Food in Brazil

January 30 – February 7 2020

I think this blog will be interesting to many people. Prior to my visit I had heard stories about the food in Brazil and I did not hear anything near as positive as I experienced.

The older I get the higher food gets on my list of preferred things to do. I think others will agree.

Food in Brazil is abundant, cheap, diverse and very good. I don’t think I ate anything processed or frozen the entire trip unless it was candy or some sweet treat. All the sugar that I consumed was from sugar cane. The cost of food was from 1/3 to ½ what you would expect in the US.

One of the most common dishes served traditionally and available on most buffets was rice and beans. Many of the meats were served fresh and grilled over wood on skewers and cut off to your preference. There were all sorts of sweet fruits and vegetables that I have never seen or eaten. At the end of the buffet line there would be a set of scales to weigh the amount that you have chosen to eat. The deserts would be complimentary.

A traditional tea type drink that they drink is called Terere. It is a social drink that people share the same cup with a specialized straw. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terer%C3%A9

I am not a regular coffee drinker and when I do I drink decaffeinated coffee because I perceive that the caffeine causes some anxiety and jitters about 3-4 hours after I consume it. I had one regular cup of coffee at the NAICC meeting in Texas in January and the same thing as always happened. Therefore, I was scared to try Brazilian coffee because I could see they drink it strong and I was told that there is no decaffeinated coffee in Brazil. After a few days I tried it with none of the normal side effects. Afterwards I drank it every day. Strange thing isn’t it.

On a personal note about my experience I will preface it with this comment. For at least a couple decades I would describe my GI tract as “unhappy” or at times “angry”. I have been known to use Prilosec regularly or more recently I take a probiotic every other day. After three days in Brazil I came to believe it’s not the particulars of my body but more likely what I eat. After three day my GI tract was “very happy” with my changed behavior. I have tried to eat more healthy since I returned home.

Enjoy the pictures. I bet your mouth will be watering soon.