Five distinctive street foods styled as ‘local Brazilian flavor’ in Sao Paulo
Ever since 1872 when Brazil conducted its first nationwide census, millions of immigrants from all over the world have been counted pouring into the largest country in Latin America. It is no doubt the country has been experiencing large degrees of ethnic and racial admixture and assimilation of cultures, which contribute to a range of distinctive flavors of street food with various culture backgrounds.
In Sao Paulo, the largest city in the country, the various food stalls with decades of history have made an outstanding co-existence with this populated place, and played an indispensable role in the citizens’ everyday catering life.
From the tapioca dessert to the fried Pastel dish, many vendors have been valuing the business as a family line, and believe that the persistence in tradition and the constant innovation are the keys to keeping the business fresh and yummy.
Just as the old saying goes, “the most delicious food in a country is not always in its five-star restaurants,” here are five of its countless street food representatives in Brazil that would blow a feast hunter’s mind while taking a stroll in this city.
Acaraje
Coming all the way from the northeastern part of the country and originated from Africa, Acaraje are small pancakes fried crisp in a pan, and then filled with nut shrimp paste, a specially made local sauce, salad sauce, and fried shrimp. The different ingredients from the crunchy pancake to the chewy beans mount to a rich flavor. But no matter what the stuffing will be, the unique nut shrimp sauce will also be the soul.
Fried pastels Photo: Courtesy of the Embassy of Brazil in Beijing, China
a pastel being made into a square shape Photo: Courtesy of the Embassy of Brazil in Beijing, China
Pastel
Pastel is one of most commonly-seen street foods in Brazilian life. This is a kind of deep-fried pie with a filling. First you spread the dough into a square shape, then wrap it with cheese, beef and other fillings, and then put it in a frying pan to fry. Pastel is also a representative with mass flavors as one can wrap anything they like in the dough. And yet you can never go wrong with mince fillings such as chicken, beef, and enough amounts of cheese of course.
Pastel has often mistaken as a street food from China. Though the fact is no one is able to actually find a counterpart delicacy in China.
Coxinha
This special snack in Brazil is fun and economical to make as well as easy to recognize with its unique appearance. Think of it as savory doughnut shaped into a teardrop with creamy chicken salad filling, sometimes with onion, parsley, and tomato added in. And then again, deep fry it to gold and ready to serve.
One more thing for a coxinha to standout among the five is that the taste is relatively easy to accept by different people whose catering habit can vary a great scale. So this might be the perfect choice if one wants to prepare a meal for her/ his Brazilian culture-obsessed friend who has a picky taste.
Baiao de dois
This is another kind dish finding its root in Northeast Brazil. Beans and rice are mixed and steamed, after which adding broth, bacon sausage, butter, ground coriander, cheese, and so on. The appearance is a bit similar to Chinese fried rice, and it smells a bit like as well. But the ingredients and taste are completely different.
It is said that the origin of the name baiao de dois is related to baiao, a music and dance style typical of the Northeast region. And the word”dois,” meaning the number two, refers to the combination of the base of the dish, rice and beans.
A savory tapioca Photo: Courtesy of the Embassy of Brazil in Beijing, China
Tapioca
Tapioca literally means a starch extracted from the storage roots of a species native cassava plant in the northeast regions of Brazil. Here also refers to a tapioca flour-made snack itself. These crepe-like pancakes are very popular in Brazil that can one can be savory or sweet as it depends on your own tastes. It can be served as a after dinner dessert with cheese, coconut, or chocolate. Or it simply goes to the opposite with cheese, ham, and chicken cooked together with the pancake.
A vendor in Sao Paulo sells freshly-made Acaraje. It is a typical street food in the country which originated from Africa. Photo: Courtesy of the Embassy of Brazil in Beijing, China
