Feijoada is a black bean stew. Yes, that lowly, boring, disgustingly bland black bean. Or at least that's what I thought it was until I tried feijoada. It's a very heavy, very tasty dish, although what I have had is supposed to fall short of what can be done in Brazil. My friend Priscilla has already told me that when I am there, I need to go to her mother's place, and taste what a really good feijoada is like.
Rice and beans are a staple in Brazil, and I am happy to find out that I like them. However, Brazilian food is not all about rice and beans. I have fallen in love with churrasco. That's Brazilian barbecue. Now, you might say that barbecue is wonderful, but really - how good could it be? And how different could Brazilians really make their barbecue?
One of my friends had a story to tell about this. She lived in Utah for a time. She got invited to a barbecue, and she happily went. Well, first the hamburgers were brought out, but she decided to wait for the rest of the food to come. And she waited. And she waited. And she waited some more. Then, she realized that there was no more food in sight, and the hamburgers were starting to disappear. What she had to say to me was "You North Americans don't know barbecue!"
I have realized that despite not being in Brazil yet, I have become very spoiled. I had a chance to go to a Brazilian churascuria, The Bolero this past Thursday, and came away disappointed. Not because the food was bad, it was actually fairly good - I would have considered it a real treat a year ago. But no, I've already had better. The fire roasted pineapple was incredible and delicious, as were the slices of roast pineapple with ice cream. However, the feijoada left something to be desired, and the meats were under seasoned, and were all quite rare. Not just a little rare. Not medium rare. RARE rare. I know some people love this, but it just didn't appeal to me. However, what really disappointed me was the lack of Portuguese. It's a Brazilian steakhouse, and yet when I asked if there were any Portuguese speakers, I was told that maybe there are in the kitchen, but otherwise no. Listening to the music they had playing, at least some of it was in Spanish too. I guess for your average diner looking for something different, they won't notice the difference, or even care - but it just took some of the excitement out of the evening for me. Oh, and no chicken hearts! Hey, don't know them until you've tried them - they're delicious!
Fortunately, I'm going back to my favourite churrascuria this coming Wednesday. Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue does it right. The meat is more well done, although you can ask for a piece of the center if you like yours rare. It's seasoned the way it should be. And they have chicken hearts. I'm also looking forward to the Guarana - a delciously fruity soft drink.
I think I may have to order some pao de queijo - a delicious bread roll with cheese throughout it - nothing like we have here. And I think I will have to finish the evening off with sorvete de coco com abacaxi assado - coconut icecream with barbecued pineapple.
Anyone else want to go to Brazil with me?
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