Dishes of Brazil: popular cooking methods, recipes

Features of Latin American cuisine

Recipes for traditional dishes represent a combination of culinary preferences of various nationalities - Portuguese, Aborigines, Africans and South American Indians. Each region of the country is distinguished by certain dishes that are unique only to that particular region.

Temperamental Brazilians generously add spices and seasonings to their prepared food. The most popular are chilli, pepper, coriander and onion. Brazilians also often use various hot sauces.

Spices not only add spiciness and an unforgettable taste to dishes, but also have powerful antimicrobial properties, that is, they disinfect food, which is important in hot climates. That is why spices and seasonings have long been popular in India, Mexico, Spain and other countries.

In Brazilian cuisine they most often use:

• meat (duck, pork, chicken, beef, chicken);
• seafood (crayfish, shrimp, fish, crabs and shellfish);
• legumes;
• cereals (corn and rice);
• vegetables (pumpkin, different types of cabbage and tomatoes);
• fruits (mango, papaya, guava, orange, pineapple, banana).

Features and history

Culinary eclecticism is a term used to characterize the mature taste of Brazilians. Portugal, Africa, France and the Indians influenced the character of Brazilian food more than the culture of life.

In all of South America, it is Brazil that leads in sophistication and uniqueness in culinary terms. However, it is difficult to express in general terms the entire gastronomic picture of Brazil, since each of the 26 regions of the country has its own national dishes.

Meat dominates the menu of every Brazilian. These are pork, beef, duck, chicken, chickens. Seafood is no less frequent guest on residents' tables. Vegetables and exotic fruits from the Amazon forest also find their niche in Brazilian cuisine. And all this is generously seasoned with spices. Combinations of salty and sweet are boldly used in the kitchen. Brazilians especially love to serve a variety of sauces and dressings with their main dishes.

Cassava (cassava) is also considered one of the main products throughout Brazil. This plant itself is very poisonous in its raw form, but residents learned to cook it, neutralizing the toxicity of cassava. They dry it, wash it, boil it and only then use it in cooking. You can make flour from it and make baked goods.

However, no matter how diverse and unique the cuisine of this or that part of the country is, there is still one common national Brazilian dish - feijoada.

Meat dishes

The most popular dish that is revered in every corner of Brazil is Feijoada or Feijoada. The classic recipe for this hearty stew calls for pork feet and meat trimmings. According to traditional cuisine, the beans are soaked and the meat is preserved in advance, so the preparation of the dish takes almost a day. Nowadays, Feijoada is prepared with various types of meat and sausages, black beans or beans, seasoned with pepper sauce. The stew is served with orange slices, rice, cabbage or cassava flour bread, the so-called farofa.

Brazilian cuisine is also famous for the following meat dishes:

• Lombo de Porco is pork loin fried in olive oil.
• Shurasko - slices of elite beef, grilled and served in spicy tomato sauce.
• Chicken legs.
• Sarapatel is a dish of meat and offal (liver heart, sausages and sausages).

For tourists, restaurant chefs, in addition to national cuisine, also prepare exotic recipes, for example, turtle or alligator meat.

Brazilian feijoada

It would seem like a simple meal - beans with meat. But how divinely delicious it is. Vinicius de Morais, a Brazilian poet, praised feijoada in his work “Feijoada My Recipe.” This dish is mentioned many times by Jorge Amado, a Brazilian writer and journalist.

In addition, this dish has a very unusual history. And there are three possible origins.

The first option says that the national dish of Brazil was invented by black slaves. It was as if they picked up scraps of meat thrown away by the owners and mixed them with black beans, and this is how feijoada turned out. However, historians intervened and refuted this version, citing several facts from the past. It turns out that the very scraps of meat from which the slaves allegedly cooked the dish were very valuable at that time and therefore could not be thrown away. So, most likely, if slaves cooked in this way, it was done for the plantation owners themselves.

The second option comes from the research of words and Brazilian life by historian Camara Cascudo. He argues that regular beans with meat are not feijoada, but food for the poor. In addition, indigenous traditions did not allow mixing meat with beans or vegetables. The historian believes that the recipe was introduced by Europeans, since a very similar dish is prepared in Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. That is, it was there that they ate meat with vegetables and cereals. And the version with beans was invented here in Brazil.

The third option explains the appearance of feijoada as the main dish of one of the restaurants for the upper class. This is documented by an advertisement in one of the local newspapers in 1849, which states that this magnificent dish will be served every Thursday and Tuesday. And it was invented by a local chef.

