Foods and Flavors of Brazil:

This is a list of foods, desserts, drinks and types of restaurants to try out during your stay in Brazil. The names are in Portuguese, Brazil's native language to make it easier to search, find and order.
Restaurants:
Rodizio: means that the types of food served at that restaurant are rotated, served to the table until you say to stop, same as all you can eat, and you pay a single amount (no matter how much you eat) plus drinks and deserts. The most known are the Rodizio de Carne (meat). Most serve beef of many different parts of the cow, pig, lamb and chicken, some more elaborated serve also fish, javelin (javelina), rabbit (coelho), all accompanied by a large buffet of salad, some also serve sushi with the salad (save space for the churrasco!). All meets are prepared on the grill (churrasco). The best ones are pricy, but worth every penny! Try the Picanha a cut common in Brazil and not available elsewhere. Try also the Fraldinha! The ribs (costela) are done close to the fire for seven hours or more! They melt on your mouth. Brazilians prefer medium raw, but you can ask the meet as you prefer. The food comes on iron sticks directly from the grill and are cut on your plate, as your preference (big, small, thick, thin, etc)
Por Quilo: This is a buffet type of restaurant where you serve yourself at the buffet and pay for the weight of your plate. There are many regional styles of Por Quilo, comida mineira (food from Minas Gerais), feijoada (black beans and pork meet and sausages), frutos do mar (seafood), etc.
Frutos do Mar (From the Sea): Restaurants specialized in seafood. A good plate to order é a Moqueca (mixture of fish, shrimp, crab, mussels with a special Brazilian sauce based on fish stew, tomatos, coriander and other spices) com Pirão (fish stew with Mandioca flour).
Cantinas: Generally Italian food, great past and oven roasted meets. Try a real nhock de batata!
Other foods:
Pastel: Similar with an empanada, but much larger, different pastry and many different types of inserts inside. Some to try are with Palmito (palm heart), banana com canela (banana with cinnamon and sugar), carne (minced meet) and cheese (generally mozzarella).
Coxinha de Galinha (chicken drumstick): Some are with a potato pastry outside, and a mixture of spiced chicken inside, in the format of a drumstick. There is another which is the full drumstick covered on a potato pastry.
Queijo de Minas: Home made white cheese. Very common, every grocery store will have it. There is the fresh (moisture) and the dry and aged.
Empadinha: Small pastry cup with Palmito or chicken inside.
Pão de Queijo: Small, round, cheese bread, freshly made (comes hot).
Cural: Green Corn pudding
Pamonha: Smashed green corn mixed with sugar, wrapped on a corn leave and cooked in water
Pão Francês: Stop in a padaria (bread-maker) to try some of the unique ways of making a French bread and other goodies.
DRINKS:
Caldo de Cana: Sugar cane juicy, generally served with Pastel.
Caipirinha: Sugar cane alcohol (cachaça, pinga) mixed with lime, sugar and ice.
Batidas: Sugar cane alcohol blended with condensed milk or sugar, ice and fresh fruits.
Chopp: Draft beer served very cold on a glass, with a head.
Suco de Caju (the fruit that bears the cashew nut)
Suco de milho verde (Green corn juice)
Guaraná: A Brazilian soft drink built with the guarana plant from the Amazon, said to give special power to the drinkers.
Açai: An Amazon palm fruit, almost purple in color, frozen and blended with banana and honey (mel). Mix with granola for an extra punch.
DESSERTS:
Quindim: small, round, yellow candy made of egg yolk, grated coconut and sugar
Pudim de Leite Condensado: The real custard pie, made of condensed milk covered with liquid caramel.
Cocada: Baked grated coconut pastry mixed with sugar. Can be white, yellow and brown (different ingredients and time on the oven)
Romeu and Julieta: Queijo de Minas and Goiabada (guava candy).
Brigadeiro: small ball of cooked condensed milk and chocolate (dark brown)
Beijinho. Small ball of cooked condensed milk and coconut (white)

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