Perhaps the most eclectic of all cuisines the world over, Brazil boasts such a truly unique landscape of traditional offerings. While the food there is deeply rooted to native indigenous ties, it also showcases the influences of immigrants from Portugal, Africa, Lebanon, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain. This combination of cultures helped to evolve a cuisine that is both distinct and divine.

If you’ve never tried Brazilian cuisine before, you are missing out. Here are some little known things about the beautiful cuisine of Brazil.

The National Dish

Feijoada is Brazil’s national dish. It’s made with pork, black beans, rice, ham, beef, chorizo and onions. Traditionally speaking, this dish should contain every part of the pig. That means the tail, snout and ears. Because some people, particularly tourists, are put off by those parts, the recipe is typically adjusted to omit those unappealing aspects, leaving behind a dish no less legendary.

Buffet-Style Restaurants
In Brazil, it’s very typical to find restaurants that charge por kilo or per kilogram. While it’s a great way to get a chance to sample everything as you would in an American-style buffet, it can get a bit pricey. They weigh your food and you pay based on that.

Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice
Brazilians love their desserts. Sweet treats abound with quindim, a coconut custard, and cocada, a popular coconut candy. If you like your sweets in liquid form, try the official national cocktail of Brazil, the caipirinha which is made with cachaça – a type of alcohol made from fermented cane juice.

Cassava, the Brazilian Potato
This root plant, often referred to as manioc, is all over the place. You’ll find it in many dishes since it is often ground up as farofa, a nutty type of flour. You’ll find it in the feijoada as well. Try it served deep fried in an almost French fry-type of form, though just a hint sweeter.

Brazilian Pizza and Sushi

Thanks to the huge boom of immigrants that came to Brazil from all over, particularly from Italy, pizza has grown into a food of its own there. It’s fusionized in the loveliest of ways with ingredients that are distinctive and original to Brazil like minas cheese or even guava and bananas! The Japanese influence in Brazil is also so strong that sushi is easily found in every Brazilian city.

Brazilian Steakhouses

One of the best things about Brazil is the steakhouses. They come around to your table with large skewers of different kinds of meat, present them with a flourish, and if you desire that particular type of meat, they will slice it right onto your plate. Now that’s what truly makes Brazilian cuisine beautiful!

Questions?

If you have any questions about this article or in-flight catering in Brazil, contact weborders@airculinaire.com.