Hi all! In this post I want to tell you about interesting Brazilian food that does not claim to be “haute cuisine” and is sold right on the street, but is definitely worth your attention when you find yourself in this country!
There won't be those dishes and drinks that you already know about. Of course, in Brazil you should try cachaça and caipirinha prepared on its basis, Pão de Queijo cheese buns, brigadeiro - Brazilian sweets, and also visit the national Brazilian restaurant surrascaria. Below you will find lesser-known things that you can only learn about while in Brazil.
1. Guarana & Matte
Guarana is a local lemonade made from the plant of the same name. This plant is known primarily for its fruits, which contain twice as much caffeine as coffee beans. Therefore, a drink made from these fruits has stimulating properties. Guarana tastes like Buratino soda, if you remember that one. It didn’t make me wildly delighted, but in Brazil it is very loved, respected and sold everywhere. In addition, Guarana costs less than cola - 3.5 reais per half liter - which is an undeniable advantage.
This is the only type of tea consumed in Brazil. Moreover, it is sold directly in cups, already brewed and chilled. The top of this glass is sealed with foil, which is usually pierced with a straw to make it convenient to drink. Mate is sold here with various additives; it quenches thirst very well and costs an average of 1.5 reais per glass.
2. Acai Smoothie
Acai is a palm tree native to Brazil in the Amazon region. It is grown for two reasons: the edible core of the tree and the most delicious fruits in the form of dark blue berries. These berries are very healthy, tasty, and cold sorbet made from them is just what the doctor ordered in this heat. The taste is unlike anything I know. It has a pleasant subtle taste, vaguely reminiscent of grapes. It costs 7 reals for 0.3, 8 reals for 0.4 and 9 reals for 0.5 liters.
3. Passatempo
Passatempo are just regular cookies. Except for one little thing. This is the very product that Brazilians miss terribly when abroad. For example, I don’t have enough seeds, and if necessary, I will ask someone to bring them to me. And Brazilians living in other countries always ask for these cookies. This is a real taste of their homeland for them. The cookies are really delicious and also have funny designs. A pack costs about 3 reais.
4. Biscoito globo
This unknown crap is sold on all the beaches and is simply adored by the locals. I didn't understand the joke, because... These airy things don’t have any distinct taste. But grandmothers on buses crunch them with enviable regularity.
5. Acarajé
Acarage is a dish made from shelled cow peas. Round buns are first fried in palm oil, and then they are cut and filled with filling: fried shrimp, cashews, lettuce, green and red tomatoes, hot pepper sauce, beans, ginger, garlic and other goodies.
Acarajé is one of the traditional dishes of Nigerian and Brazilian cuisine. This dish is most common in Bahia, the northeastern state of Brazil, especially in the city of Salvador, as street food. In Brazil, it appeared after the import of slaves from West Africa began there in the 16th century. In Bahia there is a whole social group of acaraj traders called bayanas. These are mainly Afro-Brazilian women who wear specific clothes: white cotton dresses, scarves, specially shaped hats, colorful necklaces. Their chants and way of life have become an integral part of the culture of this state.
This dish costs 4 reals, it is sold at every turn in Salvador, and by the smell it is easy to guess that somewhere nearby there is a point of sale of acarajé. The taste is purely an acquired taste; I never finished my portion. Firstly, the unpeeled shrimp that are right inside are confusing, and secondly, the sauces are also strangely tart. The concept is reminiscent of our shawarma, but in my opinion, shawarma is a little tastier)) Nevertheless, it’s definitely worth a try - it’s an unforgettable gastronomic experience!
6. Tapioca
Without exaggeration, Tapioca is the strangest food I have ever seen or tasted. In Rio, this is a hit with street food; locals line up in meter-long lines at stalls selling this stuff.
