Brazilian cuisine

Modern Brazil is not only endless carnivals, rhythms of incendiary melodies, chic costumes with bright feathers and wide smiles of Brazilians, but also an extraordinary national cuisine that has been created for centuries. It is based on the dishes of Portuguese, Indian and African cuisines, casually scattered throughout the country.

The birth of modern Brazilian cuisine dates back to 1500. At this time, the navigator from Portugal Pedro Cabral set foot on the coast of Brazil, subsequently declaring it a colony of Portugal. With the arrival of the colonialists, new food products (wheat, wine, vegetable oils and spices) appeared in the country, and new dishes and techniques for their preparation appeared in its national cuisine. Later, the colonialists brought in African slaves, who also had a huge impact on the development of Brazilian cuisine.

In 1888, the country gained independence and became a haven for many emigrants from Italy, Germany, Japan and other countries. They further diversified Brazilian cuisine, while maintaining its unique flavor.

Such a rich and eventful history not only made Brazilian cuisine stand out from the rest, but also made it one of the finest in South America. That is why gourmets from all over the world come here to taste Brazilian cuisine.

A feature of Brazilian cuisine is the variety of traditional dishes that are prepared in different regions of the country.

• In the northern regions, most of which are covered by the Amazon jungle, the cuisine is simple. The most popular products here are fish, nuts, exotic fruits, yams (they resemble potato tubers in appearance), cassava (the plant from which cereals are made). Favorite local dishes – “Karuru du parau”, Consisting of dried shrimp with tomato, onion and vegetable oil, and guasado de tartaruga (stewed turtle).
• Northeastern regions are famous for their abundance of cocoa and sugar cane. Local dishes are based on dried meat, rice, cassava, corn, beans and exotic fruits. The peculiarity of the local dishes is the pungency, which is achieved through the use of a huge amount of spices.
• Western regions – these are mainly savannas and prairies. That is why most of all people here love meat of all kinds, soy, rice, corn and cassava. Local cuisine has a lot in common with European.
• Southeast regions… As the most important region of Brazil, they combine several types of cuisines inherent in different states at once. While Rio de Janeiro is fond of “feijoada” (a dish of black beans and rice with cassava), Ouro Preto prefers dishes made from pork and grated cheese.
• Southern regions… It is home to shepherds and indigenous people who love grilled meats, herbs, potatoes, local red wines, beer and traditional European vegetables more than anything else.

Basic cooking methods in Brazil: