Traditional Brazilian Food: 12 Famous Dishes You Must Try
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Loading... - Fabian Blanco
- 20 Jun 2022
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Brazilian food has been heavily influenced by the Portuguese colonization of the 16th century, by slaves brought from Africa, and by indigenous peoples, as well as other European, South American, and Asian countries. After slavery was abolished, Brazil recruited Europeans and Japanese immigrants to work in the coffee plantations – indeed today, Brazil is home to the world’s largest community of Japanese descendants outside of Japan, numbering about 1.6 million people.
This influx of immigrants brought even more recipes and culinary influences to the table of traditional dishes. From the moment you arrive in the country, you’ll see that Brazilian recipes are prepared with love, and meals are more than simple meals – they’re an event. Here are 12 of the most famous Brazilian dishes you should try on your Brazil vacation if you get the chance.
1. Feijoada
The most famous of all Brazilian dishes, Feijoada is eaten in every corner of the country. This rich, hearty stew consists of black beans cooked with different cuts of pork, supplemented with tomatoes, cabbage, and carrots to round out the flavor. Traditionally, it’s made with slow-cooked offal such as trotters and ears. Brazil’s national dish is served with fried kale mixed with bacon bits, rice, farofa (toasted cassava flour), and a slice of orange.
2. Farofa
Famous for its distinctive smoky flavor, this is a deliciously salty dish made from small pieces of bacon fried with cassava flour. It is served with rice and beans, which absorb the juices and add an extra texture to an otherwise quite mushy meal. Recipes contain varying amounts of salt, bacon, and spices and the consistency of the farofa varies greatly. It can be eaten as a main or as a side dish, which works particularly well at a barbeque.
3. Moqueca de Camarão
Moqueca is a tasty slow-cooked stew typically containing prawns or fish, coconut oil and milk with added vegetables, tomatoes, onions, and coriander, and served piping hot in a clay pot. There are several regional variations of this dish. In fact, the neighboring states of Baianos and Capixabas both claim to have invented it and both serve mouthwatering versions.
4. Vatapá
A thick stew from Bahia, made from shrimp, bread, ground peanuts, coconut milk, palm oil, and a mixture of herbs, which is mashed into a smooth paste and commonly eaten with rice and acarajé − a type of fritter made from cowpeas. There are different variations of the dish, the shrimp can be replaced with tuna, chicken, cod, or just vegetables.
5. Acarajé
Acarajé is another favorite from Bahia. This crispy fritter is made from black-eyed peas, which are mashed with chopped onions and deep-fried. It’s popular street food. Read More...
