Brazilian cuisine is a product both of tradition and circumstance. Each region of Brazil has its own distinctive dishes, which naturally tend to reflect local climate and soil conditions, and the relative proximity of the ocean and rivers. Regional cuisines display varying degrees of African and European influence, and in some areas, particularly the north and west of Brazil, have incorporated the culinary traditions of local indigenous cultures.
The cuisine of the north-eastern state of Bahia has its origins in the time of slavery when the masters would give scraps from the table or leftovers from the previous day’s meal to the slaves, some of whom were also allowed to fish and look for shrimp and clams. The slave women put these simple ingredients together and added coconut milk or the oil from the dendê palm. Over the years these concoctions became established recipes, and today Bahian dishes can be sampled in many different areas of Brazil. They include the following:
- Vatapá -- Shrimp is cut up or ground together with pieces of fish, then cooked with dendê palm oil, coconut milk and pieces of bread. The dish is served with white rice.
- Sarapatel -- The liver and heart of either a pig or a sheep are mixed with fresh blood from either animal. Tomatoes, peppers and onions are added, then everything is cooked together.
- Carurú -- Sauteed shrimp is combined with a very spicy sauce made from red peppers and okra.
In the Amazon region a favourite dish is pato no tucupi, pieces of duck in a rich sauce including an unusual wild green herb that tingles in the stomach for hours after eating. Another typical dish is tacacá, a thick yellow soup containing dried shrimp and garlic.
The south of Brazil, particularly the state of Rio Grande do Sul, is the home of the churrasco. More than merely a meal, the average churrasco is a long-drawn-out, leisurely social occasion, at the centre of which are large pieces of skewered beef which are roasted over hot coals.
The likeliest contender for the status of Brazil's national dish would perhaps be the feijoada, which also has its origins in the leftovers given to slaves by their masters. In Rio de Janeiro, where it is especially popular, feijoada is based around a stew of black beans to which smoked pork sausage, pig's tongue, ears and tail, garlic and chili peppers are added. It is customary to take a generous helping of white rice, then spoon the feijoada on top before adding pulverised manioc flour (farofa). The final touches come in the form of kale and slices of orange, which aid with the digestion of this extremely filling meal.
Many international travellers think that Brazilian beer is among the best in the western hemisphere. For generations there have been expert German and Dutch brewers overseeing the manufacturing and processing of all major Brazilian breweries. When the beer arrives in bars and restaurants, one rule is universally applied: serve very cold.
Guaraná, a delicious soft drink unique to Brazil, is made out of a fruit from the Amazon.
Brazil also produces a spirit called cachaça, made from fermented sugar cane. It is enjoyed by all segments of Brazilian society, and earns praise from even the most demanding connoisseurs of distilled beverages.
Cachaça has been produced in Brazil since the sixteenth century. According to one of many legends, it all started when a slave drank the foam of fermented sugar-cane juice - the cagaça. In fact the word cachaça probably comes from the Spanish cachaza, used in the Iberian peninsula as a pejorative term for grape brandies such as the Portuguese bagaceira.
Total production of 1.3 billion litres a year places cachaça among the five most popular spirits in the world. Produced in distilleries of widely varying sizes, there are some 4,000 different varieties to choose from, ranging from the clear to the deep golden brown.
Cachaça is also known as aguardente de cana - and indeed, in the best Brazilian tradition, by dozens of other nicknames.
Combined with lime juice, sugar and crushed ice, cachaça becomes a deceptively potent drink known as the caipirinha, which in recent years has been growing in popularity outside Brazil.