The cooking process can't help but shock. A pile of white balls is poured onto the frying pan, they are rolled out over the surface of the frying pan, much like we pour pancake dough, and then these balls harden and turn into a white, grainy, semi-airy cake! A variety of fillings are placed on top of the flatbread: from ham to bananas, then sprinkled with cheese and folded in half. Voila! 7 reals and this unknown food is in your hand! Tasty, healthy. But the taste mainly depends on the filling.
7. Coxinhas
Cochinha is a delicious and filling pastry that made up 90% of our diet in Rio. One piece costs 3 reais, which is enough for lunch. The outer part is made of potatoes and cheese, the filling is spicy chicken. This is a native Brazilian dish that looks like a chicken leg, and the translation of the name literally means “chicken thigh.” This food practically does not get boring, because... the taste is very delicate and the consistency is pleasant.
8. Pastel
Imagine small pasties, and consider that you understand the meaning of pastel. In Brazil, they are served as a beer snack and come with different fillings: cheese, chicken, vegetables. The most important thing in this matter is to find a place where they make them tasty, and such places are not always found, unfortunately. A serving of pastel costs between 5 and 7 reais.
9. Queijo Coalho
Fried cheese is very popular in Brazil in different forms. You can often find this kind of kebab cheese, for example, in bars or on the beach. You will not be able to avoid this delicacy. So eat to your health! But I don’t recommend buying regular shish kebab on the beach, it’s not cooked well.
10. Churros recheados
I saved the best for last. Guys, this is love! This is gastronomic ecstasy! This is an oral orgasm! These warm, soft, slightly crispy sticks with chocolate or milk cream are simply heavenly. Be sure to try it! Price: 3 reals. It is most often sold along with hot corn on street stalls. Essentially, it’s an ordinary dough with filling, I don’t know what the secret is, but I haven’t tasted a tastier sweet.
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Chayote is a light green, pear-shaped fruit with one seed inside and edible, tender, aromatic pulp, with a texture reminiscent of something between a potato and a cucumber. Perhaps such a vegetable is not considered familiar to our latitudes, but it will add a particularly delicate taste to familiar dishes, while at the same time bringing benefits to the body. This unusual fruit for us is popular in Mexican cuisine and southern North America. It is eaten raw, added to salads, used as a filling for pies, baked with chili peppers and many other dishes are prepared.
If you don't know what chayote or vegetable pear or Mexican cucumber is, it's time to get acquainted with it. After all, this exotic fruit is a source of many nutrients that our body needs.
Where does chayote grow - Mexican cucumber?
Chayote (or Sechium edule) belongs, like a regular cucumber, to annual (there are also perennial species) plants from the pumpkin family. It is shaped like a pear with a thin, pale green skin and several vertical grooves. It has a crunchy texture and a mild sweet flavor. There are options with an uneven pimpled surface. Its seeds are edible.
The true homeland of the Mexican cucumber is that part of Latin America that has the same name - Mexico.
It was cultivated thousands of years ago by the Aztec and Mayan tribes. It was the Aztecs who gave the name “chayote”, which is known today, meaning “pumpkin with thorns.” This vegetable is very popular in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Although native to the tropics, chayotes are now cultivated in warm climates around the world. We grow them in the southern regions of Russia and in Transcaucasia. The climate in the south of Ukraine and Moldova is quite suitable for them. True, it still remains an unfamiliar and exotic fruit for many.
Some gardeners recommend planting seeds in pots and boxes on windowsills.
The plant is a vine that grows up to 20 meters in length and is somewhat similar to a grapevine with tendrils, due to which it clings to a support and rises up. This plant can be found growing along fences and even on trees.
Chayote requires well-drained and moist soil. The leaves are quite large, round in shape with a heart-shaped base 10-25 centimeters wide and covered with hairs.
The plant has both female and male flowers. After pollination, the fruits begin to grow and develop. In its homeland, Mexico, it blooms in September. The fruits ripen within 30 days.