The recipe for this dish has some differences and depends on the region and the legumes that are inherent in it. Somewhere they use red beans, somewhere black or white. The side dishes and seasonings served with this dish also differ. But feijoada is definitely considered the crown of Brazilian cuisine.

According to a more popular recipe, feijoada is made from black beans, smoked pork and other types of meat products. And it is served with oranges, rice, cabbage or cassava flour and seasonings.

Seafood

Seafood is quite often used in the preparation of various dishes. The most popular are:

• Itapoa is a pudding made with crayfish and crab meat, eggs and milk.
• Takaka no tukupi is a recipe based on dried shrimp, cassava flour, sauce and jumbo grass, which has an astringent taste.
• Frigideira is a dish served in a clay pot. The main ingredients are shellfish in coconut milk batter and fried fish of various varieties.
• Vatapa is a stew whose base ingredients are dried shrimp meat and fish slices. Onions, garlic, chili, tomatoes are fried in palm oil with the addition of lime juice, seafood and nut oil.
• Moqueca is a Brazilian fish soup made with coconut milk and vegetables.
• Takaka is a spicy soup with garlic and dry shrimp.
• Karuru – salted shrimp with vegetables and caviar, served in a spicy sauce. The highlight of the dish is the kiabu plant.

Tips for tourists

In order not to spend the entire vacation in the hospital, guests of the country are advised not to try unfamiliar products, as they can be poisoned. This is especially true for cassava. It is better to ask a guide or ask local residents what certain dishes of Brazilian cuisine represent.

You should also be very careful when choosing local dishes in restaurants or cafes. Brazilians are hot people and their food is the same. As a rule, all their dishes are very hot and fiery, containing a large variety of spices.

Dessert

Sweet lovers will also find interesting recipes for themselves. A popular delicacy in Brazil is Quindim, made from coconut flakes, eggs and sugar. After baking, the cake is coated with cream.

Brigadeiros are Latin American candies similar to chocolate truffles. Delicious balls are made from condensed milk and cocoa powder. Various culinary shavings are used for decoration.

Other famous candies in Brazil are Cajuzinho with cashew nuts, Bombom de noses with walnuts and Suspiro with egg white.

What Brazil doesn't have

Many of our compatriots who have visited Brazil or currently live there note that despite the delicious national cuisine of Brazil, they miss some Russian products.

For example, you won’t find buckwheat or wheat here. There is also a lot of tension with fermented milk products. There is no kefir, no fermented baked milk, no sour cream and cottage cheese.

Fans of mushroom dishes will also have to give up their addictions to champignons, chanterelles and boletus. There are no others here except canned ones.

By the way, tea is also not very popular here, because Brazil is a coffee country.

Beverages

In the non-alcoholic segment, coffee occupies a special place of honor. In Brazil they drink it a lot and often. Preference is given to the sweet drink Cofecino (espresso), served in small demitasses cups. In hot climates, it is also possible to quench your thirst with various cocktails and fruit juices.

Stronger drinks are represented by vodka made from sugar cane juice - Cachaça. Various cocktails are also prepared from it, for example, Caipirinha with lemon. Rum, beer and various types of wines are revered in Brazil.

The peculiarities of Brazilian culinary traditions are explained by the proximity of rivers and seas, the hot climate, which promotes the growth of exotic fruits - cherimoya, assai berries, mango, guarana, etc. Local herbs and spices make Latin American cuisine unique and inimitable.

Alcoholic drinks

Brazilians are crazy about beer. There is a lot of it here, as well as advertisements about it.

The most popular alcoholic drink is cachaca. It is made from sugar cane. Another drink is prepared on its basis - caipirinha. In addition to cachaca, lemon, ice and sugar are added to it. We can say that in terms of popularity, caipirinha ranks second in Brazilian cuisine after feijoada.

Guarana fruits are also popular; they are used to make a drink that is later used for alcoholic cocktails.

Among weaker alcohols, Brazilians choose Shandon and Castel Chatelet wines.

Traditional Brazilian cuisine, popular dishes

Nevertheless, no matter how diverse the cuisine of this country may be, the national dishes of Brazil are a real gastronomic journey, which is distinguished by its exquisite taste and refined aroma. Agree, it is impossible to imagine a country or state without a capital or main city. In the same way, it is impossible to imagine the national cuisine of a particular state without a signature dish, which can be tasted in almost any self-respecting restaurant or cafe.

