Products and local produce

With twenty-six states divided into five regions, Brazil has several regional cuisines, the result of 500 years of immigration from all over the world, mixed with several millennia of Amerindian presence, which allowed the domestication and diffusion of many plants native to the American continent. The first Portuguese landed on the coast of Brazil in 1500, and the slave trade brought millions of Africans to Brazil with their culinary traditions.

The north is centered around the Amazon and includes a large Amerindian population. The Amazon River has more than 3,000 species of fish, such as the pirarucu or arapaima (which can exceed 4 m and weigh 300 kg), piranhas and surubim

(giant catfish). Cassava is native to the region, as are acai berries, the fruit of a palm tree, with unequalled antioxidant power, and guaraná berries, with a high caffeine content.

It was in Porto Seguro, in the Northeast, that in 1500 Ivan Cabral first set foot on the soil of the future Brazilian territory. For a long time, this region concentrated the majority of sugar cane plantations, which also explains the very large Afro-Brazilian population in this part of the country. Palm oil, coconut milk, okra (a green vegetable with a delicate taste) and a host of spices are used generously. There is also an abundant use of fish and seafood compared to other coastal regions of the country.

The Center-West is the leading region in Brazil for cattle breeding. As a result, meat is more important here than anywhere else. Paraguayan and Bolivian influences are strong here, so plantain and pacu, a local fish, are consumed abundantly. In this Brazilian Midwest, the pequi

is a fairly common fruit for its pulp, with a slightly sour taste, similar to cheese.

Sudeste is the most populated region and includes the country's largest cities, such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The Portuguese influence is stronger here than elsewhere, but the cuisine is also more diverse, as the region has attracted a multitude of migrants from all over the world over the centuries. Minas Gerais has a large agricultural community and many Brazilian recipes come from this state. These include canastra (a firm cheese that is quite pungent), queijo minas (a more or less mature cheese that can be frescal, white and fresh, or curado, very mature) and requeijão

(a melting, almost runny spreadable cheese).

Finally, the South is often associated with churrasco, a typical barbecue that is not unlike theasado, as Argentine and Uruguayan influences are not far away. Hence, also, the abundant consumption of chimarrão

, or mate, an infusion from a local plant, which is often associated with gauchos. The long German presence in the region also explains the abundance of rich pastries. In addition to the classic establishments, there are various options in Brazil such as comer a kilo restaurants, buffets where you serve yourself and weigh your plate, or pizza and meat rodizios , where waiters rotate the room with several types of pizzas or meat skewers and the customers choose to their liking. Churrascarias specialize in barbecued meat (beef, pork, chicken, lamb, etc.) while galeterias only serve chicken. The mineiros offer a rural cuisine often based on pork and beans. For the hungry, there are lanchonetes, the equivalent of a snack.

The classics of Brazilian cuisine

Among the most common Brazilian snacks are theacarajé (a fritter made of corn beans, filled with a spicy coconut-peanut milk paste, shrimp and raw vegetables) or the coxinha (a thigh-shaped fritter). Pao de queijo are soft cheese croquettes, and pamonha, a crispy fried turnover filled with meat, poultry, cheese or vegetables. Reminiscent of Mexican tamales, pamonha is made with corn dough wrapped in its own leaves and steamed. Of Arabic origin,esfirra is a patty filled with minced and spiced mutton. Bolinhos de bacalhau are cod croquettes, similar to acras. In the street stands of Rio, you can devour a podrão

, the carioca hot dog filled with corn, French fries, grated cheese, eggs, olives and so on.

Brazil's national dish, feijoada is made of black beans, carne-de-sol (dried meat), sausages and pork ribs, served with rice and cooked shredded cabbage. Maniçoba is an Amazonian feijoada where cassava leaves are used instead of beans. Other complete dishes includearroz com feijão (rice with black beans), galinhada (spicy stew with rice and chicken),empadão (a kind of minced meat),empadão de frango (a hearty pie with chicken, cheese and vegetables) and virado

(beans, mashed cassava, pork chop, sausage, plantain and fried egg).