At first glance, their shape is somewhat reminiscent of an avocado, but lighter. Each fruit can weigh from 500 to 600 grams, pear-shaped, covered with a green or yellow peel (it all depends on the variety, it can be brown of different shades, dark green with hairs). The fruits grow no more than 20 cm, and their yield varies from 80 pieces in an annual crop to 150 pieces from one perennial plant.
Depending on the variety, the skin of the fruit may be smooth, furrowed or with pimples.
Its pulp resembles the taste of a cucumber; to some people it seems like the pulp of a young zucchini.
What does chayote look like?
Watch the video to see how chayote grows
What are the benefits of chayote chemical composition?
Chayote isn't as popular as other vegetables, but it actually has a very good track record of healthy constituents that can provide health benefits. First, chayote is free of cholesterol and unhealthy fats and is generally recommended for combating low cholesterol and weight loss. It is high in water and fiber and relatively low in sugars, making it relatively low in calories compared to other fruits and vegetables. They are also valued for their high content of potassium and amino acids.
Despite the predominant watery component (chayote contains actually 93% water), this vegetable has:
- vegetable proteins;
- fats;
- saturated fatty acids;
- carbohydrates (mainly sugars);
- fiber (dietary fiber);
- ash product;
- starch (only in tubers);
- 17 essential amino acids (in particular threonine, arginine and leucine);
- retinol (vitamin A);
- B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin or nicotinic acid, pyridoxine, pantothenic and folic acids);
- phylloquinone (or vitamin K);
- antioxidant vitamin C (ascorbic acid);
- minerals such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, copper, manganese, zinc, selenium.
The total calorie content of 100 grams of this vegetable is only 16 kilocalories. The energy percentage of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is 17/6/59%.
The entire plant, including the fruit, stem and leaves, contains several nutrients and has anti-inflammatory properties that can help treat high blood pressure, kidney stones and indigestion. Chayote can also help maintain weight as it is low in calories and high in fiber.
A diet high in fiber helps treat constipation and normalize bowel function. This vegetable is a good way to increase your fiber intake. One fruit contains 3.5 grams of fiber, which is 14 percent of the daily value of 25 grams. Dietary fiber also helps control blood sugar, which is especially beneficial for diabetics, and lowers cholesterol, which promotes a healthier cardiovascular system.
Whole chayote has on average only 0.1 grams of fat. High water and fiber content help satisfy hunger faster and prolong the feeling of fullness. It can be added to salads and smoothies.
Chayote is a rich source of folate and vitamin C. Folates are water-soluble vitamins that are essential for female fertility and cancer prevention. When consumed before and during pregnancy, it reduces the risk of neural tube birth defects in the fetus. A whole chayote can provide 189 micrograms of folate in your diet, which is about 50 percent of the recommended daily intake.
Vitamin C is an important antioxidant that helps fight free radicals, which can lead to an increased risk of heart disease and some forms of cancer. It contains 15.6 mcg of vitamin C, which is 26% of the daily requirement.
Trace minerals are required daily in small quantities to support a healthy metabolism, immune system, and strong bones. Chayote contains trace mineral salts of zinc, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. These minerals are part of the body's hormones and enzymes.
Zinc plays an important role in wound healing and supports the sense of taste and smell. Calcium and magnesium keep bones strong, and potassium supports nerve and muscle function.
The Mexican cucumber chayote has proven itself on the positive side not only in folk but also in official medicine. 
Chayote benefits for the body
Chayote is not only a food product. Its use can bring certain health benefits and help cope with some ailments. Herbal tea prepared with chayote leaves helps reduce high blood pressure and relieve swelling. Local peoples use it to dissolve and remove kidney stones, treat atherosclerosis and blood vessels.
The pulp of the fruit has diuretic properties and is used to treat bloating.