So, the traditional dish of Brazil is feijoada, the amazing taste of which was spoken about by the Brazilian poet Vinicius de Morais. This dish is based on beans, which are cooked together with small pieces of meat. It is important that the meat be of different types. All kinds of spices, spices and cassava flour are added to this mixture. Feijoada is served with orange slices or cabbage leaves, sometimes with rice.

Feijoada, the national dish of Brazil, is always served with a caipirinha. This is a kind of cocktail, which is prepared on the basis of vodka with the addition of cane sugar and lemon.

Festive and everyday table among Brazilians

In everyday life, the tables of the indigenous population of sunny Brazil often include legumes, rice, cassava flour, poultry, pork and, of course, seafood dishes. Very often, Brazilian families serve vegetables and fruits for lunch or dinner.

What can you say about breakfast in this country? It is not much different from the European one that is familiar to everyone. The traditional set is the famous Brazilian coffee with cream, cheese, bread and butter.

But the Brazilian holiday table is much more varied and rich. A popular dish in Brazil is pieces of beef fried on a metal rod and served with sauce or tomato slices. All kinds of seafood soups, thick and aromatic salads of various types and a large number of appetizers, most of which are made by stuffing - this and much more can be found on Brazilian tables during traditional holidays.

Main benefit

By eating a wide variety of foods, Brazilians remain very healthy people. The average life expectancy in the country today is 73 years, despite the huge number of cups of coffee per day that every Brazilian drinks every day. Brazil is considered in the modern world to be the country with the most beautiful and young inhabitants. In addition to constant self-care, Brazilians prefer national Brazilian cuisine in order to constantly receive all the necessary benefits from their daily diet. Balanced food, constant care of yourself and your health, as well as passion and love of life help Brazilians always feel in great shape and look younger than their peers from other countries.

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Traditional cuisine of Brazil, its formation

Brazil is the largest country located in South America. Thanks to its location in the heart of the mainland, Brazil's traditional cuisine has been shaped by a fiery and savory combination of several cultures. Here you can feel the Portuguese character, African traditions and, of course, the colorful Latin American culture. In fact, the main dishes of Brazil are a harmonious combination of three cuisines - Portuguese, African and Indian.

Perhaps this is why Brazilian cuisine is considered the most exquisite and unusual in all of South America. However, it is quite difficult to paint a more or less clear picture of Brazilian cuisine - each region of this country has its own characteristics, which are determined by history and geographical location.

Step-by-step preparation

1. Rinse the beans and soak overnight in a liter of cool water.
2. The next day, take a large saucepan, add beans, pieces of loin, beef, and raw sausages. Fill with two liters of water and cook for an hour and a half over medium heat.
3. In a separate frying pan, fry chopped onion, garlic, chili pepper, bacon, lard and smoked sausage in oil.
4. After a couple of minutes, add medium-sized chopped tomatoes and a cup of broth in which the beans are cooked to the pan. Fry everything together for a few minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the heat. When an hour and a half of cooking the beans and meat has passed, add the contents of the frying pan to the pan.
6. Add ribs, salt and pepper. Place on the fire and simmer until the beans and meat ingredients are completely cooked.
7. Feijoada is ready. Serve hot.

You cannot understand the culture of a country without getting acquainted with its cuisine. National dishes of Brazil are part of a unique culture that largely characterizes the mentality of local residents, their traditions and habits, way of life and way of life.

The history of a traditional Brazilian dish

Every thing in the world has its own history. The traditional dish of Brazil - feijoada - was invented quite a long time ago, about 300 years ago. It was prepared by slaves. From pieces of pork that they got from the master's table and black beans, which were most often fed to livestock, the workers prepared their own food. In fact, this dish has African roots.

However, time passed, and with its passage everything underwent some changes. They also touched on a traditional Brazilian dish. Somewhat later, the Portuguese began to add sausage and frankfurters to the mixture of beans and pieces of pork. Later, the Indians made their own adjustments and added farofa to the feijoada, which is a mixture of oil and cassava flour.

Be that as it may, feijoada is prepared throughout Brazil. The fact is that in each region, the national dish of Brazil, the recipes of which go back to the distant past, is prepared differently. The main differences are the different types of beans and some changes in ingredients, all depending on the region and its gastronomic characteristics.