Brazilian cuisine
The Brazilian cuisine is the national cuisine of Brazil . As the only country with a contiguous national territory, it encompasses four consecutive climate zones from north to south . The population consists largely of immigrants and their descendants from Europe , Africa and Asia .
It is therefore difficult to define a Brazilian cuisine, as a multitude of different races and cultures bring their own cuisine with them. The traditional kitchens were also heavily influenced by immigrants , especially from Europe - especially from the colonial power Portugal - and from Africa.
General
In general, the cuisine of the former Portuguese colonizers has influenced Brazilian cuisine. Colonial settlement and slavery led to the introduction of food that could be obtained in large quantities and with sufficient shelf life. This has resulted in a traditional distribution of black beans , rice , manioc and the extremely long- life Bacalhau for the most popular dishes.
When the Brazilian national dish which is considered feijoada , a bean stew with meat, rice, farofa from cassava are served and the decorative orange slices and orange juice. As in Portugal, the numerous preparation variations of Bacalhau are particularly popular.
In Brazilian salads, the main ingredient is usually the tomato; when the price of these vegetables increased in 2013, hamsters were bought on the Argentine border.
Popular fruits are pineapples , guavas , mangoes , oranges , papayas and passion fruits . In addition, sweets such as the Brigadeiro , Maria mole and the Brazilian version of Dulce de leche, as well as various cakes such as the Bolo de rolo, are popular.
In the late 1980s, self-service restaurants (so-called self-service) became established in São Paulo and are still found in all parts of the country today. The price per kilo is used. The price per kilo can vary greatly depending on the location and quality of the self-service . Saturday and Sunday are usually much more expensive than during the week.
A Café Colonial is a typical buffet in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina in southern Brazil in places with a strong German influence. The restaurants that offer this type of food are also called this.
Brazil is a country in which journeys from one city to another often take longer than a day, and so the refreshment stations along the highways have a special status that should be considered as a supraregional culinary zone. In the snack bars the Rodoviárias (bus stations) there is usually a larger, albeit simple offer of filled sand (sandwiches) and simple dishes, but even there, there is always the Self Service -Restaurants. In the lonely, family-run and sideline bus stops, the Almoço (lunch) is usually offered in just one variant for the passengers of a bus . This is usually a plate with rice, beans or potatoes and meat, sometimes a more or less stripped down version of the feijoada. Already prepared on the plate, these dishes are therefore also called prato feito (prepared plate).
The Arabica Cafe grown in Brazil is considered the national drink. Milk shakes with fruit or vegetables are popular in Brazil and are known as vitamins . In the Vitamina de abacate, for example, avocados are mixed with milk and brown sugar. A drink that has made it to numerous bars around the world from Brazil is the caipirinha. It is a cocktail made from cachaça, lime juice, sugar and ice.
Meals
Typically there are 5 to 6 meals:
- Café-da-manhã (morning coffee): Each region has its own customs. The morning coffee typically consists of fruits, cakes, white natural yoghurt, rissólis, sandwiches, pão de queijo , bread, butter, cheese, jam and cold cuts made from smoked turkey breast. The drink served is coffee with high sugar content, coffee in sugar with milk ( café com leite ), cocoa, juice or black tea with high sugar content.
- Lanche-da-manhã (morning snack): fruit, tomato salad, sandwiches, served with juice
- Almoço (lunch): Usually rice (sometimes also noodles), served with beans, a meat or fish dish, boiled vegetables, salad, in southern Brazil also polenta.
- Lanche-da-tarde (evening snack): The same foods are served as with morning coffee
- Jantar (dinner): consists of soups, tomato salad, rice and often leftovers from lunch, served with juice
- Ceia (late dinner, often on bank holidays): soups, salads, fruits, rice and noodles, sandwiches, biscuits, served with juice
Regional kitchens
Northern cuisine
Acre , Amapá , Amazonas , Pará , Rondônia , Roraima , Tocantins
The north and west of Brazil are sparsely populated and include both steppe and primeval forest areas. The question therefore arises as to whether a common cuisine can be identified beyond local characteristics and beyond the big cities of Manaus and Belém . It is said, however, that the north is strongly influenced by Indian cuisine , but that Indian influences are also recognizable. Fish is an essential part of the diet as the Amazon basin has a plentiful supply of freshwater fish.
