Brazilian cuisine recipes. Features of the national cuisine of Brazil

It is impossible to know the culture of a country without getting acquainted with its cuisine. The national dishes of Brazil are part of the original culture, which largely characterizes the mentality of the locals, their traditions and habits, way of life and way of life.

Traditional cuisine of Brazil, its formation

Brazil is the largest country located in South America. Due to its location in the heart of the mainland, the traditional cuisine of Brazil has been shaped by the incendiary and savory combination of several cultures. Here you can feel the Portuguese character, African traditions and, of course, the colorful Latin American culture. In fact, the main dishes of Brazil are harmonious combination three cuisines - Portuguese, African and Indian.

Perhaps that is why brazilian cuisine considered the most exquisite and unusual in all of South America. However, it is quite difficult to draw a more or less clear and precise picture of Brazilian cuisine - each region of this country has its own characteristics, which are determined by history and geographical location.

Features of traditional Brazilian cuisine

The rich natural heritage predetermined the features of traditional Brazilian cuisine. Climatic features and a favorable geographical position contributed to such a variety of dishes on the menu of local residents.

Brazilians eat a lot of meat - pork, duck, chicken and chickens, as well as beef. A wide selection of seafood dishes is a common sight among locals, as well as an integral part of the menu of Brazilian restaurants. Vegetables, fruits and cereals - these components are always present in the diet of the inhabitants of sunny Brazil.

Any dish or snack is served to the table with big amount spices and seasonings. It can be chili, onion, coriander, regular black pepper and more. In addition, the traditional cuisine of Brazil is distinguished by a wide variety of sauces and dressings, which are very often served at the table.

Brazilian Cuisine - Traditional Dishes

From all the variety Latin American cuisine it is quite difficult to determine what the national dishes of Brazil are. In addition, each region has its own culinary specialties and preferences. However, in general terms, the gastronomic tastes of Brazilians can still be described.

• From snacks, Brazilians prefer boiled corn and stuffed olives, all kinds vegetable salads and canapes, pies, stuffed various fillings, as well as fried meatballs with cheese or cod.
• As for meat, chicken legs are very popular throughout the country, often they cook fried pork - “lombo de porco”. Small pieces of beef, which are fried on a metal rod, deserve special attention. This dish is called "shurasko", it is served with slices of tomatoes or sauce.
• Among wide variety seafood dishes are especially popular "itapoa" - delicious pudding from the meat of crayfish and crabs. Very often, Brazilians prepare a dish called frigideira, which is fish and shellfish fried in dough, which are brought to readiness in an earthenware pot. Often on the tables you can also find a rather thick one, which includes dried shrimp and garlic.
• Among the desserts, it is worth highlighting in the first place. the following dishes: "bombom de noses" (with walnuts), “kuindim” (with coconut), as well as “bem-casados” and much more.

Traditional cuisine of Brazil, popular dishes

However, no matter how diverse the cuisine of this country is, the national dishes of Brazil are a real gastronomic journey that is different exquisite taste and sophisticated aroma. Agree, it is impossible to imagine a country or a state without a capital or main city. In the same way, it is impossible to imagine the national cuisine of this or that state without signature dish, which can be tasted in almost any self-respecting restaurant or cafe.

So, the traditional dish of Brazil is feijoada, about amazing taste which was spoken by the Brazilian poet Vinicius de Morais. The basis of this dish is beans, which are cooked with in small pieces meat. It is important that the meat is of different types. All kinds of spices, spices and cassava flour are added to this mixture. Feijoada is served with orange slices or cabbage leaves, sometimes with rice.

Feijoada - National dish Brazil - always served with caipirinha. This is a kind of cocktail, which is prepared on the basis of vodka with the addition of cane sugar and lemon.

The history of the origin of the traditional dish of Brazil

Every thing in the world has its own history. The traditional dish of Brazil - feijoada - was invented a long time ago, about 300 years ago. It was prepared by the slaves. From pieces of pork that they got from the master's table, and black beans, which were most often used to feed livestock, the workers prepared their own food. In fact, this dish has African roots.

However, time passed, and with its course, everything underwent some changes. They also touched on the traditional dish of Brazil. Somewhat later, the Portuguese began to add sausage and sausages to the mixture of beans and pieces of pork. Later, the Indians made their own adjustments and added farofa to feijoada, which is a mixture of butter and cassava flour.

