Taste of Brazil - Drinking what you got in front of you!

Quenching your thirst in Brazil is quite easy.  At every coffee house, street stand,  or restaurant there are many options ranging from soft drinks to fruit juices.  I really enjoy trying new beverages and there are some truly new and some of my traditional favorites that have hit the top in this category.  Here is how I rank what I drank.

1) Guarana Soda (What a refreshing splash of liquid whenever it hit my tongue - lights / zero / or regular it all tastes good to me.  This soft drink is made with a fruit "Guarana" which is found in South America.  The Guarana plant is in the maple family and it is actually a vine.   It is the size of a coffee bean and containers twice the amount of caffeine (no wonder I liked it). Brazilians drink more Guarana soft drinks then colas and while I am in Brazil I do too. In the United States you can find this soda at Brazilian markets but I have not seen it on regular supermarket shelves.

2) Peach Juice (Fresh squeezed -- simply pulpalish!  Of course I love peaches, but the juices I have tried stateside often have an artificial taste to me so the first time trying it in Brazil I was impressed.  No artificial here, so for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or coffee, I love ordering this wonderful juice.)

3) Caipirinha (With cachaca (sugar cane rum) - sugar- and lime - how could it not taste good!  Caipirinha is known at Brazil's national drink and at one point almost only found in Brazil.  Today as the world's availability of good cachaca increases,  the drinks popularity continues to grow throughout the world. It is easy to see why all bars, restaurants, and many households in Brazil are ready to serve this delicious mixed drink. Actually I have some sugar cane rum in the US so invite yourself over and lets make some)

4) Pineapple Juice (This one could have taken first prize had I not tried #12 on my list - but the fresh squeezed pineapple just is simply delicious and there is truly a difference in Brazilian pineapple.  So sweet! )

5) Papaya Juice (This is a great taste of a wonderful fruit.  When the fruit is in season the juice is simply magnificent.  I would recommend this drink to anyone visiting.)

6) Acerola Juice (This juice is made from the fruit Acerola which is very similiar to a cherry.  Red and sweet and full of vitamin C.  It is said to have thirty two times more vitamin C then orange juice.  The juice is simply a great drink for an afternoon break)

7) Orange Juice (Normally, I am just not a fan of the orange juice but they squeeze it fresh everywhere you go in Brazil.  Sometimes you have to add a little sweetener but most of the time the oranges are sweet enough so it makes a great juice.  In the US it would not rank so high but here it lands a surprising seventh.)

8) CoCo Water (This juice is extracted (or sipped through a straw) from a young coconut.  As the fruit matures the water is replaced by the coconut meat so the younger the fruit the more water there is.  The water is natural and nutritious.  I am not sure why but did not love this drink as the taste was OK.  Honestly for some reason I have a hard time drinking it.  In any park or along the beaches,  vendors are ready with their large knives to slice open the top of the coconut and hand you a straw for a refleshing swig.  I don't think I will crave this drink -  I would however drink it again if offered)

9) Chopp - (I am not sure I really know what the difference is between beer and chopp and I am not a huge beer drinker - but in the heat of Brazil it is certainly refreshing and can be found all over the country.  Chopp is served in a glass either with or without head.)

10) Coffee - (Another drink I am not a regular drinker of and a stop at Starbucks falls low on my list of things to do.  Coffee had to make the list as we stopped for coffee at least once a day.  I did have a cup of java from time to time and Brazilian coffee is good, but hey -coffee is coffee - black - hot - and in need of a little sweetener)

11)  Coke Zero (Surprisingly this one did not make the top ten but I really miss my diet coke!  When I just need to have a fix of the Atlanta based product the Zero will just have to do.  This is one time the real thing (diet coke) just out performs the substitute (coke zero) but I am not sure I can get the real thing  in Brazil?)

11) Cashew Juice (This drink is made from the fruit that is the great partner of the cashew nut.  I still have not tried this juice during the fruits optimal season.  However, what I have tried is good but a little starchy for my taste buds.  On a side note, I am always amazed how many people have no idea (me included) that the great cashew nut is partnered with a fruit which can be turned into a drink.  I do look forward to trying this again when the fruit is in season)

12) Lemon Juice - (Lemonade you ask?  But in Brazil like other juices it is freshly squeeze and limes are lemons.  I never know if I am getting lime or lemon juice and I just could never get it to the sweetness factor I wanted)

13) Pineapple mint (Sorry -- a flavor I just did not find tasty even though it is regularly ordered at the table I am sitting at (for my friends) - a touch of mint in the refreshing and sweet pineapple juice that ranked higher on my list.  Need I say more?)

I do think this category has a lot more drinks to explore and add to the list.  Brazil is a country full of fresh fruits and loves to squeeze the juice out of it.