Meat dishes are plentiful, with of course the famous churrasco, a type of purely Brazilian barbecue, at the top of the list. The most noble cuts are the picanha, fraldinha,alcatra and maminha, very tender. Composed mainly of beef, this feast sometimes also includes chicken and pork. The carne-de-sol is a specialty of beef or goat meat, salted and dried, emblematic of the sertanejos (cowboys) of the Northeast. Otherwise, the X-Tudo is an exceptionally high hamburger with an insane amount of toppings: chopped steak, bacon, raw vegetables, corn, ham, cheese, fries, sausages and so on. To gobble it up without spilling half of it on yourself is a feat. The filé a Osvaldo Aranha, invented in Rio de Janeiro, consists of a fillet of beef topped with fried garlic, accompanied by fried potatoes, white rice and farofa

(cassava semolina). There are also many dishes in sauce such as vaca atolada and picadinho, two types of beef stew, or galinha à cabidela, a chicken stew with the animal's blood. The xinxim de galinha is a land-sea dish with chicken and shrimp in a finely spiced sauce with tomato, coriander and crushed cashew nuts. Fish and seafood dishes include moqueca de peixe (fish, coconut milk, tomatoes, onions and cilantro), caldeirada (a kind of fish and seafood bouillabaisse with coconut milk) or bobó de camarão (shrimp in a creamy cassava, coconut milk, ginger and herbs).

Desserts and drinks

Brazil has many sweet treats such as brigadeiro, cocoa truffles with chocolate vermicelli, or beijinho de coco ("coconut kisses"), white truffles with sweetened condensed milk and coconut. The cocada is a coconut bite that goes from white to brown, depending on the caramelization. Finally, the queijadinha is a soft cake with fresh cheese and - of course - coconut. Brazilians are also fond of " bolo ", which means "cake", such as the bolo de rolo, which is made up of many layers of very thin cookies topped with guava jam, or the duche de leche(doce de leite). There is also the bolo de fuba (with corn flour), the bolo de mandioca (with manioc) or bolo de arroz (with rice flour). The rabanada is a tasty French toast with cinnamon.

Quindim (rich custard with egg yolks and coconut), maracujá mousse (passion fruit mousse) and canjica (corn porridge with cinnamon) complete the picture. The manjar branco is a coconut dessert topped with caramel and prunes. Theaçaí na tigela is a puree of açai berries topped with fresh and dried fruit. Brazil is indeed a paradise of tropical fruits, from the most classic to the most unusual, such as the bacaba (fruit of a palm tree with a slight taste of avocado), the cupuaçu (whose creamy flesh can be used to make desserts and drinks), the muruci (a very fragrant yellow berry whose taste oscillates between pear, lychee and banana) and the tapereba (an orange fruit with a very fragrant and acidic pulp).

On almost every corner, you will find a juice bar with its procession of fresh fruit hanging over the counter. Prepared in front of you, the fruit juices are wonderful. Vitamina is a type of fruit juice with milk added, unless you prefer a refreshing coconut water. With 3.6 million tons per year, the country is the world'sleading coffee producer. Brazilian coffee is known for its bitterness and is prepared in different ways, although espresso and cappuccino are classics. Cafezinho, a very sweet coffee served in a tiny cup, is consumed all day. Mate is an infusion from a plant native to Paraguay that is drunk with a bombilla, a straw with holes at the end to filter the mate leaves. The tereré is the iced version of this infusion to which citrus pieces are added.

Alcohols

The cachaça is the most famous Brazilian alcohol. Produced from sugar cane, this brandy is similar to rum, although its production is different. While rum is made from cooked sugar cane molasses, cachaça is produced from fresh cane juice, called " varappa ". It can be young (called branca, "white", or prata, "silver") or old(amarela, "yellow", or ouro, "golden"). This alcohol is used in the composition of many cocktails, the most famous of which, the caipirinha, is a mixture of lemon, sugar and crushed ice. There are some variants such as the caipiroska (made with vodka and not cachaça), or other versions where the lemon is replaced by other fruits. Batida is a term for a mixture of fruit juice and cachaça.

Beer(cerveja) is very popular in Brazil and is often served by the liter. On the beaches, it is found in bottle covers surrounded by polystyrene to keep it fresh. The country produces mostly lagers (light beers) that are rather thirst-quenching. The most famous brands are Saint Bier, Antarctica, Brahma, Itaipava, Bohemia and Skol. Be careful not to confuse the last one with Skøll, a French production of beer flavored with vodka from the Kronenbourg group. Note also that the Antarctica brand also produces guaraná, a non-alcoholic soda with a cidery aftertaste, very rich in caffeine, created in 1921.

If the vine requires a temperate climate with marked differences in temperature during the year - which does not necessarily seem to correspond to Brazil - the extreme south of the country is viticultural and offers some interesting vintages, such as castel-chatelet (red), pinot noir, cabernet and chardonnay aurora (white). However, the national demand is important and the country imports a lot of wines from Chile or Argentina.