Brazilian Cuisine

The cuisine of Brazil varies greatly from region to region. The local ingredients used in cooking are root vegetables like cassava (locally known as mandioca, aipim or macaxeira), yams and peanuts and fruit such as acai, cupuacu, mango, papaya, guava, orange, passionfruit, pineapple and hog plum. A popular national snack is Brazilian pine nuts called pinhao which grow on a tree that is abundant in the southern part of Brazil. Common are rice and beans as well as fish, beef and pork. Cuscuz Branco, milled tapioca is a popular dessert. Brazil is also known for its cachaca, a popular native liquor used to make the chic Caipirinha cocktails. This is the national cocktail of Brazil. It is made of cachaca, sugar and lime.

The south of Brazil comprises the states of Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. The gaucho (cowboy of the pampa) contributed to the national cuisine with dishes made with sun- or salt- dried meat and churrasco (a Brazilian counterpart of barbecue), a meal of grilled meats on over-sized skewers. A traditional dish from the state of Parana is barreado which is boiled meat, made in ceramic pans and often put under the soil to boil with the sun's heat. European immigrants (Germans, Italians, Poles and Portuguese) were accustomed to a wheat-based diet and introduced wine, leaf vegetables and dairy products. When potatoes were not available they discovered how to use the native sweet manioc as a replacement. Lasagna and other pasta dishes are also very popular.

The Southeastern region comprising the states of Espirito, Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo is the industrial heart of Brazil. In Minas Gerais the regional dishes include corn, pork, beans, chicken and local soft ripened traditional cheeses. In Rio, feijoada, a black bean and meat stew is popular especially as a Wednesday or Saturday lunch. Another typical food in Sao Paulo is Virado a Paulista which consists of rice, tutu de feijao (a paste of beans and manioc flour), sautéed collard greens and pork chops. It is usually accompanied by pork rinds, bits of sausage, a fried egg and a fried banana. Sao Paulo cuisine shows the influence of European and Middle Eastern immigrants. Pizza and sushi have also become popular.

The North region consists of the states of Acre, Amazonas, Amapa, Para, Rondonia, Roraima and Tocantins. One of the most famous dishes from Para is Pato no tucupi (Duck in tucupi). This dish is usually prepared for the celebration Cino de Nazare. The dish is made with tucupi (yellow broth extracted from cassava and it needs to be cooked for over a week), the duck, after cooking, is cut into pieces and boiled in tucupi. The jambu (a special type of plant) is boiled in water with salt, drained and put on the duck. This is served with rice and manioc flour.

The Northeast part of Brazil consists of the states of Algoas, Bahia, Ceara, Maranhao, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe. Within the state of Bahia the predominant cuisine is Afro-Bahian, which evolved from plantation cooks improvising on African, Amerindian and traditional Portuguese dishes. Typical dishes include vatapa, moqueca (both having seafood and palm oil), and acaraje (a salted muffin made with white beans, onion and fried palm oil which is filled with shrimp, red pepper and caruru (mashed okra with ground cashew nut, smoked shrimp, onion, pepper and garlic). The main staple is a plate of white rice and black beans.

Some Typical Brazilian Dishes

Appetizers:

Beef Round Eye Sandwiches

Beef is put into a pressure cooker with water, vinegar, salt and garlic. Cooked for 50 minutes after regulator starts to blow steam. While beef cools mix together diced tomatoes, diced onions, diced green peppers. The beef is then finely sliced and layered in a casserole dish alternating layers of sliced beef with layers of vinaigrette and refrigerated. Served on bread.