Eat it!

Post 1 - Taste of Brazil - Whether it looks good or not -- Eat it!

On my  Facebook page I showcase all the different Brazilian things I am tasting (OK-some of the food I'm not just tasting, I'm full on eating it --YUM) I wanted to bring that element to my blog. Instead of just listing them, I thought it would be fun to categorize them and then rank them in order of being my favorites.  I have linked to some recipes I found on the web and if you have a great recipe for a Brazilian food listed and want to share, leave a comment with an email address (I will not post the comment) and I will create a recipe page on my blog.  Hope you enjoy.

Traditional Brazilian Food

1) Camarao na Moranga (A soup with shrimp in a cream sauce, stuffed into a pumpkin and baked.  The presentation made a great first impression and the taste finished nicely.  I love shrimp and pumpkin and the mix of spices were perfect.  I cannot wait to make this for my stateside friends this fall.  It is quite a heavy meal so no dinner was needed this day, but it was so delicious it came up in converstaion during the remainder of our stay in  Rio, so it is obviously the top of my list.)

Recipe #1
Recipe #2

2) Feijoada (Hands down this dish is referred by many as Brazil's national dish.   The stew with beans and pork originated by slaves using all the thrown away pork parts including ears and tails and making a meal.  Today, the dish has been transformed to using more desired pieces of the pork along with some of the fatty parts which add a great amount of flavor to this high caloric and high cholesterol dish.  Today it still provides a great reason for families and friends to gather around the table for a great meal)

Recipe
3) Broa (This great corn bread is not your typical cornbread of the United States as it is made with yeast instead of baking soda.  It light airy texture along slight hint of sweet makes it a crowd please for breakfast or coffe.  Originating with the Portuguese settlers today it has become a Brazilian staple at bakeries and coffee shops thoughout Brazil.)

Recipe

4) Pao de Queijo "Cheese Bread" (I have ate the delightful treat in the United States many times either at Brazilian friends or restaurants.  However I could not leave it off the list of favorites as it is a distinct food found in Brazil.  I have often wondered why it has not made it to the supermakets in the United States as all my friends there love it. When you are traveling in Brazil you will definitely find this favorite at every coffee shop and bakery.)

Recipe


5) Brazilian Pastel ( Seriously, how can you go wrong with a thin pastry envelop filled with cheese, meat, or a number of sweet fillings? Fried to perfect crispness (or they can be baked) and bought at any street side "pastelarias" found in the city or the country. Their origination depends on who you speak with.  Chinese say it comes from the frying of wontons,  Italians say it comes from the frying of calzones, and many say it comes from India similar to a snack called samosas.  Regardless of which of these are truly the origins of this snack,  it is simply delicious and thus ranks fifth on my list of tastes.)

Recipe

6) Empada (Traditional Brazilian empada's are a pie crust filled with chicken, peas, olives and sometimes heart of palms. Served with a delicious tomato sauce.  They are similar to empanadas found in other latin armerican countries but not quite the same.  The large empada are often served as a main course, whereas smaller empadas called empadinhas are served as a snack.  They are truly delicious and deserving of their sixth place finish)

Recipe

7) Stroganoff -  ( Because it is an extremely popular dish in Brazil, I have ate it many times and each time it was delicious.  Mostly made with chicken, served over rice, and topped with crispy potatoe sticks.  I would recommend trying this dish when you visit Brazil.  Quite honestly I don't know how you would miss it as it is served so many places and times)

Recipe

8) Cod Fish (While in Goiania, I ate this fish cooked several different ways.  My favorite was the stew Luiz conjured up at his cousin's home (which I have had at previous Brazilian gatherings in the states). I think this is the most traditional central Brazilian way of eating it,  but hey it is fish and that is why it landed at #8!)

Recipe unknown.

9) Pamonha (This good corn and milk paste wrapped in corn husk is truly delicious when fresh.  In the central-west area of Brazil where I was it is salty and often centered with cheese.  The southern part of brazil finds it more on the sweet side.  If not cooked correctly it can be a little dry and this is the primary reason it did not end up higher on my list.  Hey - I am only ranking ten items and there are so many other great things to tast - it should be happy to be at number nine.)

Recipe

10) Sovado Bread (This is really good bread that always quickly disappeared from my plate- but lets be serious - look at what it was competing against -- after all it is just bread - breads in Brazil could have had their own category and since its tradition is more Portuguese then Brazilian it lands at # 10)

Recipe (I think?)


*** Recipes linked are ones I found on the web and may not be the great flavors I tasted in my travels in Brazil.

** Again, if you want to send me a recipe for one of these Brazilian foods -  Leave a comment with an email address (I will not post the comment) and I will create a recipe page on my blog.

Drinks -- read about them