work as fishermen, rubber tappers and small farmers near the river margins. Fish is the main protein of Amazonian cuisine, with dozens of exceptionally tasteful species. Large fish are grilled over charcoal and smaller species are marinated and fried in an acidic marinade before being served in a tomato sauce (escabeche), coconut milk or stewed in tucupi (a marvellous sauce, made of fermented manioc juices. Manioc is a long, tuberous, starchy root).

Exotic fruit is in abundance – acerola, graviola, acai, pitanga, bacuri and papaya. The acai berry is rich in iron and regarded as a superfood; it’s also absolutely delicious served as a smoothie or with fresh bananas and granola for breakfast. Guarana grows here and can be eaten in berry form – elsewhere it is made into a tonic and stimulant.

My father was also adventurous when it came to trying new foods, way ahead of any ‘bush tucker trial’. On one of his trips he was served roast paca, a large rodent, and on another occasion sauva ants, which have a zingy, lemony flavour.

His most memorable meal was one that a Caboclo helped him fish for and later cook. His catch weighed around two kilos and was very similar to a catfish. Prepared using the traditional method of wrapping a banana leaf around the fish which had been marinated in lime juice, oil and salt, it is then topped with chopped tomatoes, red pepper, chillies, onion and coriander and grilled for around forty minutes. It was served with farofa (toasted manioc flour) and rice. That particular evening was rounded off observing the caimans (similar to alligators), which is a popular pastime on any eco-tour.