Mini Josie gorges on traditional Brazilian Food

Can we pause just a minute to say how awesome Brazilian food is? I think I gained a lot of weight while I was there. This photo shows when I tried some typical breakfast foods (actually they love to eat this any time of the day). It’s a “pão de queijo” (cheese bread) made with manioc flour, cheese, and many other things. They exist in many variations and formats but the one in the front is the most common one. Very delicious!

On colder days, my host family loved to eat soup with a type of stuffed pasta called capeletti. It was very good and made me feel a little bit warmer.

This dish is called “mandioca”. It’s a tuberous root typical from the country that has been here since the time of the indigenous people of Brazil. It also goes by the names “aipim”, “macaxeira” or “maniva” depending on the region of the country.

While I was in my host's home I also ate something called “Escondidinho” (Hidden) or “Madalena” that is a food made from a layer of ground beef and a layer of mashed potatoes on top. Since my host doesn’t like to eat most meats, this dish was made with soy meat. In the same meal I ate sweet potatoes too. Here they exist in two types: one with a purple peel and other with a white peel. Very good!

The food in this cute bowl is “Sagu”, a dessert made with grape juice or wine, and small balls that are made from that same tuberous root called “Mandioca”. Aside from what I showed you guys in these photos, I was able to eat many other traditional Brazilian foods like “Arroz e Feijão” (Rice and Beans), “Brigadeiro” (a candy made out of chocolate, butter and chocolate covered by sprinkles that is very delicious), “Empadão” (a fantastic buttery dough stuffed with chicken or palmetto), “Paçoca” (a candy made from peanut), “Pé de moleque” (another candy made from peanut), “Doce de leite” (a candy made from milk that my host loves), “Doce de abóbora” (a candy made from pumpkins normally sold in the shape of a heart), “Pastel” (a fried dough stuffed with various stuffings) and many more! 

To see more of Josie’s adventures, click here to view her Travel Log!