Brazilian food, boring???

Well, agree that we can find in big cities a lot of restaurants offering very good and very diverse food but the average household meal is still :meat/chicken, beans, rice and farinha de mandioca. I mean cooking is not an "art de vivre" like it could be in Europe (south Europe actually). Middle and high class brasilians generally do not know how to cook; they let the cozinhara doing everthing or eat only in restaurant/self-service/padarinha. In Brasil I know a few women in my in law familly who cannot even cook pasta or rices, just preparing "rápidos" (toosted cheese and ham sandwich). Actually only the poorest people in Brazil are still cooking and preparing meals for the whole familly.
This is certainly a south Europe cultural thing but my mother, grandmother (even my grandfather), aunts, etc...were all cooking very well. I am not really a good cook but sometimes just by remembering of few recipes from my familly, I can prepare a few meals and desserts...Sometimes my law would say the ultimate compliment: "it is better than in a restaurant!". Indeed ! But familly food is always better than in restaurant (in south Europe again); quality of products and dedication makes all the difference. In France I never went to a restaurant to eat better meals that at home but for the convenience/experience and generally or to eat "ethnics" food.
Yes "tenho saudades" of good meals. I think that the hardest for me in Brazil. Luckilly I stayed a few years in England before moving here, so I had some transition time...

I depends on the city you are living, and wether or not you have enough money to go out and find this amazing dishes you are talking about. Personally im having trouble with the day to day basic food they eat here in Fortaleza, as i find it plain and always the same.

If we're comparing the day-to-day diet of most countries they're all boring. We're talking about the overall variety of food here in Brazil and it compares with any country on earth. You don't have to be rich to eat well and experience a variety of exotic foods anywhere in Brazil, especially in the Northeast.

Exotic, not that much. The nordeste is quite big and diverse. In Bahia, you would find certainly more diverse meals because there is still very much the african influence. But in Ceara, it is really rice, beans and chicken (or beef in you´re rich).

Feijoada and an ice cold chope (can't have just one) every Saturday in Leblon.  So boring that I'll go next Saturday!

Save room at the table in Leblon for me will ya!  It just doesn't get better than a steaming plate of feijoada and a beer..... unless of course there's a whole bunch of nice cumfy hammocks nearby too.

Cheers,
James

Before I used to do most of the cooking as I really enjoyed preparing food at home. I eventually stepped aside & let my fiance who is from Venancio Aires carry on with this task. To this day I kick myself wondering why I didn't let her start earlier. Since she has been cooking I have put on 10kgs... Fortunately for me I am working away from home so I am not around all the time otherwise I think I would have a weight issue. Brazilian food is a mixture of so many different cultures, that is what amazes me. Fair enough the day to day home meals may be boring but there are just too many different dishes out there that are mind bowing taste bud popping master pieces... I just cant wait to get there & dig in...

Well said Kris. I'm a great cook too as you can see from some of my recipes, but I really enjoy it more when my wife cooks. I'm a master at churrasco, but for most Brazilian dishes it really takes a Brazilian hand.

Cheers,
James

In general, I've found Brazilian food to be overly salty and their desserts, overly sweet. At first, my tastebuds were jarred, but now, I think I'm used to it because these days, I rarely find myself complaining that something is too salty.

I'm in Campinas and the predominant cuisine here is Italian - I love Italian cuisine, but after awhile, it can get a little boring. Also, most of the Brazilians from this area aren't that adventurous when it comes to trying foreign or even different regional cuisines. I'm sure it's different in neighboring São Paulo, but many Brazilians here stick to what they know, and I think they're missing out. For instance, at our local moqueca restaurant, my Brazilian friends always order the beef parmigian - they've never even tried moqueca. What a shame!  I'm from a major city in the U.S. and one of the things I liked about living there was the availability of different cuisines. I could get authentic Chinese, Thai, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Peruvian, Persian, Indonesian etc. food at a number of restaurants in my city and in the surrounding suburbs. Here, in Campinas, I haven't been able to find decent Chinese, Thai, or Indian that tastes anything close to the real thing - this I understand, but what I don't understand is why even the Japanese food has been bastardized! Why does every sushi roll have cream cheese in it?

That said, my favorite Brazilian foods that I've tried are:  moqueca de peixe, pastel, pão de quiejo, and I love the variety of fresh juices that are available. These days, instead of a soda, I always find myself opting for  a suco de limão/abacaxi/hortelã/maracujá. I also love the cut of steak known as picanha, fat and all. 

The pizza here is interesting as well. I'm all about a slice of New York pizza, whether it's gourmet or just a greasy slice from some hole-in-the-wall pizza joint...and I have to say I much prefer NY pizza to Brazilian pizza. And what I wouldn't give for a simple glazed donut or some decent pad thai or Chinese fried rice or chicken tikka masala! 

