Tag Archives: cuisine

CucaBrazuca’s Quindim Recipe

Posted on
1

Doing the post yesterday on the Brazilian dessert called Cartola made me think of others…

The site where the video came from is called CucaBrazuca. In case you are unfamiliar with the method used to cook the quindim over water, it is known in Brazil as “banho maria” (from ‘bagno-maria’ in Italian), which allows the substance being cooked to cook in a slow and uniform manner.

“The heavy use of egg yolks is characteristic of many Portuguese sweets and pastries, such as the papo de anjo (“angel’s double chin”) and fios de ovos (“egg threads”). Their combination with coconut and sugar was probably created by African slaves in 17th century Brazilian Northeast, where coconuts were abundant and sugar (from sugarcane) was a major industry.

The word itself comes from a Bantu language, and originally meant “the gestures, or demeanor, or humor characteristic of adolescent girls.” – Wikipedia

Gourmet Diary of a Foodie – Brazil

Posted on
7

Interesting that I first saw this a few days before moving across the country for school and I really wanted to know more about this program. A lil’ random research later and violá. Here’s the 24-minute Brazil episode!

“Foreign chefs settle and blend their own cultural traditions with indigenous recipes in Brazil.”

Unfortunately, Hulu hasn’t learned how to play nice with other countries so the show is only available to US audiences.

Ximxim de Galinha

Posted on
Reply


(source)

Ximxim de Galinha is a typically Bahian meal which roughly translates to what is known as Chicken Fricassee (poultry cut into pieces and stewed in gravy). Just like acarajé, ximxim de galinha makes up part of the Candomblé religion’s ritual food.

Generally, you’ll have the chicken (of course), dendê oil, shrimp as well as various spices and vegetables mixed in. Here’s the full recipe. Enjoy!

Duck stew & Tucupi

Posted on
Reply

Pato no tucupi (duck in tucupi stew) is a traditional Brazilian dish; it is mostly found in the area around the city of Belém in the state of Pará.

The dish consists of a boiled pato (duck) in tucupi (a yellow-colored broth made of scalded cassava) with manioc leaves. Appearance-wise, it resembles the famous tacacá, made different only by its use of shrimp rather than duck. Tupuci itself, when extracted in liquid form from the cassava is actually venomous thus why it has to be boiled for hours before being ready to consume (in the jungle, they just leave it out in the sun for about 4 days).

One of the more typical restaurants where it can be found is the “Círculo Militar” in Belém, in a historical palace near the harbour of the city. As for the tucupi on its own, if you wish to try something really unique, ask around town for sorvete de tucupi (Tucupi ice cream).

Indigenous Tucupi Myth

Jacy (the Moon) e Iassytatassú (the Morning Star) decided to visit Ibiapité (the center of the earth). In the early hours of the morning, they left Ibacapuranga (the Beautiful Sky) and floated down to Earth. There they stopped and rested on the enormous Iupê-jaçanã (Waterlily) and later continued on their way to the center of the Earth. On the path, when they both were preparing to decend into the Ibibira (Abyss), Jacy was stung in the face by Caninana Tyiiba (a type of cobra). Upon being stung, Jacy shed bitter tears and they fell on a manioc plant. Jacy remained with the marks on her face forever because of the Tyiiba bites. But, when the tears fell on the manioc, what came as a result was the otycupy (Tucupi).

No Reservations in São Paulo (& Rio)

Posted on
1

Since I did a little write up on the Pressure Cook show today, I thought I’d offer what I consider a better option (due to the quality of the show). I used to watch No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain no matter where he went…luckily for me, he ended up in São Paulo finally. And if you like Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, I heard through the grapevine that he’s in Brazil this month shooting an episode on bizarre Brazilian food.

With no further ado, here’s Mr. Bourdain in São Paulo (Part 1)

Part 2, Part  3, Part 4, & Part 5.

and before No Reservations, it seems his show was called ‘A Cook’s Tour’ and here’s his show done in Rio (Part 2, Part 3)