blog, food, porto seguro
Chocolate, or more specifically the Cacao fruit, first appears on our radar in Egypt in the 16th century BCT. Little is know of its use in Egyptian culture, but the first known cultivation of the fruit is by the Aztec culture of around 600 CT. The Aztecs and Mayans believed that their ancestors brought the Cacao seeds from paradise where the god Quetzcoalt presented the fruit as a gift. This fruit bestowed wisdom and power upon all who ate it or, in most cases…drank it.
In Southern Bahia, Cacao (or Cacau as it’s spelled in Portuguese) created something of a revolution in the area. Although sugar was the region’s principal cash crop, Cacao played an important part in exports to Europe. In the years before Spain managed to steal a number of seedlings in an act of bio-piracy, the fine powder came mostly from South America, with Southern Bahia being among the main producers. Cacao is not easy to cultivate. Trees are sensitive to weather and temperature and prefer to be surrounded by other trees. The Cacao industry in Southern Bahia was consistently riddled with problems and hardships. Nevertheless, the European market for Cacao powder increased throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, although it was still used principally by the rich. It wasn’t until the 20th century that chocolate was mass produced and industrialized. By then Spain had created and lost its vast monopoly of Cacao production, which it had established in Africa and Malasia. Today, most of the Cacao produced in the world comes from these same African nations, although it is believed that the plant originated in the Amazon Region.
blog, food
Wherever you go in Brazil, you’ll almost certainly run into the popular self-service style lunch experience, called comida a-quilo or food by the kilo. This is a cafeteria-style experience, but with a distinctly Brazilian accent. You start with a tray and a plate and load up as you pass along the many different meat, veggie and dessert dishes. You choose whatever you like and pay for only what you take…by weight.
Many of the more economical a-quilo eateries offer something special for the locals, known as a prato feito or ready-made plate, also known as the PF. This economical dish is generally not weighed like the a-quilo option, but has a fixed price and fixed menu. Sometimes, the restaurant staff makes it for you and sometimes you can make it yourself–generally limited to one piece of meat and as much salad and carbs as you can eat. Typical Brazilian salad items include lettuce, tomato, shredded carrots and cooked beets. You’ll also find the famous Brazilian farofa, which is a course manioc flower fried with spices and herbs. Rice and Brazilian-style beans are a given.
In most cities throughout Brazil, the restaurants that offer a-quilo and PF meals also offer delivery to your door or workplace. In fact, it was for Brazil’s working class that this tradition became so popular in Brazil. Today, you can hardly find a restaurant that does not offer some type of a-quilo option for lunch.
blog, food
Brazil is hungry for the ball! But I’m not talking about Brazilian football (soccer). I’m talking about another national passion, known as pão de queijo, or the cheese ball. This tasty morsel is a cheesy bread ball made with cheese, eggs, oil, salt, and manioc flour. The best are said to come from the Minas Gerais Region, where the fabulous finger food originated from a happy accident. In the 18th century, the wheat flour from Portugal was so bad that the people of the area substituted manioc flour and Brazilian food was born.
You can find pão de queijo in the simplest of snack stands as well as the fanciest cafes throughout Brazil…from the interior states to the coastal cities of São Paulo and Rio, not to mention the beaches of the Northeast Region. If you find yourself in the state of Minas Gerais, you’ll have the opportunity to taste the original, authentic pão de queijo in various sizes and styles.
The little cheese morsel is often served for breakfast in the cafes and bakeries of Brazil, but is also found on dinner menus, in bars. in nightclubs and in festival booths year ‘round. They are excellent with coffee in the morning or a cold beer in the evening.
barbecue, food
Who wants to be seen eating at a place called “Big Piggy?” Well, when you get a glimpse of what’s on the menu at this high-end, rodízio-style buffet restaurant, you won’t care what it’s called. Porcão is without a doubt Belo Horizonte’s most outstanding and impressive dining experience. Located in the hills of the city’s upscale, south-center district, Porcão offers one of the city’s most majestic views. Open at 11:30 for lunch, you can look out over the city and the Serra do Corral Mountains. At night, the city is a sea of sparkling lights below you.
