Traditional Brazilian Food Recipes

Tap to Read ➤ Sourabh Gupta

Brazil, the largest country in South America, is known for its variety of foods and desserts that vary from region to region. However, there are some foods which can be found at most of the places in Brazil.

Brazilian food is light, spicy, and delicious. The Brazilian cuisine is characterized by its variety, and it reflects the diversity in culture and its people (Spaniards, Africans, Portuguese, and Amerindians). Enlisted here are some mouth-watering traditional Brazilian food recipes. Have a look!

Feijoada

Feijoada is considered to be the national dish of Brazil. It is a thick stew made from black turtle beans and a variety of salted pork and beef products.

It's an intense and heavy preparation because besides containing stew meat and beans, it is served with rice, farofa, orange slices, etc. Hence, it is mostly served for lunch and is followed by a nap. Feijoada is generally found in the southeastern region of Brazil, which is also an industrial region.

Ingredients Bay leaves: 5 or 6 Onions, chopped: 2 Garlic: 2 cloves Pork tenderloin: 1 lb. Black beans: 1 lb. Varied pork sausages: 1 lb. Vegetable oil: 2 tbsp. Bacon: few slices Salt to taste

Preparation Soak the beans in water overnight. This will make it easier to cook the beans. Drain the beans and put in a pressure cooker. Add some water. The water level should be at least 1 inch above the beans. Close the pressure cooker and put it on medium heat for 20 minutes. The beans would get properly cooked in that time span.

Now, take a pan and add oil, garlic, salt, chopped onions, and bay leaves and cook for about 15 minutes. Thereafter, add the boiled beans. In a separate pan, cook slices of bacon and cubes of pork tenderloin with garlic, salt, and some water. Add all the sliced sausages and stir at medium heat until the entire water dries up.

Now, add the cooked meat to the pan with black beans. Cook for 10 minutes to let the meat soak in the black beans; your Feijoada is ready. Serve it with white rice and collard greens.

Caipirinha

Caipirinha, known as the national cocktail of Brazil, is made with cachaça, sugar, and lime. Cachaça is a product of distillation of fermented sugarcane juice.

Ingredients Lime: 1 (quartered) Cachaça: 1 shot Ice cubes with water: ½ cup Sugar: 1 tbsp. Preparation Place lime and sugar at the bottom of a glass. Crush and mash the lime using a wooden spoon. Pour liquor, add ice, and stir well. Your caipirinha is ready.

Picanha

Picanha is one of the famous traditional barbecue recipes (churrasco) that contains white rice, farofa (seasoned manioc flour), and vinaigrette. It is tender beef that is grilled. The beef has the layer of fat that is removed during the cooking process. This dish is quite famous amongst foreign visitors.

Ingredients Picanha: 1 full piece Rock salt Garlic paste

Preparation Cut the picanha into 2-inch thick pieces. Rub some rock salt on the meat with or without using garlic paste. Place the meat over the grill. Cook it as per your preference. Later, skin out the outer layer and if needed, you can cook the inner meat for some more time. The dish is ready to be served. Serve it with rice and a sauce of your choice.

Bolinho de Chuva

Bolinho de chuva, famously called Brazilian donut, is a traditional food made of flour and is deep-fried.

Ingredients Eggs: 2 Flour: 1 cup Milk: ½ cup Cornstarch: ½ cup Granulated sugar: 4 tbsp. Baking powder: 2 tbsp. Pinch of salt Sugar with cinnamon Oil

Preparation Mix eggs, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. While mixing with a wooden spoon, add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and milk. Keep stirring till the batter appears similar to a cake batter. Preheat the fryer to 350ºF. Take a spoon of batter and put it into the fryer.

Fry the rounded batter for about 3 or 4 minutes till they turn golden brown. Remove them from the oil, and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle some powdered sugar along with cinnamon, and the dish is ready to be served.

Acarajé

Acarajé is a famous Bahian dish. It is a popular traditional street dish of Brazil, which is served as an appetizer.

Ingredients Garlic: 2 cloves Black-eyed peas, soaked overnight: 1 cup Water: 1 cup Ground pepper: ½ tbsp. Baking soda: 1 tsp. Salt: 1 tsp.

Preparation Rub the peel off the beans. Mix all the ingredients in a blender. Beat it for around 4 or 5 minutes till it acquires a dough-like consistency. Pour the mixture into a bowl.

Heat the oil to 350ºF and deep-fry spoonful of dough for 7 or 8 minutes until it turns dark red. Pat them dry. The dish is ready to be served. Ensure to stir the remaining mixture intermittently to prevent it from turning watery.

There are several other dishes which are relatively unknown to the world but are quite delicious and famous in Brazil. This just reflects the culinary richness of Brazil.