Brazilian Food and Specialties
While there are some Brazilian staples that you will find across the country, each region has it’s culinary specialties. Below is a list of Brazilian specialties and where you can try them:
Acai
Increasingly popular world-wide, açaí originally comes from Brazil. It is typically served frozen and topped with fresh fruit, nuts, granola, chocolate, and syrups. It is made from açaí berries, which are native to the Amazon rainforest.
Where to eat it:
Buy as a snack on the beach, or visit an açaí buffet where you can choose from a wide range of toppings. Toppings vary by region.
Brigadeiros
Small chocolate balls usually made from cocoa, condensed milk, and butter, and covered in sprinkles.
Where to eat it:
Buy in any padaria. Homemade brigadeiros are often sold on the street outside tourist attractions and at the beach.
Coxinha
A perfect little snack, coxinha is a teardrop shaped ball filled with shredded chicken, covered in mashed potato (or mandioca in the north-eastern region), and deep fried.
Where to eat it:
Buy in any padaria (bakery) across the country
Esfiha
Esfiha, sometimes called esfirra, is a savory pastry. There are in two varieties: open (esfiha aberta) and closed (esfiha fechada). Often filled with minced meat, but it can also include chicken, cheese, or vegetables.
Where to eat it:
Available on the beach from street vendors, and at bakeries
Feijoada
Usually prepared as a leisurely weekend lunch, feijoada is a black bean stew cooked with pork, beef, and sausage. It is served with rice, farofa, collard greens, and a slice of orange.
Where to eat it:
Rio de Janeiro is the best place to try an authentic feijoada
Pastel
A crispy deep-fried pastry, typically filled with cheese, chicken, or ground beef.
Where to eat it:
Try them in a pastelaria - a shop that specializes in pastels!
Pão de queijo
Cheesy bread rolls, made from tapioca flour (gluten-free) and a lot of cheese. Best served fresh and hot.
Where to eat it:
You'll find the best in Minais Gerais, where pão de queijo originates from
Tapioca
Made by frying gluten-free tapioca flour, Brazilian tapioca is cooked like a crepe and filled with salty or sweet fillings. Common fillings include ham, cheese, beef, banana, coconut, nutella, and more.
Where to eat it:
Though popular across Brazil, they are most commonly found in Bahia
Acarajé
A deep-fried ball of mashed black eyed peas. Typically filled with vatapá (a thick paste made from bread, shrimp, nuts, coconut milk, and palm oil), dried shrimp, and a spicy vinaigrette.
Where to eat it:
Bahia, and the beaches of Maceio
Churrasco
A BBQ cooked over an open fire – usually consisting of linguiça (pork sausage) and salted beef steak, but can also include chicken or vegetables. Churrasco is eaten family style, meaning everything is sliced and shared.
Where to eat it:
Churrasco can be eaten in restaurants, but it’s best experienced in a Brazilian home with a group of friends. If you’re invited to a churrasco, go!
Empada
A small pie, usually filled with chicken, vegetables, cheese, or palm heart
Where to eat it:
Buy them in any padaria
Farofa
A toasted cassava flour, sometimes containing meat, egg, or banana. Commonly served as a side dish, or sprinkled on top of feijoada.
Where to eat it:
Farofa is served alongside meals across the country, through varieties vary by region
Moqueca
A fragrant fish or shrimp stew made with coconut milk, tomato, and onion. It is typically served with rice.
Where to eat it:
Try it by the sea in Bahia or Espírito Santo
Prato Feito
A prato feito, or PF, is a set plate of food containing your choice of meat, and served with rice, salad, beans, and sometimes other items such as French fries. See "Eating Cheap In Brazil" for more details.
Where to eat it:
Across the country - however there are regional variations in the PF, such as the type of beans.
Quibe
A deep-fried ball of bulgur wheat, ground beef, and onion.
Where to eat it:
Buy them in any padaria (bakery)
Classic Brazilian drinks
Have you really been to Brazil if you haven't tried a caipirinha?
Cachaça
Cachaça is a spirit distilled from sugar cane, and can be drunk straight or mixed in a cocktail. There are many different brands and flavors.
Cachaça distilleries often have tours where you can learn how it's made and sample different flavors - if this is on your to do list, don't miss Paraty.
Caipirinha
The classic Brazilian cocktail! Made with cachaça, sugar, and lots of lime. Many places offer Caipirinha making classes so you can keep making your own once you get home.
Caipifruita
Made with cachaça, sugar, and a fruit of your choice. Available fruits vary by region, but typically include maracuja (passionfruit), morango (strawberry) and abacaxi (pineapple). In Bahia, caipifruitas can be made in the shell of a cacao fruit – try it, it's delicious!
How to eat cheap in Brazil
What is a Prato Freito?
The cheapest way to eat well is to find a “Prato Freito” or PF – a kind of “plate of the day” that is commonly served at restaurants throughout the country. A typical PF will come with rice, beans (the type varies by region), salad, farofa, and a meat of your choice. It may also come with pasta, French fries, or other things depending on the restaurant.
Understanding the menu can be hard without a little Portuguese. Some common PF meat options include:
-
Peixe grelhado – Grilled fish
-
Peixe frito – Fried fish, sometimes in a batter
-
Frango o molho – Pieces of chicken in a sauce, usually with bones
-
Frango frito – Fried chicken fillet, without batter
-
Frango milanesa – Fried chicken fillet, battered
-
Linguisa – Fried pork sausage
-
Bife a cebola – Beef filet with onions
-
Omlette - Eggs!
What is Marmitex?
Around Brazil, you will see often signs saying Marmitex, but what exactly is it? Marmitex is basically a takeaway version of the PF. It is a convenient packaged lunch that typically consists of rice, beans, meat (such as chicken, beef, or pork), and various side dishes like salad, vegetables, or pasta. What is in it depends on the restaurant, and may also vary day-by-day. Marmitex is commonly sold by street vendors as well as restaurants, and is available on food delivery services. The concept is similar to a "lunchbox" or "bento" found in other cultures.
Eating at Buffets in Brazil
Another option is to visit a local self-service buffet. Buffets are common can be found anywhere in Brazil and are a great way to make a DIY meal with whatever you feel like that day, or to sample a lot of different dishes. The food options are similar to what you would find on a PF, usually providing a choice of various salads and vegetable dishes, a variety of meats, beans, rice, pasta, and deserts. Your meal often comes with free drinking water and coffee.
If you're looking for a cheap meal these can be a great way to eat well. Though buffets are often cheap, always check the price first as they can vary significantly depending on the dishes they offer.
There are two payment types:
-
“Por kilo”, meaning your plate will be weighed and you will pay for how much you take. First, take a plate and choose your food, then head to the counter to have your plate weighed. You will be given a table number or receipt - hold onto it. Take the receipt with you if you go back for more food, to have it added to your original bill. When you are finished eating, take your receipt or table number to the counter to pay.
-
“Sem balanca”, meaning there is a fixed price for as much food as you can fit on one plate. Note that you will be charged a fine if you take more than you can eat!
