Yejamano,Brazilian food in St. Louis

[shroomgirl]

I had dinner last night at a Brazilian restaurant ....I was a virgin.....what amazed me were the similarities to Thai food....curry, coconut milk, nuts, limes, chilis ground into a sauce.
Started with a sugar, rum,lime drink that thankfully was not large...it was potent to say the least...2 of these babies and I woulda be calling a cab.
Deep fried Yucca with a spicy creamy dip....good not great...like interesting french fries.
Salt cod and potato fritters with a warm salsa type dip...pretty good fritters.
Then I had pacific snapper with a coconut milk, cashew, chili sauce
loads of green peppers and onions ontop with a good rice...
Italian bread?!
Then Melissa had a poblano with mozz deep fried with a great tomato sauce, weird salad with sawdust on top, rice and black beans.
flan and coconut bread pudding that were off for dessert.
The atmosphere and service were very good....I'd go back. It's hard to find a place that isn't afraid to use hot spices inST. Louis.
So anyone else see a connection between Brazil and Southern USA and Thailand?

[Suzanne]

Started with a sugar, rum,lime drink that thankfully was not large...it was potent to say the least...2 of these babies and I woulda be calling a cab.

If that was a caiparinha, you'd be lucky if you could make it to the phone! Usually they're made with cachaca, a sugar-cane firewater. Sweet, tart, and truly insidious! We know a guy who had about 3 without realizing how strong they were, and then just about fell flat on his face.

weird salad with sawdust on top

Not sure what might have been in the salad, but I'll bet the "sawdust" was farofa, toasted manioc flour. A necessary accompaniment to feijoada, a classic Brazilian dish: black beans over white rice, all sorts of boiled salted meats (tongue, beef, pork), plus sauteed kale, orange sections, and hot sauce (piri piri, I think -- part of the African influence). Traditionally eaten for Saturday lunch, and followed by a long, long, long nap.

Brazilian food, like the people of Brazil, has strong components from both Europe (especially Portugal, of course) and Africa. The only unfortunate African influence on it, as far as I'm concerned, is the use of palm oil -- it's like dipping your lips and tongue in paraffin. Ugh. Otherwise, it's an incredibly complex and delicious cuisine. So glad it can be found in the heartland! Does this place have Shrimp with Xuxu (chayote)? If so, you've got to try it. Oh, I just love Brazilian food!

[cape chef]

Thanks shroom for sharing your brazilian dinner with us, and Suzanne, Great information. My next journey to the library will be to read more about the cuisine of Brazil. If anyone can make a drink that tasty, Then surely there table must host a great deal of history.
cc

[shroomgirl]

Yep~ they had all those dishes, xuxu, farofu, and that was the drink, whew! The salad could not have been a good rendition, noone would eat that on purpose. The national stew was featured....didn't sound as exciting as the fish and seafood dishes....guess I make red beans and rice often enough. The desserts coulda been better....coconut bread pudding with caramel sauce!!!sounds like a potential winner in my book. The flan was just plain blah....and I like flan.

So after you explore the cuisine tell me if you think there are connections to Thai food.....then how it got there.

[momoreg]

I don't know about any cultural connection between Brazil and Thailand. I suppose the ingredients found in each country may just be similar (and what about the foods of the Caribbean?).


I bought a bottle of Cachaca (pronounced cashasa) for a friend's birthday last year, and made caiparinhas. She could not have been happier!! Really potent stuff.

[Suzanne]

The connection might not be between specific countries so much as growing/climate regions, about which Shroom is knowledgeable. Tropical fruits and vegs span continents, if they've been transported by water currents, animals, or people. And especially include trade routes in your thinking: that's why salt fish is used even in places where fresh fish is readily available (those Portuguese Catholics really got around!).

Of course, sometimes it was people who got transported, and brought their foods with them. That's why there's such a strong link between West Africa, the southern US, and Brazil: a combination of human transport plus growing region/conditions.

(This is all amateur food anthropology on my part; there are others who REALLY know this stuff.)

[zcook]

CAIPIRINHA

{"Little Country Girl"}

From Fogo De Chão Restaurant

2 Limes
4 tablespoons Sugar
5 oz. Cachaca (Brazilian Sugarcane Liquor)
Ice

Wash limes and trim ends. Slice limes in half. Remove core of limes and slice each half into 6 half-moon slices.

Mix lime slices and sugar in a cocktail and smash thoroughly with a wooden dowel. Add 10 or 12 ice cubes to shaker. Add Cachaca and shake well.

Pour mixture into glass filled with cracked ice and serve immediately.

[shroomgirl]

"Little Country Girl" if she lived in the USA she'd be from white lightn' country....

[shroomgirl]

I ran it by a friend who said "Portogese (sp) traders passed the food on from Thailand to Brazil"
interesting

[Rachel]

Does he mean via Macau? Or does he have any more info of when, how and what they were trading initially?

[Athenaeus]

Just a little note from an historical point of view.

Don't be amazed by culinary similarities between distant areas.
Globalization is not a contemporary phaenomenon.
Let me remind you that it dates back to the Romans.
BUT especially for spices tand fruits the English Empire with the colonies made its miracles of mixing the cuisines.

And even to Portuguese colonies, Englishmen had overall control over the navy and it wasn't rare to do the cargos for other countries.

[Chef Nosko]

Hi Everyone:

I happen to love Brazilian Food.....

A lot of the cooks who work here in Boston are from Brazil.

So, of course we American chefs have the opportunity to try many of the dishes when the cooks take turns making food.

I have also been to a few Brazilian parties, with lots of food, and to a Brazilian wedding. Lots of food & fun!!!

Brazilians have a lot of pride in their food, and it translates to almost everything they do.

I will share with you a typical way of making beans.

Soak the black beans overnight.

Drain the water.......cover with fresh cold water, and bring to a boil...reduce to a simmer.......You can add a bay leaf to the water, and some chopped onions.

Continue to add water if needed throughout the cooking process.

Make sure you have extra water, as this dish will not be drained.

(I think the Brazilians would think it is a sin to pour off the liquid.)

Now, heat some oil in a saute pan (when the beans are about 3/4's of the way done). Add several cloves of whole garlic. Brown the garlic until it is hard as candy, but the oil is not burnt.

The smell of garlic should be strong.

Remove the garlic.......and add the oil to the beans while stirring with a spoon. Be careful.....the oil can splatter if not handled properly.

when the beans are done and the liquid is slightly thick......you can add your salt.....

Some cooks will add some Manioc powder to this mixture near the end. Others will just leave it alone.

If you really like garlic......you can slice some more.....lightly brown it and add it to the beans....while it is cooking the last 10 minutes.

Often rice is made with both raisins & green olives....with some scallions thrown in. the combination is wonderful.

If you have the opportunity.....go to a "Churrascaria Restaurant"....Roasted, and grilled meat on large skewers are brought to your table and the meat is sliced from on high....on to your plate.
All the side dishes are in a buffet. They will continue to come around with everything from......Beef, Lamb, Chicken, Chicken Livers, Turkey, and Sausage.

You will have a great time.

If ever in Cambridge, MA

Go to the Midwest Grill.

I am getting hungry thinking about it.

Chef Nosko
Boston, MA