Important dishes are:
- Caruru: Crabs are sauteed with a spicy sauce of red pepper , okra , onions , tomatoes , chilli and palm oil served
- Tacacá: A broth from the juice of cassava - root with shrimp and jambu
Northeast cuisine
Alagoas , Ceará , Maranhão , Paraíba , Pernambuco , Piauí , Rio Grande do Norte , Sergipe
The northeast is characterized by dry areas. The dishes are strongly influenced by African and Creole influences. In the vicinity of the sea , the recipes are based more on fish and other sea creatures , while inland more rice , beans , cheeses such as paçoca de pilão, dried meat , cassava and the like are eaten.
The Bolo de rolo is considered the cultural heritage of Pernambuco.
Bahian cuisine
Although geographically belonging to the northeast, Bahian cuisine still has a special place due to its diversity and imaginative variations. In Brazil it differs the most from the colonial Portuguese-influenced cuisine of the other regions; it is, in a sense, the most Brazilian cuisine. This is due on the one hand to stronger African influences (compared to the Creole ones in the northeast) and on the other hand to a richer supply of fruit, meat and fish.
Well-known dishes are:
- Vatapá : A dough-like paste is cooked from the chopped, mashed and seared ingredients, white bread, onions , crabs, cashew nuts , peanuts , coconut milk, palm oil, coriander and numerous other spices, which is eaten with the hot sauce Molho de Pimenta . This specialty of African origin is often prepared at street stalls in Bahia and sold as a snack on the hand with acarajé .
- Acarajé is a typical dish of the Afro-Brazilian cuisine: It is in Dendê -fried -Oil, krokettenartige balls of ground beans, prawns and spices. The dish was brought to Brazil by African slaves in colonial times. Acarajé is prepared at street stalls and sold as a take-away snack: the cakes are cut open, filled with vatapá , hot pepper sauce, dried crabs and a salad made from diced onions, tomatoes and peppers and sold in wrapping paper.
- Moqueca : a stew made with fish and / or crabs. With the numerous variations of the Moqueca, the Portuguese fish stew Peixada was transformed into a Brazilian fish pot with an African recipe, Brazilian ingredients such as palm oil and coconut, as well as imported fruits such as Indian cassava.
Midwestern cuisine
Goiás , Mato Grosso , Mato Grosso do Sul , Distrito Federal
Important dishes are:
- Galinhada com Pequi : a chicken - Court with Pequi (a typical palm fruit from the Cerrado region in Goiás)
- Linguiça Caseira Frita: a type of pork sausage
- Mojica: Fillets of fish (often the pintado fish) are cooked with onions, tomatoes and cassava and seasoned with coriander
- Pequi com Arroz: Pequi with rice
Southeast cuisine
Espírito Santo , Minas Gerais , Rio de Janeiro , São Paulo
The most famous Brazilian recipes come from the southeast of the country. Beans in particular are very popular in the region. While the black bean is very popular in Rio de Janeiro, the red and white beans are preferred in São Paulo. In Minas Gerais, on the other hand, the black and red beans are most common.
Important dishes are:
- Feijoada : a bean stew with different types of meat
- Cuzcuz : sweet pudding with tapioca or corn flour or a dish similar to couscous
- Pão de queijo : Brandy pastries made from Polvilho (starch) and cheese.
- Moqueca Capixaba: a fish dish in a clay pot (Panela de barro) with rice as an accompaniment. The most famous dish in Espirito Santo.
Southern cuisine
Paraná , Santa Catarina , Rio Grande do Sul
In the south of the country the influence of the Europeans is very strong, so you shouldn't have any problems finding typical dishes from countries like Germany , the Netherlands , France , Italy etc. The Europeans also brought the wine to the region. Since the livestock industry is particularly pronounced here, meat dishes are very common, also with dried or cured meat.
Important dishes are:
See also
- Churrascaria - a traditional restaurant
- Minas (cheese) - a typical Brazilian cheese
- Moqueca - fish dish with banana leaves
- Cashew juice - popular drink in Brazil
