17 July 2011

I need yet another napkin

And once again I feel the need to write about food - I love the foods in foreign countries. I was treated to so many tasty things in Brazil it was amazing.....

Queijo d Coalho:
This is a cheese that Brazillians love. It is served at breakfast, with snacks and at dinner. I had it on bread, but most soften it had been pan fried, allowed to melt a bit, then recongeal. With breakfast, I ate it with eggs (that may have been very American of me, but both were on my plate...) one day at coffee I had it over some bread, and at dinner I had it just by itself.

Speaking of meals, lunch tends to be the big meal in Brazil. Dinner is typically served a bit later and is often coffee with bread and cheese and sweet things (cake, pastry etc)

Many restaurants are self service. You walk in and get a plate. These plates are huge! Even American plates are smaller. Then you fill your plate with whatever you want and before you eat it is weighed. You pay by the weight. It's not just for meals. Ice cream shops are very similar. We went to one with over 70 flavors - you scoop your own ice cream into the bowl and then weigh it and pay.

And back to foods.....

Pamonha:
This is a sweet mixture of cornmeal, sugar and juice. Daniel's Mom made it herself and described the process to me. She described it in Portuguese and I asked questions in Spanish, so I may have missed some information....
The cornmeal mixture is cooked into a mush. It is then squeezed to remove excess moisture from it. At this point several corn husks are rolled together and tied with string at one end (think sausage casing). Then this corn husk casing is filled with the mixture and tied up at the other end with string. These are then cooked by submerging them in hot water. If done just right, they are a bit sticky, but not pasty - and they are sweet.

Cous-Cous:
Corn is a staple ingredient in the Brazilian kitchen. Many varieties of Cous-Cous exist. Some have cheese or vegetables in them. Often hot milk/cream is poured over it before eating.

Arroz Dulce:
A sweet milky rice dish with cinnamon. Delicious!

Arroz Tropical:
Rice cooked with mango and bits of papaya.

And on to the drinks....

The stereotypical Brazilian drink is a Caipirinhas. Its a sweet, lime flavored drink with a strong alcohol content. Very nice, but there are other drinks to mention.

Coconut Water:
It's exactly what it claims to be. Sometimes it's even served directly out of the coconut with a straw.

Kuat:
This is a soda with the flavor of Guarana. It's a favorite drink of the locals. Foreigners tend to not like it, but I fell into the small group that DOES like it. It reminded me of a really sweet Ginger Ale.



Sucos:
These are fresh fruit juices made of tropical fruits and mixed with sugar and milk. My favorite is Suco d Caju. I saw a picture of this fruit, I don't recognize it - so I really have no die what it is that I so like!

Cerveja:
Aka cerveza in Spanish.. There are of course Brazilian beers - some are better than others. What I thought was really neat is that when you ordered a beer it always arrived in an insulated container that not only prevented large sweat rings, but also kept it fairly cold. Clever idea!



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Location:Maceió, Brazil

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