Coxinha

Chicken breast fillet is pressure cooked for about 10 minutes with chopped onion, garlic, beef bouillion, salt, ground pepper, margarine and three cups of water. When it is done the chicken is removed from the broth and finely chopped to make the coxinha filling adding parsley and green onions. Three cups of the remaining broth are brought to a boil and three cups of flour are added to the boiling broth and stirred with a wooden spoon until it becomes dough. The dough is then taken out of the pan and kneaded until it becomes smooth. Flattened with a rolling pin and medium circles are cut with a biscuit cutter. On the dough place a small cube of cream cheese and then filled with the chicken filling, sealed shut in the shape of a drum stick (a little chicken drumstick in Portuguese translates to "coxinha") basted with egg whites and rolled in breadcrumbs. The snacks are then deep-fried until golden brown.

Soups

Brazilian Black Bean Soup
Black beans are soaked overnight. Then drained and water or stock and salt are added and simmered for 1½ hours. Chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic are sautéed. Cumin and coriander are added and cooked until the vegetables are tender. The vegetables are then added to the cooking beans and about 10 minutes before the beans are ready add oranges, orange and lemon juice, sherry, black and red pepper and stir. Cook 10 minutes more.

Eggplant Soup
Peeled and dice eggplant is added to diced onions, zucchini, tomatoes, garlic and mushrooms with olive oil. Layered in a jellyroll pan and roasted until brown about 1 hour. Then the vegetables are pureed in a blender and transferred to a saucepan. Chicken broth and red wine are added. Simmered for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add basil and oregano and serve.

Salads

Salpicao Salad
Chicken breast is cooked with salt, drained and cut into cubes. Coarsely grate carrots and ham slices are cut into fine strings. Peel, core and cube a green apple. In a large bowl combine chicken, ham, drained peas, chopped hearts of palm, carrots and diced apples. Mix together with a cup of mayonnaise.

Brazilian Salad
Line a large platter with Romaine and leaf lettuce leaves, The remaining lettuce is broken up into bite size piece and placed over the leaves. Then tomato slices are arranged over the lettuce with onion slices in between them. Next to the tomatoes are arranged slice hearts of palm and rows of garbanzo beans are added. To serve sprinkle with parsley and olive oil.

Meat Dishes

Beef or Chicken Stroganoff
Chicken or beef cubes are lightly fried with margarine, onion, garlic and salt. Then a ½ cup of water is added to make a thick sauce, add mushrooms. Cook until meat is tender. When done add sour cream and ketchup.

Creamy Rotini
Ground beef, oil, salt and garlic is browned in a pressure cooker. Then water, table cream, Parmesan cheese and rotini pasta is added. Pressure cooked for 5 minutes and served.

Fejioada (Black Bean and Pork Stew)
In a pan cubed pork tenderloin and slices of bacon and garlic are fried. Then sliced, smoked pork sausages are added. After the meat and sausages are cooked add the black beans. Cook for 10 minutes more and at this point pepper sauce may be added.

Beef Round Eye Sandwiches

Ingredients
1 piece Beef round eye
4 cup water
1 cup vinegar
2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 lb tomatoes
2 onions
1 green pepper

Directions
1. Put the Beef in a pressure cooker with the water, vinegar, salt and garlic.
2. Cook in medium-heat for about 50 minutes after the regulator starts to blow steam.
3. While the Beef is cooling down mix together diced tomatoes (1/4-inch cubes), diced onions, diced green pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt and group pepper.
4. Finely slice cooked Beef.
5. In a glass casserole, alternates layers of sliced Beef with layers of vinaigrette and refrigerate.

Feijoada (Black Bean and Pork Stew)

Ingredients
1 lb of varied Pork sausages (prefer smoked sausages)
1 lb of Pork tenderloin
some slices of Bacon
1 can of black beans (15.5Oz)
2 tbs vegetable oil
salt,
garlic
chopped onions
bay leaves

Directions
1. In a separated pan, fry cubes of Pork tenderloin and slices of Bacon with salt, garlic.
2. Add all the sausages sliced and stir medium-heat until dry all the water.
3. Add the cooked meat to the pan with the black beans and your feijoada is ready!
4. Cook your feijoada more 10 minutes to meat soak in the black beans.
5. You can add some pepper sauce to your feijoada at this point.