Speaking of health benefits, the vegetable helps:
- during diets to reduce excess weight;
- strengthen general immunity;
- increase the body's energy balance;
- remove kidney stones;
- improve the general condition of urolithiasis (has a diuretic effect);
- reduce blood pressure in hypertension;
- get rid of swelling;
- prevent or effectively treat atherosclerosis (often tubers are used);
- improve the functioning of the thyroid gland;
- get rid of hemorrhoids;
- prevent constipation;
- improve the functioning of the pancreas during pancreatitis;
- heal gastrointestinal ulcers;
- in the treatment of mastopathy;
- prevent breast cancer (as well as other cancers).
As a rich source of vitamin C, it is used for colds, has good diaphoretic properties, and as a source of many useful substances, it is used to restore the body after chemotherapy and radiation therapy in cancer patients.
Chayote use in cooking
In this case, the Mexican chayote cucumber is a fairly versatile food item. It can be eaten like zucchini, cucumbers or melon.
Possessing a delicate sweetish taste, similar to zucchini, it becomes not only an ingredient in vegetable and fruit salads. Add it to meat dishes.
Dried leaves of the plant can be used to make teas.
Ripe fruits are usually not suitable for food, but are used for seeds. As a result, unripe chayote:
- added to vegetable oil for flavoring;
- fried (the taste will resemble fried mushrooms, and if you use only tubers - fried potatoes);
- boiled;
- baked;
- stuffed;
- stewed;
- salted;
- pickled;
- added to stews, sautés and purees containing tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants;
- used to create canned white onion salads;
- added to baked goods (the puree is mixed either with the dough, or the filling is made from it; a good combination is obtained with cinnamon).
Stewed young stems and leaves are added to sauces with a variety of spices, soups, and are also used as a side dish for meat and fish dishes (the product must first be boiled).
In general, the taste of the Mexican cucumber goes well with almost any product.
Chayote goes well with cheese, chili pepper, bread crumbs, bacon, onions, including green onions, and shrimp.
Due to its dense flesh, it requires longer cooking: 30 to 40 minutes.
When used in stuffing or baking, the peel does not need to be removed. You just need to cut the fruit and blanch until it becomes soft. After which the pulp can be removed with a spoon.
Don't throw away the pit, which has a nutty almond flavor.
When using chayote for stir-fries or salads, remove the tough skin using a knife or peeler.
Some varieties have a sticky substance under the skin that irritates some people. If you are one of them, simply clean the fruit under running cold water.
How to select and store chayote
When purchasing chayotes, choose fruits that are firm to the touch and have bright colors. Wrinkles and grooves in the skin are normal, but they should not be soft or spongy. Basic requirements for selection when purchasing:
Hard to the touch;
No scratches;
Small dents are acceptable.
The ideal place to store chayote is the refrigerator, in which the product can be stored for up to three weeks (the main thing is to pack the fruits in paper bags).
Contraindications and harm
Scientists have not yet discovered any main contraindications to the consumption of exotic chayote. Thus, the main caution when consuming Mexican cucumber is exclusively individual intolerance to the product.
Interesting facts about the Mexican cucumber
In Australia, there is an opinion that the well-known McDonald's uses chayote instead of apples in its apple pies. This opinion led to a trial where the famous chain had to prove that their pies contained real apples.
The source of this opinion was the rumor that canned pears are actually chayotes. Perhaps such rumors are based on the fact that in Australia there are many recipes where this vegetable also acts as a fruit.
In Creole cuisine, chayote dishes are traditionally prepared for Thanksgiving.
There is a legend that this fruit caused the mummification of residents in the city of San Bernardo in Colombia who abused it. This may be due to the supposed cell-regenerative properties of this vegetable.
Here’s an interesting yet exotic vegetable for us: chayote or Mexican cucumber. By the way, it is grown in Abkhazia, where many of our compatriots like to relax. It also grows in Sochi. So, if you wish, you can try these unusual fruits.
How to grow chayote on your own plot
The incredible blooms on your favorite cacti and succulents always seem even more delectable because of the amazing hardiness of the plants themselves. Luxurious bells and dazzling stars remind you that nature has many miracles in store. And although many indoor succulents require special wintering conditions to bloom, they still remain crops that require minimal care and are suitable for everyone. Let's take a closer look at the most spectacular of them.
