Brazilian Cuisines: 12 Traditional and Delicious Foods of Brazil

Bhaswati Barman

4 years ago

Food, for some people, is not only for the body but for the soul and for some, it is a passion. Good food quenches the hunger of the stomach and the spirit. When visiting a new place it is as much as trying out new cuisines and dishes of that particular area as visiting the places of interest.

Brazil, a country with a varied population, has different cooking practices spread across the whole nation. They have a variety of food to offer to the people, ranging from sweet bites to spicy meals. The food of Brazil is rich in flavor and gives a good kick to one’s taste buds. Out of the many dishes, this article lists down some of the delicious food items of Brazil that one must try.

Traditional Brazilian Food

Here are a few famous foods from Brazilian cuisine that you can try if you are a foodie.

1. Brigadeiro

Brazil’s way of pleasing the sweet tooth of people are these little balls of pure sweetness. Delicious food of Brazil, Brigadeiro, is a traditional dessert that is commonly made in the households or is found in confectionery and bakeries. This dish is famous and makes its way to parties and festivals because it can be made using very few and common items found in the kitchen. One only needs condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter, and chocolate sprinkles to whip up this ball of happiness.

2. Pão de Queijo

Bread and cheese could never go wrong, and thus, Brazil united these two in their famous dish Pão de Queijo also known as Brazilian Cheese Bread. Brazilians munch on these as their snack as well as breakfast. It has a crispy layer covering the soft cheesy inside. The main ingredients of this delicacy are tapioca flour, eggs, and grated cheese. The cheese that is mainly used in this dish is known as curado minas cheese, which is a type of cheese found in the state of Minas Gerais, where this dish originated. There are often certain variations in these bread as they sometimes stuff with meat as well as cream cheese or any other kind of cheese.

3. Coxinha

A platter of fried food is always a go-to for every person who loves snacks. Coxinha, a breadcrumb rolled deep-fried food snack usually filled with shredded chicken and cheese, would be an absolute favorite for such people. These bites are made by stuffing the shredded chicken and cheese, into mashed potato balls and coated with breadcrumbs before deep-frying it, to give it the crunchy coating. The cheese used is known as Catupiry, which is a type of soft creamy cheese. It is interestingly called the ‘little thighs’ because of its shape, which is like the thigh of a chicken or can also resemble a teardrop.

4. Vatapá

Vatapá is a spicy curry that is often preferred by the Brazilian people with rice. The taste of the curry is dominated by the flavor of shrimps as it is one of the main ingredients of the dish. The curry is made by grinding bread, shrimps, coconut milk, peanuts, and palm oil into a creamy paste. People also use tuna, chicken, cod or other fishes in place of the shrimp to make this curry. It is a common dish in the north and north-eastern region of brazil.

5. Feijoada

Feijoada is a dish made with beef or pork cut into a stewed pot of black beans. Traditionally what went into the pot was ears, trotters and other parts of the pig. This dish is one of the most famous dishes all across Brazil and it is eaten by the people everywhere in the nation. It is a tradition for the people to have this dish mostly on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

6. Canjica

flickr: Pitadas & Palpites Georgia Zeringota & Paula Weber

June marks the advent of winters in Brazil and a sweet dish associated with the winter festival is Canjica. The dish is made of Maize Kernels from which the name has been derived. The kernels are cooked into a porridge with milk, sugar, and cinnamon until it is softened. There are other variations of the dish wherein coconut, coconut milk, condensed milk is added. It is also called mugunzá in the northern states of Brazil.

7. Empada

Another delicious snack in the list of foods from Brazil is Empada. These are small on-the-go bars made of meat. Empadas are quiche-like and resemble a small pie with a crumbly crust. These are stuffed basically with meat, but, can also be stuffed with fish, cheese, fruits or even chocolates. They are also known as empadinhas. Empadas are seasoned with hot pepper sauce and are eaten with sides of small portions of salads.

8. Farofa

Farofa is a unique food in Brazil, which has a smoky taste. Tapioca or corn flour is toasted with salt, spices and smoked meat and served along with rice and beans. This dish adds to the taste of the rice and beans giving it an extra flavor. Farofa can be in the texture of large grainy consistency as well as salt sized grains, depending upon the preference of the people. It also used to enhance the taste of meat.

9. Feijão Tropeiro

Feijão Tropeiro when translated means ‘Cattleman’s beans’, which obviously suggests that the main ingredient of this dish is Beans. Apart from beans, this dish has meat (commonly bacon or sausage), collard greens, and manioc flour. Feijão Tropeiro is mainly served alongside rice and fried pork. The beans are sauteed with manioc flour, collard greens, and meat. Some variations also have eggs in it.

10. Beijinho de Coco

Beijinho de Coco in literal terms translates to ‘little kiss of coconut’. This dessert can be termed as the coconut version of Brigadeiro. It is a bite-sized ball rich with coconut. As in the case of Brigadeiro, condensed milk, grated coconut and butter are cooked together to a perfect consistency before rolling it into small balls to form Beijinho de Coco. These balls are coated with caster sugar and coconut flakes. This dessert too is popular in the households because of its simple recipe and can also be found in bakeries and confectionaries. It also makes its way to birthday parties and is popular among the kids.

11. Acarajé

Beans are a staple diet in Brazil and thus is commonly used to cook many dishes. The main ingredient of Acarajé is beans too. The beans are peeled and boiled to mash it along with chopped onions and are seasoned with salt. It is then molded into small balls and then fried in palm oil. Acarajé is split in half and stuffed with prawns or vatapa and sometimes it is complemented with chili oil. For vegetarian options people have it stuffed with hot pepper and green tomatoes. It is a common street food in Brazil.

12. Moqueca

Moqueca is a signature seafood-based Foods of Brazil. This dish is cooked in a terracotta casserole and the main ingredients include fish or shrimp, coconut milk, palm kernel oil, tomatoes, garlic, lime, onions, and coriander. Prawns or a mix of boneless fishes can also be used to make this dish. It is a fish stew based on coconut milk with fried fish or shrimps, garlic and onion. Coriander and lime add to the rich flavor of these items.