Vegetarian feijoada
Travellers are advised to read the FCO travel advice at gov. Brazil really does have it all. Larger cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro boast unique culture, personality and nightlife, and vegetarian feijoada thousands of miles of coastline, epic countryside and hearty cuisine will have you in raptures.
We’ve picked 10 essential Brazilian dishes to try on your visit. Check out even more delicious destinations in our travel hub and discover our top 10 travel destinations for 2019. Brazil and Argentina both claim to be South America’s barbecue champion. More than a mere fish stew, moqueca is served with theatrical flourish as the piping hot clay pot is uncovered at the table amid clouds of fragrant steam. While caipirinhas are often made with uncoloured, unaged cachaças, there are thousands of better-quality golden varieties available, aged in wooden barrels and sipped straight up by aficionados. Brazil’s answer to the chocolate truffle, brigadeiros are so simple to make that they quite literally get rolled out for kids’ parties nationwide.
The sweet balls are made by simmering condensed milk with cocoa powder, then whisking in butter and shaping the mix into balls before rolling in chocolate sprinkles. Guaranteed to give an instant sugar high, they’re cloyingly sweet for some palates. Brazil’s pão de queijo, a moreish snack enjoyed at any time of day. Baked in cupcake-sized moulds, the bottom is toasted and golden, dense with grated coconut, while the top is a smooth, firm custard that sticks pleasingly to the roof of the mouth. Of all the Amazon’s fruits, the açaí is perhaps the best known, thanks to its superfood status.
Traditionally eaten by indigenous tribes as a source of energy, the hard purple berry is also used in Amazonian cooking as a sauce to accompany fish. A clever marketing campaign in the ’80s thrust it into the spotlight as the energy snack of choice for surfers in glamorous Rio de Janeiro. A labour of love, feijoada done the old fashioned way takes up to 24 hours to make, including soaking the beans and desalting the pork. Try making your own Feijoada or try our take on this hearty one-pot with our Brazilian pork stew with corn dumplings. Try making your own pastel de palmito or crispy chicken coxinhas. Are you a fan of Brazilian cuisine? Do you agree with our selection or have we missed your favourite?
This website is published by Immediate Media Company Limited under licence from BBC Studios Distribution. Our cookbook, Love Real Food, is here! You’re going to LOVE these bacon-free collards! These collard greens are quickly cooked in olive oil and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. They’re the perfect simple, green side dish. I’m having a moment with cooked greens.
