Brazil's diverse cuisine is a delicious blend of influences from indigenous South American ingredients, African flavors, and European recipes. Its diversity represents one of the main aspects of Brazilian cultural identity.Behind the food, there is a history which translates the traditions and knowledge of a community or territory. Nominated for the World Travel Awards (WTA), considered the Oscar of tourism, as the Best Gastronomic Destination in South America 2024, the Brazilian national cuisine is also a tourist attraction, it is Brazil's iIntangible heritage and conquers the most refined palates around the world.
As a huge country, each region has its own typical food. It's helpful to know that Moqueca, for example, is a typical food in Bahia, not at all in São Paulo. For those who want to explore the flavors of Brazil my recommendation is planning the itinerary according to the food you want to eat. To make it easier, here are some must-try dishes from various regions of Brazil:
Feijoada
Even though this dish can be found all over the country, it is in Rio de Janeiro that Feijoada is the real typical food. This hearty black bean stew is cooked with various cuts of pork and served with rice, farofa (toasted cassava flour), kale, and orange slices. In the city of Rio, Fridays are considered the Feijoada day, the dish is also popular during cultural festivities as Festa de São Jorge on april 21st, Carnival, and in the monthly parties that the Samba Schools organize. I believe Feijoada became famous because this is the real brazilians cook at home. It represents the Brazilian national food, as football represents the national sport, as samba represents the national rhythm.
Feijão Tropeiro
In the neighbor State of Rio, Minas Gerais is where you find a delicious dish called Feijão tropeiro. Delicious, Yummi! This is a traditional Brazilian Food dish made with beans, pork, bacon, torresmo, kale and farinha de mandioca (toasted cassava flour), and eggs. It is a hearty and flavorful dish that is often served as a side dish or main course.It sounds similar to feijoada, but it`s not. Even though this meal is not popular all over Brazil, it is the popular dish of Minas Gerais State, which is one of the biggest States in Brazil, known for its great variety of dishes, a perfect destination for those who love to eat.
Moqueca
Leaving Minas Gerais behind is time to travel to the northeast side, more specifically to the State of Bahia to talk about Moqueca. This fragrant seafood stew features fish, shrimp, shellfish or lobster cooked in a flavorful coconut milk broth with tomatoes, onions, peppers, herbs and the secret of this stew is the palm oil - dênde - giving the food an explosion of colors and flavors. It's traditionally served over rice. Again, Friday is the typical day for Bahian food, which includes moqueca and other options such as vatapá, caruru.
Baião de Dois
Still in the Northeast State, This brazilian food hearty rice dish is cooked with black beans, slices of beef or jerky, manteiga de garrafa (ghee), curd cheese that`` typical cheese from this region of Brazil and coriander. This is delicious!
Tacacá
Going to the north side, we reach the mystical Amazon Forest. The region is known to be home of many indigenous tribes and traditions, of course Tacacá has an indigenous root. This flavorful dish is popular in the Amazon and Pará States, it consists of a soup made from tucupi, a liquid extracted from cassava, tapioca gum, dried shrimp, and jambu (a herb that gives a numbing effect in the mouth). In addition to seasonings, which vary in each state.
Churrasco