But you may have trouble taking your eyes off of the food. Porcão offers a banquet spread that would make any big piggy feel something like King Henry VIII. You’ll find every type of meat, chicken and fish you can imagine, in a buffet-style, all-you-can-eat splendor. Besides the buffet, there’s a sushi bar, fondue table and barbecue. The food continues non-stop from opening until the last customer leaves in the morning hours, with a buffet change for dinner at around 6 p.m.
Let’s talk about fish. Ironically, Porcão, famous for its barbecued meats, has some of the best sushi in the city, with Hamachi and Maguro served up in huge portions. Plus there are catches of the day, delicately cooked in a variety of ways; fish stew; and heaps of shellfish. If you’re particular, you can get any dish cooked to your specific orders. (Remember, this is all for one price—all you can eat.)
Should we talk about meat? Rodízio-style means the attentive waiters will be comin´ round to your table with various barbecued delights throughout the night. Just shake your head if you want a taste. You’ll get choice cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken and fish. To add even more color, the buffet offers various salads featuring pasta, greens, shellfish and more.
With its huge lunch and dinner buffets, off-the-menu dishes, scotch bar, wine cellar and views, you might want to just come in for lunch and stay all day. You probably won’t get around to sampling everything, even if you do. But you are welcome to try…and live up to the Porcão name.
One price buffet: R$39.90 lunch or dinner
Drinks and desserts charged separately
Scotch bar with dinner menu selections
Wine cellar
Playground for kids
Parking and valet
Av. Raja Gabaglia 2985
Open 11-midnight every day
Porcão also has four locations in Rio, and others in Brasilia, Recife, and Niterói.
Coffee, excursions
Brazil has been producing its unique variety of coffee since the bean was introduced into the country in 1727. Since then coffee has become a national passion, not to mention an important export and once the driving force behind a great economic and cultural boom. Coffee is the principal reason why São Paulo grew into the most important financial center in Brazil and the third largest city in the world. At the end of the 19th century coffee overtook sugar as Brazil’s leading agricultural product. Today, Brazil produces over 25% of the world’s coffee, making it the largest coffee producer on the planet. Almost every blended coffee in the world and most espresso blends contain Brazilian coffee.
Originally oriented to mass production of Arabic beans, Brazil recently began competing in the world market with high-end and specialty coffees. In fact, the hills of São Paulo state are known for producing high-quality coffee. Besides São Paulo, the hills of Paraná, Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo, and Bahia states are loaded with coffee plantations and some are becoming known for their special brews. Fortunately for Brazil’s coffee trade, most of these coffee plantations are relatively small, with anywhere from 1-5 square kilometers of land, and are often run by families that have been producing coffee for generations. Only a small number of Brazil’s plantations are large and industrialized, which means a rich future is brewing for specialty Brazilian coffees.
As the region grows and develops, more opportunities open up for travelers to visit and experience the wonders of this region—from planting time to harvest activities. The coffee harvest takes place in June and July and travelers can visit various coffee plantations during this season and even participate in the harvest and production. At other times of the year, activities may include hiking through plantations and their surrounding coutrysides, coffee roasting and tasting, horeback riding, barbecues and ecological expeditions.
Brazil’s Coffee Harvest
June is the month of the great coffee harvest in Brazil. The principal coffee growing regions are in Southern Minas Gerais and Northern São Paulo states. The area between Minas and Rio is also abundant wth the bean. You can partake in the harvest by staying at one of the many hotel fazendas in the region. Harvest time activities include bean picking, horseback riding, and of course, lots of coffee roasting and tasting.
The adventure starts in São Paulo, where much of Brazil’s rich history during the coffee boom are based. You learn about the myths and legends of the coffee trade and how Brazil became the largest producer of coffee in the world. You then journey to various coffee plantations of different sizes, from the interior of São Paulo to Southern Minas Gerais, to the hills of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. You stay overnight at different working ranches and learn about coffee growing, cultivating and processing. The countryside is magical and the hosts are traditional folks from the region..
