BrazilWhat to eat in Brazil: top 10 dishes
Traveling to Brazil? These are the ten dishes it is best known for, from everyday staples to festive classics, with a short background and a tip on where and when to eat each one. Ranked by how widely they are known around the world.
02Akara
Akara is a type of fritter made from cowpeas or beans (black-eyed peas) that originated in Yorubaland, from the Yoruba ethnic group inhabiting parts of Nigeria, Benin and Togo. It is sometimes referred to as "bean cake" in English.
Travel tip Known in Bahia as acarajé, a street food sold by vendors in the northeast, usually fried to order. Ask for it with fillings and sauces.
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03Moqueca
Moqueca is a Brazilian seafood stew. Moqueca is typically made with shrimp or fish in a base of tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime, and coriander. Some recipes include annatto, palm oil, and coconut milk, depending on the regional variation.
Travel tip A coastal specialty, cooked in a clay pot and served at seafood restaurants, especially in Bahia and Espírito Santo. It is typically eaten with rice and farofa.
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04Churrasco
Churrasco is the Portuguese and Spanish name for grilled beef prominent in South American and Iberian cuisines, and in particular in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina.
Travel tip Often served at churrascarias, where waiters bring skewers of grilled meat to your table. A card or marker tells them when to keep serving or stop.
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05Brigadeiro
Brigadeiro is a traditional Brazilian dessert. The dessert was created by a confectioner, Heloísa Nabuco de Oliveira, to promote the presidential candidacy of Eduardo Gomes.
Travel tip A chocolate sweet served at birthday parties and sold in bakeries and sweet shops. It is a classic party treat.
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06Pão de queijo
Pão de queijo ( POWN-də-KAY-zhoo; Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɐ̃w dʒi ˈke(j)ʒu], "cheese bread" in Portuguese) or Brazilian cheese bread is a small, baked cheese roll or cheese ball, a popular snack and breakfast food in Brazil.
Travel tip Eaten at breakfast or as an afternoon snack with coffee, and sold warm at bakeries and cafés. Best eaten fresh from the oven.
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07Farofa
Farofa is toasted cassava meal. It is eaten mainly in Brazil. It can be found commercially produced and packaged but can also be prepared at home based on family recipes. Most recipes also contain some salt, smoked meat, and spices.
Travel tip A side dish served with grilled meat and feijoada, and sprinkled over rice and beans. You will see it on most buffets and at churrascos.
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08Coxinha
Coxinha is a Brazilian snack of Paulista origin which consists of chopped or shredded chicken meat, covered in dough, molded into a shape resembling a teardrop, battered and fried.
Travel tip A very common snack at bakeries and snack bars, and a staple at parties. Grab it with a cold drink for a quick bite.
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09Salpicon
Salpicon is a dish of one or more ingredients diced or minced and bound with a sauce or liquid. There are different versions found in Spanish and the broader Latin American cuisine and Filipino cuisine. A salpicon is sometimes used as stuffing.
Travel tip Salpicon is a general cooking term for diced ingredients in a sauce, not a specific Brazilian dish. In Brazil, look for similar chopped salads in local restaurants.
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10Açaí na tigela
An açai bowl (açaí na tigela, lit. 'Açaí in the bowl') is a sweet Brazilian snack food from Pará and Amazonas. It is a dish made with the frozen and mashed fruit of the açaí palm, described as having an "earthy" or creamy taste.
Travel tip A cold bowl found at juice bars and cafés, especially in warm weather. It is often topped with banana, granola or other toppings.
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Description: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Wikimedia Commons