Major Nations in a Global World: Brazil

Women selling acarajé , deep-fried fritters, in Rio de Janeiro.

Contemporary diners can still taste the influence of the African slaves who came to Brazil to work on the sugar plantations. Upon their arrival, African chefs found ways to cook African, Indian, and traditional Portuguese dishes using local ingredients, including red palm oil. The oil gave the dishes a special color and flavor. Interestingly, the Portuguese brought the palm tree to Brazil from Africa. These dishes are part of the Bahia food tradi- tion, named for the state of Bahia, in which cooks used other ingredients including coco- nut milk, ginger, and pepper.

One Bahia specialty is acarajé , a dish made from peeled black-eyed peas rolled into balls or fritters and then deep-fried in palm oil. Cooks then split the balls and fill them with such things as shrimp and onions. By the early 1800s, African slaves sold many of their dishes on the streets of Brazil’s cities, including baked black-eyed pea cakes, shrimp and bread pud- ding, rice cakes, corn cakes, and sweet rolls. Many of these treats are still for sale today from street vendors. In São Paulo, diners often eat food with a North African or Italian flavor, while some dishes in the southern portion of the country reflect the gaucho,

or cowboy culture. These dishes include dried meats and a grilled meat called churrasco .

Acarajé with shrimp and onions.

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MAJOR NATIONS IN A GLOBAL WORLD: BRAZIL