Introduction
The Brazilian food culture is made up of a variety of mostly traditional dishes that have their background from the history and culture of the country. According to historical information, before the Portuguese arrived, the Indians had already dwelled in most parts of the Brazilian continent and had already familiarized the locals with their traditional food. The Indian foods included sweet potatoes, fish, cassava meals, dates, spices and corn porridge. The West African slaves also influenced the Brazilian food culture by introducing their cultural foods which were peppers, coconut milk and dende (Lovera, 2005).
Brazil adopted food from the Indians and West Africans by incorporating the dried fruits, pastries and roots into their food. When slavery in the continent ended in the 19th century, the Brazilian food culture continued to receive more influence from Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants. This extensive variety of food from different countries and cultures has been able to make the Brazilian food to be world renowned. Every region of the Brazilian continent has its own unique and tasty food dishes
Food Culture in Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and Amazonas
The South Eastern Region in Brazil is made up of Espirito Santo, Sao Paolo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. The state of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo form the major cities of Brazil. They are also the main industrial hub of the continent where major industries and factories are located. These states are also home to a variety of food cultures that have made the continent’s food dishes be internationally known. The northern part of Brazil is made of Acre, Amapa, Para, Rondonia, Roraima, Amazonas.
Many of the traditional cuisines found in most of the Brazilian states are similar with feijoada being the most common cuisine. A plate of feijoada in many of the Brazilian restaurants goes for between $8 and $12. There are however specific foods for the different states in Brazil many of which are prepared for festive occasions such as carnivals, Christmas or new years festivities. A common Christmas delicacy inmost of the Brazilian states is the cuscuz a Paulista which is made up of corn and cassava flour. The cuisine also features palmetto, sardines, boiled eggs, shrimp and tomatoes.
Another common delicacy that is eaten during the Christmas festivities is the feijoada do peru which is a mixture of stewed beans and the bones of a turkey. Foods that are common in the northeastern part of Brazil are acaraje and vatapa with acaraje being black eyed pea fritters and vatapa made of seafood stew. The cuisine that is most common in the south part of Brazil is the churrasco which is grilled meat. This is a common delicacy because of the many cattle ranches in the region. Rodizios are also a common meal in Brazil. Rodizios are grilled meat and poultry pieces placed on large skewers (Lovera, 2005).
The main food found in both Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo is feijoada which is made up of a black bean and meat stew. This meal is accompanied with rice and beans commonly referred to as feijao com arroz. The black beans or rajadinho are most commonly used in meals for the Rio de Janerians while the Sao Paolo inhabitants use the brown beans known as carioquinha to make the feijoada. Apart from the black bean meat stew another common meal in Sao Paolo is known as the Virado a Paulista which is made up of rice, a paste of corn flour or manioc flour and beans known as tutu de feijao, pork chops, sauteed collard greens and bisteca. The Virado a Paulista is usually eaten with an accompaniment of sausage, fried eggs or fried bananas (Lovera, 2005).
The Virado a Paulista cuisine of Sao Paolo has mostly been influenced by the immigrants from the Middle Eastern and European continent. Majority of the immigrants from the European continent came from the countries of Italy, Spain and Germany while the Middle Eastern immigrants came from Lebanon. Other countries that influenced the Sao Paolo cuisine and food culture were Japan and Portugal. Other than the feijoada and Virado a Paulista, pizza and pasta are one of the common food dishes in the Sao Paolo area as a result of the Italian immigrants. The Japanese have also introduced sushi cuisines to the food culture of the region (Lovera, 2005).
The most popular food in Rio de Janeiro is the manioc which is a combination of rice, beans and manioc flour that is derived from manioc roots. Another common cuisine popular in Rio is known as farofa which is made of manioc flour sauteed with onions, eggs and olives with an addition of meat, fish or chicken. Another delicacy that is common in Rio de Janeiro is the tabbouleh which is a mint flavored wheat salad. It is made up of parsley, mint, onions, tomatoes and lemon juice. The Bahian chicken xim xim is also a common dish among Rio de Janerians. It is made up of chicken dipped in a paste of onion, tomatoes, peanuts, lemons, cashew nuts and palm oil made from farofa (Roberts & Roberts, 2009).
