A Taste of Brazil

By Luz Angela Serrano

From the first day of this trip I was excited to explore and try the Brazilian cuisine since Brazil is a melting pot of colors, languages and customs, famous by its varied and exquisite cuisine.  Through this amazing journey that started in Rio de Janeiro and ended in the middle of the rainforest in the state of Minas Gerais, I can tell that I fall in love with Brazil, its food, values and people. 

Brazilian food is just one expression of the vast diversity of customs, resources and the beauty of this country. I was fascinated by the fact that I was able to find all type of food and flavors in big and congested cities such as Rio de Janeiro, as well as excellent homemade cuisine in remote rural areas of the state of Minas Gerais.  Even though, I was attracted by all kind of ingredients what really called my attention was to be part of the rich dynamic of values sharing that takes place in every meal.

 

Mealtime in Brazil is the moment of reunion and joy. Every restaurant has a big table with multiples dishes for all kind of preferences. Sometimes the environment is enriched by the present of musicians performing bossa-nova, forró or jazz. It is very common to find buffets and “per kilo” restaurants’, ordering from the menu is very rare and strange because this is the time to exchange your ideas, thoughts, moments and worries with your friends. This concept behind the meal time is very special in Brazil and it resembles its culture of friendship and happiness. In others cultures lunchtime is the time to grab a sandwich and eat it in front of the computer, along and with a lot of stress, but here in Brazil, I was able to see that no matter how big the problems and worries are, the mealtime is the time to come together with your friends, family and colleagues to enjoy the moment as it is.

The majority of our meals were moments to relax and comment on cool subjects. We as a group adapted quickly to this dynamic of taking time to eat, share and enjoy the time with others.  At nearly every meal, our professor, Eve Bratman, ordered a variety of food to share, the concept of sharing was always present and between lines it was a message of sharing the value of appreciation of moments and people. Our days in Rio where driven by regular meals in accordance with American times. However, everything changed when we arrived to Iracambi a research center located in the city of Rosário de Limeira in the state of Minas Gerais.

This place is a refugee for passionate people who care and protect the environment. It is a magic place in the middle of the rain forest where is very easy to be trapped by its beauty and spell. Our regular day at this magic place starts with the sound of a spoon biting a pot at 8:00 am. This is the mechanism that Carminha uses to let the residents know that it is time to eat and share. Breakfast offers a variety of traditional food and it is the first indicator that you are in the middle of the rain forest in a rural area of Minas.  There are always homemade cakes made of carrot or cinnamon, bread, cookies, oatmeal, honey, peanut butter, the famous cheese of Minas, fresh coffee and fresh milk. Lunch is always between noon and 1:00pm. It is the time for the meat, the rice and the beans. As complement you can find cooked vegetables, cassava, pumpkin and salad, and you need to be sure to eat properly because dinner is around 8:00pm which offers beans, rice, salad and some kind of vegetable cake. All food is cooked in traditional fire stoves; and apparently this is what makes the food famous in this region with and unique taste.

       

During out time in Ouro Preto and Mariana I had the change to try more traditional dishes, such as the Coxinhas which is a little raindrops of fried goodness usually filled with chicken and a very creamy cheese called “catupiry”, farofa which is a fried cassava flour, Pão de Queijo and feijoada. As a dessert in this region of Minas is common to find açaí and Romeu e Julieta, which is guava paste and white cheese stacked on top of each other.

As a closure of flavors we went to Pirapanema in Muriaé, MG for a gastronomy festival. The festival aimed to promote the gastronomy of the Serra do Brigadeiro region. The event brought together local restaurants and had the participation of renowned chefs of the area. But what made the event more especial was that the town created common spaces to eat. They had big tables in the streets and parks, so you were always sharing with others.