Summer appetizer with quail eggs and red caviar - a simple vegetable salad with a spicy sweet and sour dressing that goes well with eggs and caviar. The salad is an explosion of vitamins - fresh cucumber and radish, sweet pepper and ripe tomato, and also creamy curd cheese, which perfectly complements the vegetable mix. This dish can be served before lunch as a light snack with toast. For dressing, unrefined oil and balsamic vinegar are suitable.
Linden is planted in parks and squares; slender trees with spreading crowns perfectly purify the air and give long-awaited coolness on a hot summer day. She is loved for the amazing honey aroma that envelops her in late May and early June, when the linden blossom appears. It has valuable medicinal properties, is used in many folk recipes, and retains its beneficial qualities for a long time. How and when to collect it, how to properly dry, store and use it will be discussed in the article.
Sometimes, when observing certain plants during the growing season, you cannot decide when you like it best - in spring, summer or autumn? Here is Japanese spirea among these plants. Her appearance is constantly changing. And although I chose to write this article the moment when it blooms, I’m still not sure that I’m right. In spring and autumn, its foliage plays with incredible colors and shades. But, in addition to beauty, it is also an unpretentious shrub.
Baby formula candy with coconut and waffles is a simple homemade dessert made from inexpensive and readily available ingredients. Homemade sweets turn out tastier than store-bought ones, even if they don’t contain chocolate; of course, we don’t take into account the elite brands of chocolate makers. During times of total food shortages, housewives passed on homemade recipes to each other, added something of their own to it, fantasized, and the result was delicious candies that were easy to prepare in half an hour.
Sultry, bright, and inviting you to relax in the garden, July leaves not much time for a lazy pastime. Dependence on the weather, the need to make up for the lack of precipitation and compensate for the heat forces all efforts to be directed to caring for plants. And a ripening harvest requires a lot of time not only for harvesting, but also for proper processing. There is so much hassle in the ornamental garden and vegetable garden that planning the work in advance is extremely problematic.
Freezing berries and fruits is the best way to provide yourself with vitamins throughout the winter. Cold is a natural preservative. Frozen berries and fruits retain almost one hundred percent of their benefits. And frozen currants, for example, contain many times more vitamin C than fresh ones! You can freeze whatever you want. Usually these are strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mulberries, currants, sea buckthorn, even watermelon. Fruits: apricots, plums, pears, peaches, grapes.
The Mediterranean style in the garden is ideally embodied by angustifolia lavender. Many gardeners would not only like to add this plant to their flower garden, but even plant their own lavender field. But lavender seedlings are quite expensive, and a lot of lavender remains a pipe dream for most. Try growing this herb from seeds. In this article we will talk about the features of seed propagation of angustifolia lavender and its best varieties.
Tubular dark red flowers flare up like tongues of flame on the thick, spreading, elegant bushes of aeschynanthus. The delightful textures of the plant, the severity of the lines and the restrained combination of red and dark green are a true indoor classic. Aeschynanthus is in no way inferior to more fashionable exotic plants. And by its whimsicality - first of all. This is one of the most difficult indoor plants to grow and requires little regular care.
Chickpea snacks - hummus with sun-dried tomatoes and fried chickpeas - are an excellent solution for a friendly party with beer or home gatherings with a glass of wine. This is a budget-friendly snack that won't take much time to prepare. The chickpeas need to be soaked in cold water in the evening, this is a must. The chickpeas are soaked for 8 to 24 hours, during which time the beans soften, so they cook quite quickly. The chickpeas take about 1.5-2 hours to cook and do not require any attention.
Coniferous plants are the favorites of Russian gardeners. They give any garden a cozy look and create pleasant shade. Today on the market you will find a large number of species and varieties of conifers. But to maintain their decorative appearance and health, proper care is vital. Follow the recommendations of experts in the warm season - heat and moisture deficiency are not the best companions for conifers. What to do in the summer? Follow a simple and clear plan for caring for conifers.
