Brazilian Recipes
Brazilian recipes vary greatly by region. This is due to the localized immigration of Japanese, Lebanese, Italians, Africans, Portuguese, Germans and Spaniards to Brazil. Many of the favored Brazilian dishes carry with them influences from these immigrants.
Northern Brazil Recipes
The traditional cuisine from northern Brazil is influenced by the local cuisine of the Indians. Pato no tucupi is a very popular meal associated with Cirio de Nazare, a holiday celebration of the indigenous Para people. Tucupi, a broth from cassava is mixed with cooked duck meat and boiled. Maniçoba, made of hot peppers, white rice and flour water can take up to a week to cook.
Northeastern Brazil Recipes
The narrow fertile plain located here grows sugarcane and cacao. Most of the cuisine of the region is Afro-Bahrain influenced and combines African, Portuguese and Indian cooking. Vatapa, is a salted muffin made with fried palm oil, beans, onion and seafood. The most common dish of the area is black beans and white rice but more interesting recipes include pamonha, farofa, canjica and paçoca. Along the coast the African influence was not as strong and locals relied on seafood, tropical fruit and coconut as typical fare.
CENTRO DE TRADIÇÕES NORDESTINAS (FEIRA LUIZ GONZAGA)
A piece of the Northeast in Rio de Janeiro, this is the best definition for the Luiz Gonzaga Northeastern Tradition Center, located at São Cristóvão Neighborhood. There are about 700 stalls offering northeastern culture: typical cooking, crafts, trios and forró (typical dance) bands and popular singers. Some of the best typical northeast restaurants are located there. The fair attracts around 450,000 visitors per month, among tourists and locals and it’s opened from Tuesday to Thurdays (10 am until 4 pm) and from Friday to Sunday (10 am until 10 pm).
Southeast Brazil
Some of Brazils best known recipes come out of the industrial region. In Minas Gerais local soft cheese, pork, beans and chicken with okra are very popular. Feijoada is a favorite of the Cariocas in Rio and is made of meat and black beans in a stew. Feijao com arroz or rice and beans are a common recipe in the Southeast. São Paulo, with its European influences serves up recipes for tutu a mineira, chouriço, polenta, farofa, moqueca capixaba.
South Brazil
Home of the gauchos, or South American cowboy, South Brazil has traditional fare that focuses on meat. The most common recipes are sun-dried meat and barbecue or churrasco. The traditional cuisine of the area is barreado, a local meat that is prepared and boiled in ceramic pans. Wine and dairy as well as leafy veggies were added later on to the meat preparations.