Be that as it may, feijoada is cooked throughout Brazil. The fact is that in each region the national dish of Brazil, the recipes of which are rooted in the distant past, is prepared differently. The main differences are in the different types of beans and some changes regarding the ingredients - it all depends on the region and its gastronomic characteristics.

Brazilian festive and everyday table

In everyday life, on the tables of the indigenous population of sunny Brazil, there are often legumes, rice, cassava flour, poultry, pork and, of course, seafood dishes. Very often, Brazilian families serve vegetables and fruits for lunch or dinner.

What can you say about breakfast in this country? It is not much different from the usual European. Traditional set - famous with cream, cheese, bread and butter.

And here festive table Brazilians are much more diverse and richer. popular dish in Brazil, these are pieces on a metal rod, which are served with sauce or slices of tomatoes. All kinds of soups from seafood, thick and fragrant, various types of salads and a large number of snacks, most of which are made by stuffing - this and much more can be found on the tables of Brazilians during traditional holidays.

Traditional drinks of Brazil

Speaking of this country, one cannot fail to mention the well-known Brazilian coffee, which is distinguished by its taste properties from similar drinks. The locals, oddly enough, drink a little coffee, in small portions, which are called demitasses (from the size of the cup). But the coffee break is a common occurrence in the Brazilian population.

The coffee industry is booming in this country. There are several dozen types of coffee. In addition, various cocktails and drinks are prepared on its basis.

The choice of alcoholic drinks is not that big. The most popular is the caipirinha, which is a cocktail of vodka, cane sugar and lemon. This drink is usually served with a traditional dish.

National dishes of Brazil

What remains to be said in the end? The cuisine of any country is an integral part of the culture of the whole people, which has been formed over the years under the influence of historical events and various peoples.

Brazilian cuisine is a burning mixture of Portuguese, African and Indian culture, a combination of spicy Latin American flavor, extraordinary traditions, and just one of delicious cuisines which deserves special attention.

What do we know by the terms Brazilian cuisine, Brazilian dishes, the national dish of Brazil? Alas, almost nothing. Let's fill the knowledge gap in Brazilian food. Outside the country, Brazilian restaurants are not often a haven for gourmet delights. As a rule, these are restaurants with many gastronomic meat dishes, bar and " buffet"However, in beautiful Brazil, the country's rich culinary traditions, like a colorful blanket sewn from scraps of Portuguese, African and Indian home country recipes, are among the most diverse on earth. A wave of immigrants has created a special flavor combination, here you can feel the influence of Italian, German, Arabic and Japanese cuisine. Brazilian cuisine can be compared to an evil witch's brew that goes far beyond the endless line of meat skewers. Although food and national cuisine always play an important role during any trip to South America, many dishes go unnoticed by travelers for the sole reason of culinary ignorance. Such crimes of tourists are punished by uninteresting dishes and tasteless desserts. Don't push the situation to the limit. In this article, we will describe three national dishes of Brazil, which in no case should be tried while in this country, three delicious and unforgettable dishes, whose recipes are connected with the history of the country.

Brazilian National Dish Feijoada

Brazil's national dish is usually eaten during the afternoon on Saturdays, although restaurants and cafes will be full of tourists on other days of the week too. That's right, it's part of the production. A dozen or so cauldrons blazing hot around the table indicate that the feast is about to begin according to biblical proportions. What is this dish? Well, these are pieces of stew, smoked and fried meat cooked with black beans, rice, cabbage, orange slices and brown butter with cassava flour (known as farofa). This dish was once considered a luxurious delicacy of African slaves in Brazil, as it was quite cheap. May be. But the more popular culinary version indicates that feijoada comes from a European stew, namely the traditional Portuguese dish of pork and beans from the Estremadura and Tras-os-Montes regions. In any case, be sure to try this dish, on Saturday or not, it does not matter. The main thing is that the caipirinha cocktail goes very well with it!

