Cuisine
Brazilian cooking from churrasco fire and salt crusts to black bean feijoada and cassava in every form.
Brazilian cooking from churrasco fire and salt crusts to black bean feijoada and cassava in every form.
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Picanha, or rump cap, is the definitive choice. Retain the thick fat cap, score it, shape it into a C-shape on heavy-duty skewers, and coat generously with coarse rock salt. Roast over open embers at high heat, roughly 250°C, slicing the outer cooked layers directly onto plates before returning the skewer to the fire.
Peel the tough brown skin and woody inner layer until white flesh is exposed. Cut into chunks, boil in salted water for 20 to 30 minutes until tender but not mushy, and remove the fibrous central woody core. From here, you can deep-fry at 180°C for mandioca frita or mash for escondidinho.
This slow-cooked black bean stew requires salted pork ribs, dried beef (carne-seca), smoked bacon, and Portuguese chouriço or calabresa sausage. Simmer the meats with black beans, garlic, bay leaves, and a splash of cachaça for three to four hours until thick. Serve with white rice, sliced oranges, and toasted manioc flour.
Farofa is toasted manioc flour used to absorb juices on the plate. Melt butter or render bacon fat in a pan, sauté onions and garlic, then add coarse manioc flour (farinha de mandioca). Toast over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Serve alongside feijoada or churrasco meats.
The unique elasticity comes from sour starch (polvilho azedo), a fermented cassava starch. Scalding the starch with boiling water and oil gelatinises the starches before mixing in eggs and grated Minas or Parmesan cheese. Bake at 200°C for 15 to 20 minutes until puffed; the interior remains soft, hollow, and distinctly chewy.
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