I totally agree with you in the part that is impossible to find a decent chinese restaurant... Thai or indian im not even going to try; But then again we are in Brazil! Why try to get any of those foreign dishes? Im still searching for good decent restaurants here in fortaleza that can offer a variety of food, because if i stay home just eating everyday popular brazilian food i'll die.

Gabby11 wrote:

I totally agree with you in the part that is impossible to find a decent chinese restaurant... Thai or indian im not even going to try; But then again we are in Brazil! Why try to get any of those foreign dishes? Im still searching for good decent restaurants here in fortaleza that can offer a variety of food, because if i stay home just eating everyday popular brazilian food i'll die.

I guess I expected a bit more variety? Plus, here in Campinas, they do have a Asian fusion restaurant that serves up Thai and Indian dishes, but I went there for dinner one night, and I was thoroughly disappointed in the food. Nothing tasted even remotely authentic and the food was disgustingly salty. Why even call it Thai or Indian if you're just going to make it Brazilian? Surprisingly, the restaurant has great reviews on Foursquare, which I can't understand. Maybe I went on an "off" night?

Hi Victoria,

You're right, the problem with cuisine in Campinas is that according to Brazilian standards it's still considered a small interior city. In Greater São Paulo you're going to find the diversity of international cuisine that you're missing so.  There you will find REAL Chinese food, not just China in Box (which they don't even write correctly in the first place), great Indian and Arab cuisine, real sushi, yakisoba, etc.

If there's one thing Paulistas know it's pizza. You'll love pizza from a good pizzaria anywhere in Sampa for sure.

Cheers,
James

Hi James,

I could not agree more.  I've lived a number of places in North America (US and Canada)--including places where Asian cuisine is common--and I've traveled in Central and South America and Europe.  While I personally love Indian and Southeast Asian food quite a bit, Brazilian food is by far the best in the world in my experience (I've lived in Sao Paulo for five years). It is very simple but--my God--Brazilian chefs can do amazing things with the simplest foods ... they just know how to cook extremely well and the quality of the ingredients is par excellence.  For those who complain about Brazilian food being boring, I would suggest living in the US on a lower middle-class budget for five years ... and then see what one thinks by comparison. :-)

Cheers,

JMcL

I admire your "glass-half-full" view of Brazilian cuisine. I volunteer at an "Atelier de Gastronomia" here in Niterói that features a large stable of professional chefs preparing foods that inspire home cooks. In many ways, when the chefs want to feature truly exciting dishes they create international-fusion type dishes of French, Italian, Spanish or Indian (etc.) origins. They are "Fusion" bc many ingredients are not locally available (even in Niterói, a city of about 500,000 just across the bay from Rio) and/or bc many Brazilians tend to shy away from spicier preparations.

The various Brazilian dishes demonstrated confirms that there are, indeed, some terrific examples -- but the range is rather small, in my opinion. But tasty, for sure.

I think to suggest that "Brazilian cuisine ranks right up there with the very best of them" overstates matters a bit -- but again, I admire that you focus on the positive.

Here is that cooking studio I mentioned. https://www.facebook.com/lagareiro.atel … tronomia.7

Hi jimluiz,

I understand and to some extent agree with what you're saying.  I suppose my point is this: Fusion or no fusion cuisine, the food in Brazil is better and healthier than food--for example--in the US.  I have Brazilian friends who have lived in the US, UK, Belgium, etc. and they all say the same thing (and these people certainly have had the financial ability to eat the best food when they go to the US and EU). Brazilian cuisine might not always be fantastic, but on average it's about the best ... and if there is a better quality cuisine elsewhere, they're not aware of it.

Cheers, JMcL

We won´t agree...I love some Brazilian food but only because I love meat and barbecue type of food. There are also some sea food quite good (but because of the quality of the raw product, not the quality of the cooking). I believe it does not prove anything to compare Brazilan food with food from from US and UK. These countries have never been considered as the best countries for food. I do not speak there about food in top of the range restaurants as you can find that all over the world. But I speak about food in the basic restaurants/pub/cafe/brasserie (on the street corner) or familly prepared food. I am bit surprised about your remark about Belgium because there is a real culture of cooking, very much like in France (at least in Vallonia). 
Now if you compare Brazilian food to French, Italian, Spanish, Indian, Chinese, Japanese ones...sorry but it is not as good or as diverse.

Moqueca capixaba is even better than the moqueca baiana and better for you. I also find it amusing that stroganoff is served over rice. White rice in my opinion is a real problem here: little fiber and plenty of carbs. Glad to see that whole wheat bread is becoming more popular. Love the popularity of Middle Eastern food, especially quibe and esfihas.