Brazilian cuisine dish Moqueca

Perhaps the best dish in Brazilian cuisine, moqueca is a combination of flavors that reflect the atmosphere of Brazil. Based on African palm oil (dende) and coconut milk (known as Moqueca Bahiana) or olive oil (known as Moqueca Capixaba), seafood such as fish, lobster, shrimp or any combination of three ingredients are stewed in traditional clay pots with onion, tomato, garlic and cilantro and served with rice, farofa and pirao, fish thick sauce. Very often, moqueca is seasoned with bahian fire red pepper sauce. They say moqueca has been served on the table in Brazil for 300 years, bahiana sauce is an African influence. Influence indian cuisine is pokeka, a simple dish of fish and peppers baked in banana leaves over hot coals.

Brazilian Paulistana

Yes, unusual pizza Paulistana, especially the pizza in São Paulo, is amazingly good and worth a try. A wave of immigration during the Industrial Revolution at the beginning of the 20th century brought many Italians to the city of São Paulo, and it now boasts the highest percentage of Italian population outside of Italy, at about 6.5 million people. These people brought pizza recipes to the city, leaving behind strict cooking rules. As a result, Paulistana pizza is full of Italy, but with a Brazilian twist. For example, Catupiry cheese, this cream cheese found only in Brazil, it is often served alongside chicken. Eating pizza is not complete without rituals. It is traditionally eaten on Sunday, always with a knife and fork, often paired with Brazilian draft beer. With over 6,000 pizzerias in Sao Paulo, it's easy to get lost among the mozzarella. Try to remember: Braz pizzerias in Moema, Pinheiros and Higienopolis, and two others in Rio de Janeiro, are considered the best, while Speranza pizzerias in Moema and Bixiga have been making the best Margherita pizza since 1958.

Brazilian cuisine deservedly considered one of the most gourmet cuisines, which is characterized by bold combinations of salty, spicy and sweet. She, who has absorbed the features of Indian, European and African cuisine, is inherent in both the subtlety of European culinary traditions, so the spiciness and pungency inherited from the Indians.

Almost all traditional Brazilian dishes include rice, beans and cassava. Common to Brazilian cuisine are following products: black beans, cheese, tomatoes, pumpkin, chicken, beef, shrimp, salted cod, Palm oil, coconut milk, paste.

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Peculiarities

It should be noted that the cuisine of each region is different. individual characteristics, but almost all dishes are characterized by spiciness, spiciness and an original combination of ingredients.

For example, the north is famous for " munguzu» (a dish of corn kernels and pieces of coconut) and green bananas fried with milk. It is also considered everyday dish stew of turtle and duck, seasoned with various spices. In their diet, northerners use a wide variety of exotic fruits: I show, huyava, tangerines, acai, graviola. Juices, marmalade, jellies and mousses are also prepared from them.

In the northeast of the country, dishes such as lobster in coconut milk are common; " carne de sol"- salted meat dried in the sun, which can be stored for a very long time; " frigideira» - a dish of fried clams and fish in a dough made from eggs and coconut juice.

The southern regions are considered the homeland churrasco when pieces of beef strung on metal rods are fried over an open fire. This dish is traditionally eaten with a sauce of peppers, tomatoes, onions, olive oil and vinegar. Today in every Brazilian city there is a churrascaria - a restaurant where this is served. delicious dish, adored by locals and guests. The dish enjoys great love pair"- duck cooked in tukupi sauce (from the rather poisonous cassava juice, the natives know how to masterfully neutralize its toxic effect and turn it into a culinary masterpiece).

Westerners like to cook jacare"- a dish of alligator meat, and in the southeast of the country they prefer " couscous" from cornmeal And fried sardines. All dishes are traditionally served with lots of vegetables and fruits.

But there is only one national brazilian dish, which is popular in every corner of Brazil is " feijoada". Slaves came up with the recipe 3 centuries ago, they mixed pieces of pork, the remnants of the master's meal, with black beans, which they fed animals.

Feijoada

Of course, the recipe has changed over time. For example, the Indians added “farofa” (cassava flour mixed with butter) to it, and the Portuguese added sausage. Today the dish is usually prepared with meat. different types, beans, cassava and many spices. Feijoada is usually served with orange slices or a special pepper sauce. An indispensable addition to the dish is traditionally the national Brazilian cocktail "caipirinha" - cane vodka with sugar and lemon. Feijoada has become the most national dish of Brazil, a synthesis of the cuisine of three peoples. It is usually prepared on weekends and public holidays in the family.

