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A Guide to Brazilian Food

Brazilian food is a very diverse cuisine, this is mostly because each state or region has it own particular style and own traditional local dishes.

However, because of this you can travel to different states and experience very distinct flavours, cooking techniques and influences. Here are some of the typical dishes and influences that come from the different states and cities:

Southeast: Rio (state), Sao Paulo (state), Espírito Santo (state)

A typical dish is Feijoada. This dish is often described as the national dish. Made from black turtle beans, salted beef, pork trimmings, bacon, sausage and jerked beef.

It is traditionally served with rice, chopped refried collard beans, lightly roasted cassava flour, peeled oranges and hot pepper sauce.

Known for being a heavy dish, Feijoada is typically eaten at lunch usually on a Wednesday and a Saturday. This is followed by a long nap to digest.

In restaurants it is often labelled as the 'Day's Special'

It first became popular as a dish of the lower classes but finally became a dish know as a national dish.

Regional dishes in Minas Gerais include frango com quiabo or "chicken with okra" and local soft cheeses.

Sao Paulo is influenced by European and Middle Eastern immigrants. People in Sao Paulo pride themselves on how good their pizza is.

Another famous dish here is virado à paulista which consists of rice and tutu de feijão which is a paste of beans and manioc flour, sautéed collard greens and pork chops.

A typical dish in Espírito Santo is influenced by Germany and Italy and is called moqueca capixaba, a tomato stew with fish prepared in a clay pot.

Northeast: Salvador (city), Bahia (state), Alagoas (state)

Food here is predominantly influenced by Afro-Brazilian cuisine and as a result of this, is a lot more spicy. Seafood features heavily in this region.

A typical dish in Salvador is acarajé – a salted muffin made with white beans, onion and fried in palm oil filled with dried shrimp, red pepper, mashed okra with ground cashew nut and smoked shrimp.

North: Acre (state), Para (state)

The Amazonian region has large rainforests and is largely populated by indigenous tribes. The cuisine here is less commonly known but heavily influenced by the tribes and their most popular dishes, which include picadinho de jacaré made with alligator meat.

South: Paraná (state), Rio Grande do Sul (state)

This state is near Argentina so meat and gaucho, play a big part in the local food scene. Here the dish that rules the roost is the Brazilian equivalent to the BBQ.

Drinks:

Typical drinks that Brazilians enjoy include Caipirinhas in all different flavours whether it be lime or passion fruit. Very cold beer is always on the menu, in fact Brazilians pride themselves on the coldest beer and for a soft drink there is Guaraná, a natural energy drink.

Desserts:

For afters in Brazil the locals love a Canjiquinha, a Brazilian fresh corn pudding and Brigadeiros a sweet, very popular dish made from condensed milk and chocolate.

Find out more about visiting Brazil at www.braziltour.com

Words Clare Riley

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