Well, I suppose it is quite idiotic to discuss preferences. Which is better: chocolate or vanilla ice cream?  Which is better: Brazilian or French food?  Which is better: Brazilian or Italian food?  But at the same time, most of the Brazilians that I know who have lived abroad as I mentioned--and as an American who has traveled and lived in a lot of different places--Brazilian food seems the best in our collective experience.  I have nothing to gain by lying about these preferences. :-)  So, if others don't think Brazilian food is great; no problem.  I believe in freedom and the right to one's preferences, as long as they don't hurt other people.  :-)

Cheers, JMcL

It's a good point that if you only consider the day to day food from many countries, it's not very exciting. I'm not a big fan of rice, beans, farofa and chicken and I do find some Brazilian food to be too salty for my tastes. However, over the years of visiting Brazil, I've become very fond of things like Pastel de Camarão, Moqueca de Lagosta, Churrascaria and Pão de Queijo. I love the seafood. (I also enjoy caipirinhas.) When I'm in Brazil, I mostly eat local food, except occasionally Italian.

I love Brazilian food .I don't know where you lived in America for 5 years .If it was a big city then you must of been broke.In Texas in Austin,Dallas ,Houston,San Antonio etc..You will get the best BBQ in the world,great Mexican food and very good international food .Austin has soooooo many places to eat and drink it's unreal.I have never met anybody that didn't enjoy eating out in Austin .In Rio the Brazilian food was great,the Asian food was ok to not so good.Italian food and sea food were real good.I have been going to Rio since 2002 .We eat out almost overnight for at least a month at a time or more.In Fortaleza,Natal,Floripa etc.. The options are less than Rio but great Brazilian food and good to not so good international food .Sao Paulo has the best food and options so far for me.Great Brazilian food,real good international food and great pizza .I am still  exploring many places in Brazil and the jury is still out but I love the Brazilian food .To live in one area in ONE country for a short time like 5 years and say the whole country's food isn't that good ! I think is BS!!!!!!!!!!!    Cheers !!!!!!!!





is BS! Cheers !!!!

I have traveled all over the world.I have had real good and real bad food .I didn't have to be rich to eat real good food in most countries.I used to tell people that the countries of my family roots had the worst food.Like England,Ireland ,Whales,Scotland etc.. After finding a few good places and looking harder.I found good food there too. I am from America.I think we have more of a variety of food but not all is the best. French food in France in great but I have food places in the US that have real good French food.I think it's also how hard you look.Most American food in Brazil sucks big time but when I go to Brazil I don't go there for American food .If I want it I can cook it .I am a damn good cook and love doing it.It's funny how many people that haven't traveled much like to judge other countries food .I try to keep an open mind .I love Texas BBQ but I also love Brazilian too!!!!

When Texas discovers pulled pork, they'll have great barbecue. The brisket is out of this world, however.   

I was born and raised in the US. I lived in Indianapolis for about 20 years, Chicago for 8 years, Montreal for about 2 years, East Lansing Michigan for 4 years, etc.  During part of my career, I traveled 2-3 weeks per month all around the US; Texas included.  Hopefully, that makes me qualified to form an opinion about American food.  I've lived in Sao Paulo for 5 years and have traveled around Southern Brazil a fair amount.  Hopefully, that makes me qualified to form an opinion about Brazilian food.  But it is now well past the point of being idiotic to talk about personal preferences, so I will sign off now. :- )  Cheers, JMcL

You are right. To each his own ! Or her own !  😃

After 5 years of living in Porto Alegre, I can highly recommend the microbrews and churrasco. The rest - not so much.  Flavors are very bland here in the south, even at Middle Eastern, Asian and high-end restaurants.
Erik

I am a consultant for a number of African governments and teach a course on how to develop community-based ecotourism.  Part of this course involves food that should be served to international guests in ecolodges.  People around the world tend to think the best food is what they ate at home, as a child.  We can see, however, from what restaurants are common around the world, what food is considered "best".  From Brazil it is churrascos that are popular overseas.  Italian, French, Chinese, etc. restaurants are spread around the world.  Whatever one thinks is good, OK, but don't expect everyone to think it is good.  In African safari lodges, you typically have excellent international food with fine wines.  In Brazil, rice, beans, meat, etc.  In the USA, meat and potatoes etc. 

Brazil has most of the ingredients to make any type of food you want, if you know how to cook, and have figured out substitutions.  I eat well here, in my apartment, but no so well in most Brazilian restaurants!  Most Brazilians, however, raised on this food, think they have the best food in world.  Ugandans think roasted crickets are delicious.  To each his own!