Brazilians especially love bean soup and rich chicken bouillon with rice, which, according to the Brazilians, serves as a panacea for almost all diseases.

In Brazilian cuisine, a very important role, in addition to meat dishes, is given to seafood dishes. With one of these dishes, itapoa”, an interesting story is connected. It is said that once the king of Brazil refused to receive an ambassador because he ate itapoa, a seafood pudding. The prince at this time declared the independence of the country, and the king lost his throne. Since then, there has been a saying among the people:

"No one dares interfere when itapoa is being eaten."

This dish is made from eggs, maize starch, milk and crab or crayfish meat.

It should be noted " watapu”, fish with shellfish, which is boiled with coconut milk and served with boiled white rice. Original taste qualities distinguish "mokueku", a traditional Brazilian seafood broth.

Dessert

Ancestors confectionery art Brazil are Portuguese nuns. They taught this art to women from noble families. The most famous Brazilian sweet - brigadeiro, a dessert made from boiled condensed milk with the addition of cocoa powder. Kuindim sweets, which are made from eggs and coconut pulp, are quite popular.

Brazilians love it coconuts with chocolate, fried and stewed bananas with cinnamon, guava marmalade and passion fruit mousse.

brazilian coffee

Brazil is the world's largest producer and supplier of coffee, 1/5 of the cultivated land is occupied by coffee plantations. Brazilians have a special attitude to coffee, it is one of the symbols of the country. The preparation of coffee is treated very reverently, with careful observance of all the rules, this ceremony has been elevated to a real cult.

They say that a real Brazilian drinks up to 30 cups of coffee a day!

Modern Brazilian national cuisine is calling card countries, along with carnivals, incendiary rhythms and dancing, costumes with sequins and feathers, and many other attributes of a real holiday. Brazilian cuisine has been shaping the features of its formation and development over the centuries, which is why on the menu today you can find many of the Portuguese, Indian, African classic cuisines, the dishes of which are distinguished by authenticity and national colors both in taste and in the form of serving.

Historical development

The origin of Brazilian cuisine began openly in 1500, when the Portuguese navigator Pedro Cabral first came to Brazilian soil and immediately ranked it among the colonial lands of Portugal. The Portuguese, as colonialists, brought many new, previously unknown food products to the lands of Brazil. Now they began to grow and eat various vegetable oils and spices here. The national cuisine of Brazil has been replenished with the latest techniques and methods of cooking, taken from the Portuguese. Later, when the Portuguese brought slaves from Africa to the territory of modern Brazil, new shifts also took place in the development of Brazilian cuisine - it was replenished with many dishes that the settled peoples were used to cooking and eating.

After gaining long-awaited independence in 1888, Brazil opened its doors to many foreign emigrants - Italians, Germans, Japanese and many other representatives of centuries-old cultures began to come here, bringing something new to the basis of traditional Brazilian cuisine. Thus, the dishes of Brazilian cuisine have become much more diverse, but at the same time they all retained the flavor of the land on which they began to cook.

Thanks to such a rich interethnic history of its development, Brazilian cuisine has become one of the most popular and exquisite in the entire South American continent. Today, gourmets from all over the world are eager to visit Brazil in order to fully enjoy the incredible recipes of Brazilian cuisine.

Regional features

Many traditional dishes are prepared in Brazilian restaurants in a manner characteristic of a particular region of the country. This is also one of the main features of the cuisine of this state.

In the jungles of the Amazon or the northern regions of Brazil, a simple cuisine accessible to everyone prevails. The most popular products of this area include Exotic fruits, uncharacteristic for European dishes, which is a tuber similar to a common one, a plant intended for the production of cereals, nuts, fish. Favorite dish local population and tourists visiting these lands - "Karuru do parau" or dried, tomatoes and onions seasoned vegetable oil, as well as a stewed turtle under exotic name"Guasado de tartaruga".

In the northeastern regions of Brazil grows a lot sugar cane and cocoa, the local cuisine is rich in dishes seasoned with various spices. The basis of Brazilian cuisine in the northeastern part of the country is dried meat, cassava, and numerous exotic fruits that grow here are popular.