In the summer, many gardeners expose their plants to the air, taking them to the balcony or taking them with them to the dacha. But only some indoor flowers will become a worthy decoration of the garden, forming harmonious compositions together with popular annual plants. Today it is fashionable to use indoor plants as the highlight of container compositions. In this article we will look at how to do this correctly, and which indoor plants are best suited for this.
Having appeared on plants, rust leads to death, first of all, of leaves, then of shoots. A diseased plant, even if it does not die immediately, most likely will not survive the frosty winter. The disease reduces winter hardiness and attacks the plant’s immunity. It is not difficult to recognize rust. It appears on the underside of the leaf in the form of small growths of brownish-rusty color, which are called pustules. Growths can vary in shape and size
Protecting plants from various diseases takes up the lion's share of summer residents' time in the summer. And, unfortunately, this struggle does not always end with a positive result for plants. One of the most harmful diseases affecting gooseberries is considered to be American powdery mildew, or gooseberry spheroteca. In this article we will tell you whether it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the disease, and what to do if American powdery mildew does appear on gooseberries.
What can be prepared from zucchini - pancakes, pancakes, pies, casseroles, you can’t list everything. The easiest way is to fry it on the grill, or you can fry it in a frying pan; with garlic and dill sauce you get a simply magical dish. There are products that are made for each other, in my opinion, this is zucchini, garlic and dill - one of the most successful culinary combinations. This simple recipe with photo is also delicious for frying eggplants or pumpkin; you get something new every time, but the recipe is the same.
Ready to find out what Brazilians don't like to eat?
1. Cucumber
Cucumber is sold here at every turn, in any grocery store or supermarket. But try to find a person who loves them that much. This is not a common occurrence. For salads, tomatoes, lettuce leaves, spinach, kohlrabi, cauliflower, olives, garlic, onions, carrots, beets, and ham are often used. Cucumber is not a traditional product for them. And even more so, the custom of crunching them just doesn’t work here at all.
2. Pickled cucumber.
Pickle
It’s clear that housewives here don’t roll or pickle them themselves. There is no need for this. Firstly, pickled cucumber is not so popular here, if not to say that it’s a wonder to see lovers of cucumber, and even a pickled one. Although in supermarkets they are sold canned in small jars. Small cucumbers. And they are quite expensive.
3. Jam
Making jam in Brazil? for blanks? For what? For what? Of course not. Compotes, jelly...this is not for Brazil. But Brazilians really love Russian strawberry and raspberry jam. This is from personal experience. Once I brought a 700 ml jar of strawberry jam from Russia, people at home snapped it up in 1 day.
4. Sauerkraut
sauerkraut
If it’s just regular cabbage, they rarely use it in the everyday menu. Pies with cabbage, stewed cabbage, soup like cabbage soup or something similar are not popular here and are unlikely to catch on. For them, pies can only be if there is chicken, ham, cheese inside, and champignons and cheese. They can't imagine it any other way. Sauerkraut is a complete nightmare for the average Brazilian. There is no tradition, nothing can be done here.
5. Pies with cottage cheese, socni, pastries with apples
sweet pastries with fruit and curd fillings
It’s not popular here, and I’ve never seen such dishes on the menu or for sale. They don’t produce cottage cheese for cheesecakes, and baking here is unfamiliar with apples. But our “Charlotte” quite successfully passed the approval test. I remember how the sweet smell from the oven gathered everyone in the kitchen.
