Brazilian cuisine is a flavorful, varied mix derived from the many cultures that make up modern Brazil. This huge nation was home to many different native cultures before the arrival of the Europeans in the sixteenth century, each of which had its own cuisine and foodstuffs. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to settle there, bringing with them centuries of culinary tradition. Black African slaves were brought in to work the plantations, and they brought not only their own culinary traditions but a wonderful ability to take a handful of seemingly random ingredients and make something delicious. After independence, immigrants were welcomed into Brazil’s booming economy and today there are sizeable communities descended from Japanese, Italian, German, Syrian and other immigrants. Each of these cultures added their own traditions to Brazil’s already diverse cuisine.
The Brazilian northeast is where you’ll find some of the best food in the country, including the dishes that the nation is known for, like feijoada. The northeast, dominated by the state of Bahia, is where most African slaves were brought, and their cuisine mixed with that of native cultures to the west, creating a number of truly remarkable local dishes. Here are a few:
Feijoada (Black bean stew): Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil and is available in every corner of the nation. Still, the northeastern region of the country takes great pride in its feijoada and considers it superior to that of other regions (a notion hotly contested elsewhere). Feijoada is black bean soup, traditionally made by slaves with food scraps given to them by their owners: bits of ham, beef, pork and whatever else was available. Modern feijoada is a flavorful mixture made with any combination of beans, onions, garlic, bacon, tomatoes, sausage, beef tongue, potatoes, collard greens and much more: every chef has a different recipe. It’s a can’t-miss Brazilian dish!
Moqueca Baiana: a traditional dish from the friendly city of Salvador, moqueca baiana is a hearty stew made with fish, crab or shrimp plus onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro and peppers. It’s also made with palm oil and coconut milk. Traditionally, it’s made in a clay pot.
Acarajé: Acarajé is a deep-fried dough ball popular in the northeast, particularly in Salvador. The dough is made with black-eyed peas and then fried in palm oil. It is served hot, split open and smothered with caruru or vatapá, traditional spicy pastes made of peanuts or cashews. It is a living reminder of the region’s African roots: in Nigeria, they eat a similar dish called “Akara.”
The Brazilian northeast is a great place to try new things for adventurous travelers: don’t be afraid to try some traditional dishes!
See also:
Traditional Northern Brazilian Food
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