The savannas and prairies of the western regions also made adjustments to the formation of regional Brazilian cuisine. Brazilian cuisine recipes here resonate as much as possible with classic kitchens many European countries offering his fans maximum amount meat products, cassava, rice and corn.

The most important part of Brazil - the southeastern region of the country - combines the recipes of the cuisines of various parts of the state with a predominance of completely different dishes and products. Brazilian restaurants in the southeastern part of the mainland offer their diners a dish consisting of black beans and rice with cassava, called Feijoada by the locals, and more European food, such as baked under grated cheese.

In the south of Brazil, the indigenous local population lives, which always has meat, potatoes, greens, traditional vegetables from Europe, wine, etc. on the menu.

Recipes and cooking methods for Brazilian dishes

Products in culinary arts In Brazil, it is customary, to a greater extent, to stew, fry, boil, salt and dry, rather than eat it raw. Brazilian cuisine restaurants around the world offer their customers to enjoy the taste of all kinds of fish, shellfish, turtles, alligators, pork, specially cooked rice with spices, corn, legumes, cassava, eggs, coconut milk, dairy products and sweets. Brazilian chefs put a lot of spices in almost any food, the most common of which are pepper and coriander. As side dishes and salads, chefs skillfully prepare and serve vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, and many others. The most common local sweets include condensed milk, marmalade and chocolate products. chief national drink Brazilian cuisine is considered by right. Locals drink 30 cups of coffee a day. However, beer and good wine also quite popular in local bars and restaurants.

Among the most famous recipes dishes of Brazilian cuisine, the aforementioned feijoada recipe is sure to appear. original recipe For home cooking can be adapted to the products common in a given area, since in different regions of Brazil, feijoada is prepared from different types of meat and legumes.

So, for cooking at home itself famous dish Brazilian cuisine will need the following ingredients:

• black dry beans - about 500 grams;
• - 2 liters;
• dried beef - 100 grams;
• smoked Ham- 200 grams;
• hunting sausages - 350 grams;
• smoked - 120 grams;
• pork sausages - about 250 grams;
• large bulb;
• - 6 cloves;
• cumin - a teaspoon;
• coriander - on the tip of a knife;
• - 1 piece;
• - 2 pinches;
• rice - 2 cups;
• and ground pepper to taste.

Before serving feijoad, the dish will need to be supplemented or decorated with the following ingredients:

• breadcrumbs - ½ cup;
• orange peel - 2 tablespoons;
• - 1 spoon.

Onions with spices and fried bacon with sausages are laid out in a saucepan to stewed beans. The mixture is poured with water until it covers all the ingredients, and boiled. After boiling, feijoada is stewed on small fire another hour until the beans are completely soft. The dish requires constant stirring and adding boiling water until the filling is covered.

This gourmet dish Brazilian cuisine is served to the table along with rice, which also needs to be cooked in time. Heats up in a frying pan olive oil, on it until golden brown breadcrumbs are fried, then zest and the rest of chopped parsley are added to the crackers. Feijoada expands into portioned plates, supplemented boiled rice, and sprinkled on top with a mixture of crackers and zest with parsley.

Another famous dish Brazilian cuisine, of which there are a lot of recipes in the country itself, is moqueca soup. This traditional soup with seafood, which can be based on any shellfish, as well as shrimp, crab meat, and much more. At home, you can cook an unusual moqueca with shrimp, which are easy to buy in the store.

For Moqueca Soup, the following ingredients are needed:

• 450 grams of fresh shrimp;
• a quarter cup of long-grain rice;
• 425 milliliters of mashed canned tomatoes;
• can of coconut milk;
• bulb;
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil;
• 4 cloves of garlic;
• 4 glasses of water;
• 2 teaspoons of salt;
• mixture ground peppers taste;
• some fresh parsley for serving

The process of making a shrimp moquette is as follows:

1. On a small fire, heat the olive oil poured into a deep saucepan.
2. Pepper, onion and garlic chopped small pieces and poured into olive oil, the mixture must be simmered until the vegetables are soft.
3. IN vegetable mix you need to add rice, spices, tomatoes and water prepared in advance. The resulting soup is brought to a boil, and then cooked for about 10 minutes over medium heat until the rice cereal is half cooked.
4. Shrimps are peeled and cut into pieces 2.5 centimeters long.
5. Pour coconut milk into vegetables with rice, boil and add shrimp to the soup. After adding the shrimp, the soup should be cooked on the fire for about 5 minutes.
6. After turning off the heat, add spices to taste in the pan and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon.
7. When served in portions, the moqueca is garnished with chopped parsley and a slice of lemon.

