One Last Meal

The perfect end to this amazing adventure of touring Brazil and learning the ins and outs of it culinary identity was cooking for a couple we met in Salvador who ended up becoming great friends. For them I prepared three courses, each an interpretation of my favorite traditional dishes and ingredients from my time in Brazil.

The first using picanha and manjioca, the Brazilian "meat and potatoes." The picanha was seared hard and served medium rare over a puree of manjioca and accompanied by slow roasted tomato confit. Simple, and delicious!

The next plate was my take on Fejao Tropeiro. Instead of the traditional one pan method of cooking beans, vegetables, sausage and scrambled eggs together, I deconstructed the dish to clean it up and develop the flavors of each ingredient further. The beans, cooked with garlic and onions and tossed with farinha de manjioca, became the base of the plate supporting two crispy links of succulent linguica (Brazilian sausage) and a perfectly poached egg: a much cleaner presentation as opposed to a dish that is traditional scooped onto a plate, cafeteria lady style.

Finally, I did Acaraje. But instead of serving it much like a sandwich - it is street food, after all - I sliced open the fried dough and used it as a bowl to hold the filling of sauteed okra, tomatoes and sun-dried shrimp. This was all then topped with parmesan, broiled, and served with a spicy paste of garlic, onions and Azeite de Dende.

Salvador, Bahia

Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and is the capital of the state Bahia. It is well known for its easy going population and numerous outdoor parties. There is a large African influence that is notable in its cuisine, art and music. 

One of the two most famous ingredients in Bahian cuisine is Azeite de Dende, similar to palm oil, and shrimp that are tossed in this oil and dried in the sun.

Another staple of Bahian cuisine is Acaraje. This dish is made from dough of peeled-back black eyed peas formed into a ball and deep fried in Azeite de Dende. It is served split in half and filled with spicy pastes made from shrimp, cashews, okra and green and red tomatoes. It is sold in various huts throughout the city that are all run by Bahian women wearing the traditional Bahian attire of white dresses and colorful headscarves. 

Moqueca, a seafood stew, is another popular dish in Bahia. Onions, garlic, tomato, cilantro, Azeite de Dende, and coconut milk make up the base of this stew. Shrimp or crab are the typical fishes used. 

Minas Gerais

Yet another amazing experience using local ingredients of Minas Gerais to prepare a three course meal for a party of 12. Although this was one of the smallest kitchens that I worked in, it was open to the dining room- rare in Brazilian homes where most kitchens are closed to the rest of the house. This enabled me to interact with the clients and their guests. A fun and lively group plus a perfect execution of the meal made for a very successful night. 

Receiving the Daily Order

When you place a food order in Brazil, you can forget about it arriving in a refrigerated 18 wheeler, vacuum packed and stored in sealed boxes, stacked from floor to ceiling. Here the food is purchased as locally as possible and transported as inexpensively as possible - usually in one of these old school Volkswagon Vans. This one was parked outside of a local live market where they were unloading the daily products. While some people would be disgusted by the "display," I find the lack of synthetic packaging very comforting. It helps make the connection, which so many people today often forget, that food actually comes from a farm...from nature. My experience with food here in Brazil has helped me remember and appreciate this fact.

Sul do Brasil: The Land of the Churrasco

This may be the most commonly known version of Brazilian food. All over the U.S., Brazilian Churrascarias are becoming more and more popular. Visit one and you will find a classy restaurant that serves many cuts of high quality meat on skewers that are brought to the table and sliced onto your plate. This is the glamorized version of a Brazilian Churrasco.

But here in Brazil, a Churrasco is all about the party. Family and friends gather to enjoy an entire day of eating and drinking and good conversation. A variety of meats are cooked to perfection on metal skewers above embers of charcoal or wood. In the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, where the churrasco originated, they typically use wood to add an additional layer of depth to the meat. The typical Brazilian churrasco grill looks like the one below.

Another difference is that Brazil takes advantage of the whole cow, pig, and chicken, offering cuts that are not even available in the States. Just take a look at the diagram below: 21 cuts of beef! The typical American diagram boasts a mere 13. Notice #21 - the hump of the cow. You won't find that in the States. Chicken hearts and a variety of homemade pork sausages are other examples of meats served at your neighborhood churrasco.

Brazil's Butcher Shop: At live markets in Brazil, whole sides of meat hang from hooks waiting for the butcher to skillfully carve your selection. I would personally recommend Picanha, costellas defumado, and hand made linguica.

The Feira- Brazil's Open Air Market

It can be as small as a one street block or as large and encompassing as 20 street blocks. Usually held on Wednesdays and Sundays, one will find anything from fresh fruits and vegetables to meat, herbs and spices, eggs, honey, liquor, flowers and even kitchen supplies. Strolling along the streets you'll hear vendors boasting about their product, you'll see locals stocking up for the week, and strolling along you'll start to feel the essence of the Brazilians and their food.

A Great Example of Food in its Pre-Fabricated State

Take bacon. Commonly used in the U.S. as well as here in Brazil. The difference is in the packaging, or lack thereof. In the States you find bacon sliced, shingled and placed neatly in a plastic pouch ready for consumption. If you were to ask your average shopper they would most likely explain bacon comes directly out of the pig that way. Here in Brazil, it's a different story. Bacon is cured, kept at room temperature and sold in blocks at your local market. If you want bacon in neat slices, well, you better know how to handle a knife.