A Brazilian Food Journey

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Ingredients

Meals

Celebrations

Beverages

Recipes

Photo Essay

Influences

Carnaval is based on European Christian traditions and would not be complete without pepper (chili) scented rice, combining European and African influences. In the Amazon, Bumba or Bull festival, is known by the Minini fish and coconut stew (European and Indian influences). The barbecue of the southern Brazilian cooking takes much from the indigenous peoples traditional techniques and recipes; upscale apartments may come with a barbecue room.

Holidays

Holidays like Christmas and New Years are similar to their counter parts in the United States. Christmas dinner is often a stuffed turkey marinated in cachaca or wine and a table of sweets, breads, Brazil nuts, raisins, dates, wine and coffee.

September 7 is Brazilian independence day, celebrated with parades and parties. June is a month full of festivals. St. John, the protector of corn, is celebrated on 24 with corn cakes, corn pudding and corn on the cob.

Spotlights

Festive Foods

Birthdays & Parties

Parties (festas) tend to be more formal in Brazil and may take place in a home or in private club. Like in the United States, parties involve music, food, drinks and dancing. A dinner party menu might include stuffed suckling pig, manioc, spinach pudding, white rice with egg and almond pudding.

Birthday parties are likely to have a theme and sure to have doces or sweets of chocolate and coconut. Hors d'oeuvres tend to be pastries stuffed with meats (salgadinhos).

Weddings

Weddings are large affairs and formal events. They usually begin with a church service and end with a large party for friends. Meals vary by region, but will include meat dishes, beans and rice. Wedding cake is also served.

References:

Brazil: A Cooks Tour. Christopher Idone. Clarkson N. Potter: New York, NY, 1995.

The Art of Brazilian Cooking. Dolores Botafogo. Doubleday & Co., Inc.: Garden City, NY, 1960.

Behaving Brazilian: A Comparison of Brazilian and North American Social Behavior. Phyllis A. Harrison. Newbury House Publishers, Inc.: Rowley, MA, 1983.

Food and Festivals: Brazil. Mariana Serra. Steck-Vaughn Co.:Austin, TX, 2000.