Brazilian Food History

Brazilian Food History


Brazil is a big country that is consists of many different cultures. Each area has another food specialty. The Portuguese came in Brazil in 1500 and brought their appreciations and styles of cooking with them. They brought sugar, citruses, and a lot of sweets that are still used for desserts and holidays. The Brazilian dessert "sweet tooth" was developed through the influence of the Europeans. Brazilian food use many eggs, fruits, spices (such as cinnamon and cloves), and sugar to make sweet treats, such as ambrosia. They also use savory (not sweet) flavorers such as parsley and garlic. Other nationalities that rooted in Brazil were Japanese, Arabs, and Germans. More than one million Italians had migrated to Brazil by 1880. Each immigrant group brought along its personal style of cooking that made Brazilian food so various.



Long before the Europeans came, even so, the Tupi-Guarani and other Indian groups lived in Brazil. They planted manioc (a root vegetable like a potato) from which Brazilians taught to make tapioca and farofa, ground manioc, which is akin to fine breadcrumbs. It is toasted in oil and butter and sprinkled over rice, beans, meat, and fish. As of 2001, farofa was still used as the Brazilians' primary "flour" to make such Brazilian desserts like cookies, biscuits, and bread.



A country as large and diverse as Brazil has many regional variations when it comes to food. Besides the natural differences associated with climate, soil conditions and proximity to water, the people that occupied the land led to the development of different Brazilian cuisines. When the Portuguese first arrived in Brazil, various Indian tribes inhabited Brazil. With colonization and well through the XIX century, slaves were brought from West Africa to work in plantations (slavery was abolished in 1888). Starting in the mid-XIX century there was a very significant inflow of peoples from Europe (Italy, Germany, Poland and Russia) as well as from Japan. The mixture of peoples and cultures produced a very creative cuisine. Still, some of the most traditional dishes are adaptations of Portuguese and African foods


The South
A very popular meal all over Brazil and also a favorite with foreign visitors is the "churrasco" or barbacue, which originated with the southern "gaucho" or cowboy. It consists of meats grilled over an open fire. Some of the finest "churrascos" are served in the south of Brazil. Restaurants which specialize in "churrascos" (the "churrascarias") offer a "rodizio": all you can eat from a large variety of meats, usually served with a variety of salads. The waiters circulate around the tables with long spits of barbeceud chicken, beef, sausage and pork, and slice off the pieces selected by patrons right onto their plates.


The Southeast

Considered Brazil's national dish (although it can be prepared differently depending on the region of the country), "feijoada" consists of black beans simmered with a variety of dried, salted and smoked meats. It was originally made out of odds and ends to feed African slaves.

"Feijoada" for lunch on Saturday is very traditional in Rio de Janeiro, where it is served "completa": with rice, shredded "collard greens or kale", "farofa" (ground manioc root, which is pan-toasted with butter), sliced oranges, and hot sauce.


The Central West

In the central region of Brazil, the rivers produce a great variety of fishes, like the flavorful "pintado" or the "dourado", usually baked whole in the oven or over an open fire, and served with rice and "pirão" (manioc meal mixed with fish broth).


The North

The typical food from Brazil's northern region is very unique, since it is mostly influenced by the original inhabitants of the country, the Indians. The northern region is dominated by the Amazon basin, still home to some Indian tribes. Fish (like the "pirarucu", the " tambaré" and the "tucunaré") and game are very popular among the locals, who have acess to many exotic and delicious local fruits, like "pupunha", "mangaba", "graviola", "murici" and many others. The forest plays an important part in northern dishes, most of them being prepared with local herbs, roots, and the popular "tucupi" ( a sauce made with the liquid squeeze out of grated manioc root and cooked with lots of garlic).


The Northeast

Brazil's Northeast offers different cuisines: along the coast fish is favored, while in the inland the basic staple is "carne seca" (dried beef). Bahia, a state with strong African roots, offers unusual dishes using "dendê" (palm oil), dried spiced shrimp, coconut milk, hot peppers, nuts, and cilantro. Some of the most famous Bahian dishes are "moqueca" (fish, shrimp, crab, or a seafood combination cooked with dendê oil and coconut milk), "vatapá" (fresh and dried shrimp, fish, ground raw peanuts, coconut milk, dendê oil and seasonings, thickened with grated manioc into a creamy paste) and "acarajé" (a patty made of ground beans fried in dendê oil and filled with "vatapá", dried shrimp, and hot pepper sauce).


Desserts

Brazilian desserts have a very strong influence from Portugal and tend to be very sweet. In the south, fruits are cooked with sugar at low temperature for many hours until they turn into a tick paste or spread. In the north, jams, ice creams, and puddings are made out of exotic fruits (i.e., "graviola", "jenipapo", "cupuaçu", "açai"). For kids, brigadeiros are a special treat, easy to make and eat: little ball-shaped fudges made out of condensed milk and chocolate, topped with chocolate sprinkles or cocoa