Brazilian cuisine

Vegetarian Journal, March-April, 2002 by Nancy Berkoff

I LIVED IN SAO PAULO for several months and never thought about meat. As a 15-year-old high school student from New York, I was amazed, delighted, and almost demented by the fist-sized strawberries, the starburst orange mangos, and an array of tropical fruits that I couldn't even begin to name. Brazil had some of the most beautiful produce I had ever seen, and it was all off-limits. Let me explain: the farms around Sao Paulo at the time utilized Japanese farming techniques, which included fertilizing with "night soil," or human waste. I was told it was too big a risk to eat any of the luscious fresh fruit or to sample any of the refreshing fresh fruit shakes available on any corner.

So, for a while, I satisfied my culinary curiosity with street food. Pastels and empanadas were fried doughs of varying textures, stuffed with potatoes, onions, garlic, ground nuts, fresh peas, or coconut. There was avocado ice cream which is a non-dairy sweet puree of avocado and sugar. To wash it down, there was a brand of soda, called "Antarctica," which advertised its ingredients as "Amazon fruits." Guarana, a softly carbonated beverage made from an extract of the bark of the guarana bush, could be purchased from street vendors. If you desired a hot beverage, there was yerba mate, an herb "coffee," or the super-caffeinated cafezinho (say "cafe zeen nyo"), a potent French press shot of strongly roasted coffee. I'd bet that if you measured the blood levels of most Brazilians, you'd probably find that at least half their blood is composed of cafezinho. It is served at meals, between meals, and for snacks, and puts an American espresso to shame. I've read that in urban areas, the average Brazilian drinks 12 to 24 of these caffeine bombs per day. With all the street food and the beverages, who has time to think about regular meals?

Brazil covers almost half of South America and has a huge range of climates. Between the vast and varied growing areas and the influence of Portuguese invaders and West African slaves, Brazil has a cornucopia of foods and menus. If you are in one area, beef is served at every meal; in another area, eggs and dairy are very important; and in still other areas, fish and seafood are what is popular.

However, before all the foreign invaders hit Brazil, the very important food items were beans, manioc root, cassava, coconuts, avocados, and lots of tropical and temperate fruits, such as oranges, papayas, and limes. Brazilian diets revolved around black beans and manioc meal. Beef and rice, two of today's popular Brazilian ingredients, were imported.

These days, Brazil is a huge exporter of coffee, sugar cane, soybeans, citrus fruit, avocados, cocoa beans, and bananas. Large bean and rice crops help to feed the country. So how come many people think of beef and pork as being integral to Brazilian cuisine?

Brazilian gauchos or cowboys make their meals from beef and manioc root. Beef is an important part of Brazil's economy and is incorporated into many dishes. However, beef is an important part of a small amount of Brazil's total cuisine, more popular in the actual cattle-raising areas.

Of major health concern in Brazil is the amount of dende or palm oil, and coconut oil, used. Both are saturated fats and can cause the same sort of heart disease as fat from animals. Polyunsaturated fats are scoffed at in Brazil! If someone's not cooking with saturated tropical oils, then he or she is using animal fat! Much of Brazil's street food and festive foods are deep-fried and served with coconut. The good news is that these super-fried foods are meant for special occasions and not for everyday use. Moderation is everything!

In fact, the Brazilian families who invited me to their homes usually had the following staples at each meal: steamed black beans or black-eyed peas, and steamed rice seasoned with hot pepper sauce and sprinkled with manioc powder. You knew this would always be on the table, with perhaps a cold heart-of-palm salad or some cooked greens. Family breakfasts would usually be fresh fruit and juice, the ever-present coffee, hot milk, bread, and some cheeses. Lunch and dinner were heavy affairs, with sandwiches and salads saved for snack foods. Tea was usually served right before bedtime, with warm milk and some cookies or sweets.

Feijoada started out as a simple Portuguese stew of beans and vegetables. The Brazilians adopted it and amplified it, and it has become the national dish. Feijoada completa is a buffet meal centered around a stew of black beans, meat, and sausage. The best parts of a feijoada to me are the side dishes: lots of fluffy steamed rice and farofa, a soft but firm stuffing-like dish made with manioc meal, or piroas (a chewy but crispy cracker bread that can have olives, raisins, coconut, or sliced vegetables in it). A variety of greens may be served, including collards, spinach, or taioba (also called "elephant ears"), that have been slow-cooked for a tender texture. It is difficult to find a vegetarian feijoada, as the traditional flavors rely so heavily on meat. Steamed black beans cooked with smoked tempeh, onions, and garlic could take the place of feijoada on a vegetarian Brazilian buffet. The actual technique for feijoada would be to cook the beans until they are tender, then remove half and mash them with a fat (traditionally lard or butter, but vegans can use margarine), chopped onions, and minced garlic. Next, the mashed beans are returned to the pot and cooked until creamy. If you want to go really Brazilian, you could thicken the stew with manioc root and add some coconut milk. However, you can forego the coconut milk and thicken with additional beans or mashed potatoes.