Two Great Brazilian Eating Experiences to Try if You Are Going to the World Cup
If you, like many people around the world will, are traveling to Brazil for the World Cup, you aren’t just in for a great spectacle of amazing soccer, but will also be able to enjoy Brazilian culture and cuisine. Because you can only consume three or four meals per day (maybe five or six, if you really want to try everything), we’ve listed two of the best eating experiences that Brazil has to offer in this article.
Eating Açai
You’ve probably heard of the açai berry, a superfood that is loaded with antioxidants, and has become quite popular in the U.S. among health enthusiasts since it’s been mentioned on the Oprah Winfrey show a few years back. Frozen açai puree and açai juice can now be bought in many supermarkets in the U.S., though at quite a steep price. In Brazil however, eating açai doesn’t have anything to do with the Oprah Winfrey show, but is just part of their food culture. Açai cafes are everywhere in Brazil, offering delicious bowls of frozen açai puree combined with other fruits and juice, making for a great breakfast meal. These usually also offer açai juices and smoothies which can serve as a healthy midday snack (minus the sugar that’s usually added) to give you the boost you need to get through a hot day.
In the North of Brazil, where the açai berry is grown, it is often served as side-dish with a fish meal. Since açai only grows in Brazil, you can’t really get fresh açai outside of Brazil, and only really in the North because the fruit perishes 48 hours after harvesting it, so make sure to have a taste of this delicious and healthy fruit while you are in Brazil.
Churrascaria Rodízio Dining
Rodízio dining is basically the equivalent of all-you-can-eat dining. You pay a fixed amount of money for your meal and your waiter keeps coming back with more food until you are signal that you are full or fall off your chair. A churrascaria is a type of Brazilian steakhouse, which usually operates in the rodízio fashion. They offer a number of different barbecued meats on skewers.
Meats include different cuts of beef such as picanha (a sirloin cut), filet mignon (sometimes wrapped in bacon), alcaltra (another delicious sirloin cut), costella (beef ribs) and other typical Brazilian beef cuts. Usually they also serve Brazilian pork ribs, cordeiro (young leg of lamb), frango (chicken wrapped in bacon) and pork sausages. The number of meats you can choose from depends on the churrascaria. The meats are accompanied by different salads. A churrascaria meal goes well with some great Brazilian wine.
Whether you are looking to load up on antioxidants while visiting Brazil for the World Cup or are after a huge, meat-centered dinner to celebrate your country’s victory, Brazil has everything you need on offer. There’s more than just churrascaria and açai in Brazil though. Make sure to try out some food from street stalls and little corner cafes. There’s great food to be found everywhere in Brazil.
Zane Schwarzlose writes for Estancia Churrascaria, a Brazilian steakhouse in Austin, Texas. Zane thinks going to Brazil would be delicious.