Other common cuisines that can be found in most of the Rio de Janeiro restaurants especially the Copacabana is the piexe frito na brasa which is fried, roasted or grilled fish with anchovy added on to the fish. The cost of this cuisine ranges between 8.72 USD and 12.78 USD. These prices vary according to the restaurant and the place. Another cuisine is the Aipim com carne seca which is made up of dried meat and manioc roots that have been fried. The price of this meal is $ 8 in most restaurants in Rio de Janeiro. The casquinha de siri is a cuisine that is made of crab shells gotten from the sea and washed out. These shells are eaten raw and can be accompanied by a parmesan cheese or mashed potatoes. The price of this meal in US dollars is $3.49.
The Moqueca de peixe is a delicacy made of coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, fresh herbs and dende oil. The price of this meal goes for between $ 20 and $30 US dollars in most Rio de Janeiro restaurants. Another common meal is the Bolinho de bacalhau which is a codfish cake. Ingredients used to make the Bolinho include cut up codfish, mashed potatoes, eggs, onions and fresh herbs. A plate of Bolinho de bacalhau goes for $6.97 (Roberts & Roberts, 2009).
The Amazonas boasts of having a variety of traditional dishes one of which is the Pato no tucupi which translates to a duck in tucupi. Tucupi is yellow broth that is generated from fermenting cassava roots. Maniva, flour made from Manioc is then added to the broth with some water to make the tucupi. The duck is cut up into small pieces and then placed in the tucupi broth after which the mixture is boiled. Another common meal that is eaten in the Amazonian region is Tacaca which is a dish made of tucupi and fish shrimp with garlic and peppers added on to it. Caruru is also a common meal in the Amazon made up of dried shrimp, palm oil or dende oil, okra, alfavaca and chicory. (Roberts & Roberts, 2009)
Impact of the Economy on Brazil’s Food Culture
The economy of Brazil is known to be the eighth largest in the world. The economy mostly relies on the agricultural sector with the main food commodities produced being sugarcane, soybeans, orange, cocoa, rice, wheat, cotton, and coffee. Brazil is also a major exporter of beef products because of the vast cattle ranches that are present in the southern parts of the country. The tremendous growth in the agricultural industry has accounted for 13 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (Lovera, 2005). The agricultural industry employs one quarter of the Brazilian labor force in the coffee, wheat and cotton plantations. The availability of the various food commodities impacts the food culture of most Brazilian states as most of the cuisines incorporate ingredients such as soybeans, wheat, rice, and coffee. The strong economy of Brazil also affects the eating patterns of most Brazilians as they can access affordable food at reasonable prices in the various food markets and hotels.
Dietary and Nutritional Implications
According to historical information, the 1960s and 70s saw Brazil experience economic growth as a result of the growing agricultural industry as well as global industrialization. The 1980s saw the agricultural production of most of the Brazilian states increasing to make the country the fourth global exporter of food commodities. This period was however marked with poor dietary patterns for most of the country’s citizens which made it to rank sixth globally in a list of countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines that experience malnutrition (Lovera, 2005).
Because of its large population, the country faces a very complex social situation where there are large disparities in social and health services for the country’s citizens. In the current situation, Brazil faces a major epidemiological problem with regards to malnutrition and chronic disease problems. According to 2003 epidemiological statistics from the Brazilian national strategy on diet and health, the rate of circulatory disorders had increased over the years amongst the Brazilian population. The rate of Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and cholera had decreased over the years, a sign that the population was aware of the preventive measures used to avoid these diseases.
The rate of cardiovascular diseases was however noted to have increased to 31 percent in majority of the states showing that heart diseases were a common killer amongst most Brazilians. The reason for this increase can be attributed to the dietary patterns and nutrition of most of the population. Most Brazilian cuisines contain spices, high levels of fats, carbohydrates and sugary ingredients that do more damage to the heart and respiratory systems. The heavy presence of fats in the food has also led to increased cases of obesity. Statistics showed the diseases that were on the increase were mostly obesity based illnesses. According to 2002- 2003 statistics, obesity in Rio de Janeiro was recorded to be 46 percent while statistics for Sao Paolo showed that the number of obese and overweight people had increased to 41 percent. 40 percent of the population in Brazil was noted to be overweight (Lovera, 2005).
Conclusion
Because of the many immigrants the country hosts from many countries around the world, the Brazilian food culture experiences dynamic cuisines and delicacies that have repute amongst the local and the international population.
References
Lovera, J.R. (2005). Food culture in South America. Westport, Cincinnati: Greenwood Press Publishing Inc.
Roberts, Y. & Roberts, R. (2009). The Brazilian Table. Utah, US: Gibbs Smith Press.