Brazil has a wonderful variety of traditional foods - with an interesting mix of European, African, and Asian influences.
Many of their traditional dishes contain fish, meat, tropical fruits, rice, beans, and manioc flour. In fact, many Brazilians feel that no meal is complete without rice and beans. French fries are also very popular.
This is an example of what most Brazilians consider to be a decent lunch - the biggest meal of the day.
We've had a chance to try a lot of food these past nine months. Some are hits. Some are misses.
When we first got here, my favorite place to eat was the "Buffet Á Kilo"
where you could choose what you would like, pile it onto your plate and then have it weighed to see how much it cost.
(This gave me the option of tasting a little bit of everything - at least the stuff that looked good).
Other "culinary delights" followed.
Some of our favorites include...
Feijoada
This is actually considered the national dish of Brazil. It's a thick stew of black beans with pieces of beef and pork added to it, served with shredded kale, rice, farofa (the stuff that looks like sawdust) and a slice of orange.
This is actually considered the national dish of Brazil. It's a thick stew of black beans with pieces of beef and pork added to it, served with shredded kale, rice, farofa (the stuff that looks like sawdust) and a slice of orange.
(Feijoada is such a heavy dish that it is only eaten maybe once a week and the only recommended activity after eating is napping. Don finds this to be a very satisfying nap - I mean meal.)
Pão de queijo
(cheese bread)
These are little balls of bread with cheese baked in it. They are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. These are a staple at our monthly FHE nights!
Love these little guys!
Coxinhas & Pastéis
The coxinhas are the little raindrops in the picture below. They are usually filled with chicken and a very creamy cheese called "catupiry."
Pastéis are the same idea only with less dough and more options for the fillings. We like the chicken, catupiry, and corn pastel. For dessert, apple or banana - or even chocolate - filling.
I know, they are both super unhealthy, but they sure are yummy. If you're looking for healthy, try...
Tapioca
This looks like a crepe but it's made out of tapioca flour that comes from the manioc root. When you fry this sticky powder in a frying pan, the heat turns it into a stiff, crepe-like crust which can then be filled with savory or sweet fillings; everything from cheese and meat, to bananas and chocolate. We first had them for breakfast with egg, ham, tomato and oregano at a hotel on Ilha do Mel but have since had them here in Curitiba.
Açaí
(pronounced ah-sah-ee)
In North America it’s a new “wonder berry,” but Brazilians have known about this little purple delicacy for ages. It’s a super favorite, eaten like a frozen treat. Heads up - it's a lot better if you add stuff to it! I like it with fruit and sweetened condensed milk. Don doesn't like it
AT ALL!
(Beware. It does turn your mouth purple!)
Pizza
Brazilian pizza is actually called "Portuguese Pizza". Who knew?! Anyway, we have a wonderful pizza place in our neighborhood (Abaré) and visit it probably way too often. Pizza in Brazil always has a very thin crust. They use slices of tomato instead of the abundant tomato sauce on pizza in the U.S.
Brazilians are a bit more creative with their pizzas than Americans are, and the diverse local ingredients and flavors of Brazil show up on the pizzas. Toppings as varied as hearts of palm, catupiry cheese, fresh corn, fresh herbs, mashed potatoes, raw tuna, onions, hard boiled eggs, grilled sausages, potato sticks, and curried chicken with coconut milk are mixed with more traditional toppings like olives, ham, bacon, oregano, mozzarella, and tomatoes.
BTW - Brazilians eat pizza with silverware; if you do that in the U.S., others look at you like you're from another planet.
A Brazilian pizza feast would not be complete without a delicious dessert pizza. Plantains, bananas, chocolate, "dulce de leche" ("doce de leite" in Portuguese), strawberries, cooked apples, nutella, guava paste, cream cheese, whipped cream and even ice cream are all potential toppings that are served on a thin, bread-like crust. Often the toppings are placed decoratively, arranged in pretty patterns to make a festive party dessert.
Churrasco
Brazilians love a good churrasco. You can find churrascarias everywhere! These are restaurants serving grilled meat (all you can eat) with the waiters moving around the restaurant with the skewers, slicing meat onto your plate.
For Don, dining doesn't get much better than this!!
Brazilians love a good churrasco. You can find churrascarias everywhere! These are restaurants serving grilled meat (all you can eat) with the waiters moving around the restaurant with the skewers, slicing meat onto your plate.
For Don, dining doesn't get much better than this!!
Frutas
Brazil is one of the top fruit producing countries in the world. Some of the most common type of fruits are; mango, guava, cashew fruit, pineapple, passion fruit, orange and plum, star fruit, bananas of all shapes and sizes, and more. They also grow delicious melons.
Interestingly, they don't have a lot of vegetables to choose from.
Sobremesas
Clockwise, starting with the cake - Brazilian cakes (bolos) can by kind of dry, but many have a mousse or dulce de leche (creamy caramel sauce made from condensed milk) filling which makes the cake more moist and extra sweet. I love the corn cake (bolo de fubá). It's sweet, savory, and delicious. It has a creamy corn texture with a delicious warm condensed milk glaze to top it off. Next, the bonbon is a brigadeiro. It is a soft chocolate sweet made with condensed milk and cocoa. It is present at every Brazilian birthday party. Then comes carrot cake (bolo de cenoura) which is so different from our carrot cakes. Made in a blender, like the corn cake, it is smooth and mild with a chocolate glaze. And, lastly, the ever popular flan (pudin) made with - what else - condensed milk.
Yay & Nay
One of our favorite places to eat on Friday nights is the park (parque). You can find all kinds of food there - Japanese, Portuguese, Mexican, Italian, American, you name it. We go there often.
Another plus is the party atmosphere that surrounds the place.
A definite two thumbs up.
One week, however, Elder Parrela convinced us to all that we needed to go to the mall and have McRib sandwiches at McDonald's.
Who can guess how many thumbs this adventure got?!
Up or down?