For dessert, the chefs of Brazilian cuisine restaurants often offer their guests a delicacy of beijinho. Translated from Portuguese, this word means "kiss". This is a kind of compliment of Brazilian chefs to all their guests, since neither adults nor children can do without this delicacy in this country.

Preparing a beiginho at home is quite simple, just take a can of good condensed milk, a tablespoon, 150 grams of coconut flakes and a little cloves. Condensed milk is mixed with coconut flakes and infused until the flakes become softer. Then this mass is placed on the fire, stirred and brought to a boil, after which it languishes on the stove for about 10 minutes on the smallest fire. The criterion for the readiness of the mass is a shiny smooth surface, without burnt areas, for which it is constantly intensively mixed.

Next, condensed milk with coconut flakes is cooled at room temperature and put in the refrigerator for an hour. After an hour of cooling, the mixture is taken out and it is necessary to start sculpting small balls from it with your hands. Hands should be lubricated butter to keep the mixture from sticking. Each ball falls into coconut flakes and a carnation is stuck in its center. Ready-made beijinhos are put in the refrigerator for several hours to allow the cloves to give their flavor to the sweets, and before serving, the sweets are placed in room temperature for the manifestation of all shades of tastes and aromas.

Main benefit

By eating a wide variety of foods, the people of Brazil remain very healthy people. The average life expectancy in the state today is 73 years, despite the huge number of cups of coffee per day, which every Brazilian drinks every day. Brazil is considered modern world country with the most beautiful and young residents. In addition to constant self-care, Brazilians prefer national Brazilian cuisine in order to constantly receive all the necessary benefits from their daily diet. The balance of food, the constant care of oneself and one's health, as well as passion and love of life help the people of Brazil to always feel great shape and look younger than their peers from other countries.

According to popular belief, Brazilian cuisine is exceptionally appetizing meat baked on a spit. Although, in fact, Brazilians cook a lot of delicious and variety of dishes. The national Brazilian cuisine will satisfy the needs of even the most discerning gourmets: in addition to a variety of meat dishes, it offers a luxurious abundance of desserts, a seafood menu, a lot of exotic vegetables and fruits from the Amazonian forests.

In our issue - a dozen mouth-watering national dishes of Brazilian cuisine.

(Total 10 photos)

1. Brazilian cheese buns : freshly baked cheese rolls, which Brazilians themselves most often eat for breakfast.

2. Mokeka: Bahian fish (from the state of Bahia) stewed in coconut milk along with another small fish boneless and shrimp, with the addition of onion, garlic and coriander.

3. Feijoada: Brazil's national dish of black beans, smoked pork and other meats. Bacon, ribs, sausage and beef are also used. Feijoada is sometimes cooked with curly or white cabbage, potatoes, carrots and pumpkin.

4. Pastel de Nata: Portuguese egg tart sprinkled on top powdered sugar and cinnamon.

5. Caipirinha: Brazil's national cocktail is made using cachaça (strong alcoholic drink, obtained by distillation of pure sugarcane extract), sugar and lime. Various recipes caipirinhas also include fresh fruits: pineapple, passion fruit, etc.

6. Shurasko: grilled different kinds meat. To prepare this Brazilian barbecue, beef, pork, and young lamb, as well as chicken and turkey, are used.

7. Bolinos de Bacalhau: round-shaped fried pieces of salted cod are usually served with lime. They say, great snack on the beach.

8. Shrimp Bobo: shrimp fried in oil, served in cassava (cassava) puree, with coconut milk and spices.

9. Pitaya- one of the most amazing exotic fruits of the Amazon. Sold in Brazil everywhere whole and cut into pieces.

10. brigadeiros: truffles made from condensed milk, cocoa and butter, covered with a layer of chocolate. Sweets "brigadeiros" are crunchy chocolate ball with stuffing similar to chocolate paste Nutella.