6. Soups such as “borscht”, “shchi”, “rassolnik”, “kharcho”, “solyanka”
Brazilians for the most part are not fans of soups. For them, soup is more a necessity for those who want to lose weight. I once talked with a young Brazilian who had visited Ukraine, he was horrified by the greasy cuisine. I didn’t particularly like fatty soups with beef or pork broth, lard and other traditional dishes. And I must say, Brazilians know Russian cuisine more as “everything with mayonnaise.” Salads especially. Sometimes in a restaurant you will come across a vase of salad, which “from a distance” looks like a table salad “winter type” with mayonnaise, and there is a sign with it “Salada russa” - which is literally Russian salad. That is, this is how our cooking is seen there. And in fact, if we don’t lie, there are a lot of dishes in our traditional cuisine that seem to lose all their charm without mayonnaise, and no one can imagine Olivier, fur coat, eggs, salad with crab and corn without a mountain of mayonnaise. So in some ways they are right.
7. Stew
vegetable stew
Vegetable stew made from frozen or fresh vegetables is not popular here. Usually vegetables come as an addition to the main dish, and not as a main side dish. And if vegetables are served, then it is either a fresh salad, or stewed spinach, or a duet of stewed pumpkin, zucchini, carrots or other vegetables.
8. Tea, compote.
Tea and compote are still closer to us than to them. Hot tea is popular here only in the cold winter (June-September). The rest of the time they often drink iced tea, often from Nastia bottles. No one cooks compotes, this is in fact 100%. Squeeze out the juice, that’s welcome, but why do they need compote?
After eating freshly made village cheese and drinking fresh guava juice in a rocking chair on the veranda overlooking the endless fields of the Cerrado with cows grazing everywhere, we’ll talk a little about the daily life of a small village in the Central-West regions of Brazil. The first topic is local cooking and the gastronomic habits of farmers in Brazilian haciendas. The cuisine here is symmetrically opposite to Russian. Breakfast at a local hacienda is traditional Brazilian cheese buns with freshly milked milk; lunch is rice, beans and some kind of meat (capivara, collared peccary, chicken, pork or beef); dinner - also rice, beans and some kind of meat. In general, rice and beans form the basis of any dish in Brazil, both for lunch and dinner. There is no concept of “first course” in Brazil: soups are not eaten here at all. Some farmers have no idea what pickles are. Sometimes, in addition to rice and beans, boiled cassava is used as a side dish (it is softer and slightly sweeter than potatoes). It is interesting that potatoes and cucumbers grow here, but they are not in demand: potatoes are practically not eaten, and the salad is made not from cucumbers and tomatoes, but from okra and pumpkin. Farofa, which is fried cassava flour, is often sprinkled on the meat. By the way, the most delicious farofa I have eaten in my entire life in Brazil is produced in a local factory: they add a combination of seasonings according to a family recipe so that it turns out very tasty.
As for fruits and berries, things grow here that don’t grow in Russia, and vice versa. Instead of apples, apricots, cherries, strawberries and raspberries, in the Brazilian hacienda in the Cerrada they drink coconut milk, eat guava, acerola, papaya, pineapples, oranges and bananas. The most common fruits here are guyava and acerola.
In conclusion, I’ll tell you how we celebrated Christmas yesterday. Christmas in Brazil is a family holiday: everyone celebrates it with their family and gives each other gifts. The New Year is usually celebrated not with family, but with friends and, in addition, no gifts are given for the New Year. I won’t say that in Brazil Christmas is celebrated more than New Year: they are just celebrated differently. On Christmas night, everyone sits at home having a family dinner, and on New Year's Eve everyone goes out into the streets: here in the village to the Central Square, and in Rio de Janeiro to watch the fireworks show in Copacabana.
On the 25th, the day before yesterday, we had a festive shurrasku on the occasion of Christmas. In Brazil, gifts at Christmas are given as part of the “secret friend” game. On Christmas Eve, everyone pulls out someone's name written on a piece of paper and has to buy them a gift (no one knows who pulled out whose name). During the festive shurrasku, everyone gives these gifts to each other, but before that, those present must guess from the description what kind of person he is.
Tomorrow we are going to the state of Mato Grosso, news will be on the portal soon.
As they say in Brazil,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPERITY NEW YEAR!
In the vastness of Central Brazil
