Brazilian Food

Brazilian Food

Thiago is a master craftsman, serving up fresh and original dishes from one of the richest natural larders in the world. -- Michael Palin A groundbreaking exploration of outstanding modern Brazilian cuisine, with 100+ recipes. Brazil is a vast country with a cornucopia of fabulous cuisines and a wealth of early ethnic influences that combine native Indian, Portuguese and African flavors. Immigrants from Germany, Italy, Syria, Lebanon and Japan added their favorite dishes. Brazil is also a country of many indigenous traditions. Five regions, 26 distinct states and a wave of young, innovative chefs with global experience have created one of the most exciting cuisines in the world -- vibrant, gutsy and flavorful. Just in time for the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2016 Olympics that follow there, this exciting cookbook by two acclaimed chefs explores the best of Brazilian food and its traditions. Along with three award-winning guest chefs, Castanho and Bianchi selected more than 100 recipes that adventurous cooks will want to try at home, even if they have never been to Brazil. Three guest chefs also contribute their favorites: Roberta Sudbrack, voted best chef in Rio five times, and whose self-named restaurant is one of the top 100 in the world, takes everyday Brazilian ingredients to sophisticated heights, such as smoked okra with shrimp. - Rodrigo Oliveira, a young award-winning chef whose restaurant, Mocoto, is garnering much attention, uses traditional ingredients from the Backlands of Brazil to create standout dishes, such as Baiao-de-dois (rice, beans, cheese, Brazilian jerked beef, sausage and bacon). - Felipe Rameh, named Chef of the Year by Brazilian magazine guide Veja BH , uses what he calls his state's "best products": palm hearts, cachaca (Minas sugarcane spirit), Brazilian 'doce de leite' (caramelized milk), and pork. The stunning photographs shot on location make the book a visual as well as culinary feast. If readers have not been to Brazil, they will soon want to go. Thiago Castanho is the top emergent chef in Brazil and was voted "The One to Watch" at Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants. Having inherited a 40-year culinary tradition from his father, Thiago moves easily from tradition to modernity, combining comfort food and the diverse flavors of Brazil in a unique way. His food shows great love and respect for the environment and for local producers. Luciana Bianchi is an Italian-Brazilian chef and food writer whose work has been published in 12 countries. She has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants, cooked for celebrities, and interviewed many renowned international chefs. She also contributes to the blog of S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants. My Brazilian Cuisine An Amazonian perspective Brazilian cuisine is a mystery to many people. Brazil is a vast country with many ethnic influences and climates, and, just as any other place in the world, it has its iconic dishes and a variety of regional cuisines. To the north, we are blessed with 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest, the world's lung, within our territory. For most people it is a far-away land -- for me, it is home! The term "Amazonian cuisine" can be applied to any dish that uses Amazonian produce. However, in my country, it also refers to the cuisine of the Amazon region, which is a state of Brazil. Pará, the area in which I live, is set in the Amazon rainforest; and its cuisine is probably one of the most authentic in Brazil, with a strong base in the diet of native Brazilians. It is a terroir cuisine, using fruits, vegetables, herbs and roots from the forest, as well as fish and meat from the region. There is no real winter here, so we have an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables all year round. They have indigenous names, exotic flavors, powerful odors, and unusual textures and include açai, cupuaçu, bacuri. pupunha, tucumã, muruci, piquiá, taperebá, and many others. Cassavas and yams, part of our staple diet, come in many forms; served as vegetables and also used to make various kinds of flour. Fish plays a central role in the cuisine of the Amazon, too; wild fish such a pirarucu, tucunaré, and tambaqui feature on our menus daily. All are prepared not only in a traditional way, but also using a more contemporary approach. Brazilian food is full of protein, low in fat, and very healthy. Many of our dishes can be successfully prepared without our indigenous or local produce. In this book the recipes use authentic Brazilian ingredients. However. I have also suggested a number of alternative ingredients that will be more easily available to enable you to "cook Brazilian" using your local fish and vegetables. Many Brazilian foods can already be found in supermarket around the world, including hearts of palm, the "super fruit" açai, mangoes, coconuts, cassava, and plantains. You will find others in specialty Brazilian, Asian, and African grocery stores, and some may be purchased online,