As RFI (International French Radio) notes, many Olympic participant countries have succeeded in having their own dishes included in the Olympic Village menu (this refers to China and some African countries), and a huge McDonald's greets visitors at the entrance to the Olympic Village. But the area of the Olympic dining hall equals the area of four Olympic swimming pools, where more than 18,000 people dine daily, served about 210,000 kg of food per day, and among the gluten-free, kosher, halal, and vegetarian dishes at the Asian, European, and Brazilian food stands, there is plenty to choose from.
One of the most popular menus remains "The Best of Brazil." As exotic as the names of Brazilian dishes sound, they turn out to be familiar to the European stomach. As, indeed, to any other: Brazilian cuisine grew out of Portuguese, Japanese, African, and indigenous traditions. The dishes of Brazil are a legacy of autochthonous peoples, immigrants, and colonizers.
Feijoada, for example: the most common Brazilian stew is also one of the most ancient. It was brought by Portuguese conquistadors. It includes black beans, pork, any other smoked meat – this is typical camp food, seasoned with aromatic herbs. In Brazil, it is served with toasted cassava flour – farofa, with orange slices, and with the more familiar to us stewed green cabbage.
Bacalhau – also from Portugal, and also a traveler's food. It is salted dried cod, which is then soaked for several hours, changing the water, and made into salads and hot dishes. The cod can be diluted with milk, gradually adding mashed potatoes, and baked.
Also very familiar is a dish from Rio Grande do Sul called churrasco. These are pieces of beef skewered on spits and roasted over an open fire. And if you do not roast a whole bull, as Brazilian cowboys do on festive days, it will surely remind you of ordinary shashlik. It is eaten with a spicy tomato and onion sauce.
Brazilian couscous has retained its North African name, but its taste is very different from its ancestor. In the 13th century, warriors of the Almohad dynasty brought couscous to the Iberian Peninsula; it reached Portugal a century later and became so popular that even after the Reconquista it was served at noble tables. And from Portugal, couscous traveled with sailors to the shores of South America. In Brazil, it is prepared either baked, as a pudding, with shrimp, sardines, and spices (in the north of the country), or also as a pudding, but sweet, with coconut milk and tapioca (in the south).
But there is plenty of true exoticism in Brazil. Brazilians use coconuts in dishes and, unlike Europeans, are not afraid of palm oil. In addition to salted cod, salads and soups often feature salted shrimp, often cooked with a chili and the Brazilian plant okra (this dish is called caruru).
Those who love extreme sensations should be ready to try pato no tucupi – it is duck, cut into pieces and cooked in a sauce, and the sauce includes a herb that even the hottest chili cannot match. It continues to burn the esophagus and stomach for several hours after eating. This inner fire is usually washed down with beer – considered to be among the best in the world in Brazil. Or eaten with local fruits. You have certainly heard of carambola and maracuja, and perhaps even tried them, but you are unlikely to have tried cherimoya or cocona.
Brazilian dishes can easily be prepared at home. For example, croquettes of tuna or chicken, coxinha.
Brazilian coxinha with tuna
Flour 300 g
Milk 250 g
Fish broth 300 g
Curry 1 tsp
Butter 2 tbsp
Canned tuna 200 g
Tomato sauce 3 tbsp
Onion 1
Garlic 2 cloves
Cayenne pepper, salt,
vegetable oil, breadcrumbs
Mix the broth, butter, and milk, add the curry, and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir with a spatula until a dough forms into a uniform ball. Place the dough on a plate, flatten it into a thicker patty so it cools faster, and start preparing the sauce.
Sauté the onion until translucent; in the last minutes, add the garlic, then add the canned tuna (mashed with a fork) and tomatoes. And, of course, cayenne pepper.
The dish is Brazilian – Cayenne is not far. Bring to a boil and let cool; check if there is enough salt. Now return to the dough, knead until elastic, divide into twenty pieces (first into quarters, then one of the quarters into five pieces, and when five croquettes are ready and filled with filling, proceed to the rest, one by one). Flatten each portion into a patty, put the filling inside, and pinch the edges. It forms a ball.
In a bowl, place ice from the freezer, which you need to prepare in advance, and add some cold water. Quickly dip the patty in ice water, immediately roll it in breadcrumbs, and set aside until all the rest are ready.
Heat the deep fryer to 170 degrees; each ball should be in it for about four to five minutes. Prepare paper napkins in advance to place the coxinha on them – the napkins will absorb excess oil.
Now you can sit in front of the screen. The Olympics will end, leaving behind unforgettable sports moments and an excellent recipe.