The Brazilian beaches are one of the best beaches to visit, partly because of the beach-side food and beer stands. Most local beaches are covered with little beach parasols with a side table, to accept many kinds of small finger foods with ice cold beer.
One of these delicacies unique to Brazil is Pão de Queijo. The direct translation into English from Portuguese would be cheese bread. They are made of tapioca flour, eggs, milk and cheese, and when fresh out of the oven, it is lightly crispy on the outside, fluffy and chewy on the inside. They are absolutely irresistible! It is hard to confirm the history of Pão de Queijo other than that it started in the State of Minas Gerrais, Brazil. This website says the slaves in the state of Minas Gerais back in the 1600’s started scraping the left over manioc (yucca root) after harvest, and baked them into little balls to eat. After about 200 years, the freed slaves began to experiment with adding milk and cheese to the recipe. After the 1950’s, Pão de Queijo because immensely popular in the whole of Brazil, making it almost a national snack food. Now, Pão de Queijo is not difficult to find at Portuguese and Brazilian bakeries in the United States as well. The best way to enjoy Pão de Queijo outside of Brazil, would be to try to make your own. The ingredients are easily accessible and can be modified to your liking. This recipe from Mel's kitchen cafe is great, with room to play with different kinds of cheese to include. The strong flavor and aroma of Parmesan is a must, but I also like to add mozzarella for the soft, cheesy texture. I hope you enjoy making these surprisingly simple to make, amazingly delicious and gluten free Pão de Queijo soon! If you would like to enjoy some more Brazilian snacks, you can head into Newark, NJ or Elizabeth, NJ to find streets filled with Portuguese writing, catering to the large Portuguese and Brazilian immigrant population that has called the area their home for the last few decades. One example is Betel Bakery on Ferry Street in Newark, NJ. Here is a yelp review for your consideration. Picture by Mel's kitchen cafe
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I have always been a coffee person. Comfort comes from a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning. I strongly believed that this cannot be replaced by any other beverage, or food or person for that matter. Recently I came across this article on 22 cups of tea around the world. And it reminded me, that tea is something you can drink all day, every day and still feel soothed. There is also the option of milk tea!! So, the last few days, I have been starting my day with a cup of strong black tea with milk and honey, and it’s really a lovely way to start and go on with my day.
Tea can be as sophisticated as wine in the subtle flavors and nuances of fragrance it gives out. The world of tea in China is just like going to Napa Valley and trying different kinds of wine from various vineyards, as described in this blog article. But the surprising part is, the tea consumption per capita is the highest in unexpected countries, #1 in Turkey, #2 in Morocco and #3 Ireland as you can see here from Wikipedia. Many people swear by the health benefits of drinking tea daily and often. The culture of drinking tea together around a small table is a very socially healthy way to spend free time. As long as you are at the table, tea will continuously be poured into your cup, and that is a welcoming gesture for anyone. It is difficult to assign a country name for the origin of such an influential product as chocolate. With Valentine’s day this week, and the frigid temperatures experienced by half of the world, hot cocoa and chocolate is in everyone’s mind. What is now a children’s favorite drink after a snow fight, or a luxurious drink at a café in Italy used to be an acquired taste enjoyed by manly men. This article entitled “The surprisingly manly history of hot cocoa” goes into the history of hot cocoa and many pictures to prove it.
The history of hot cocoa goes back a few thousand years to the early Classic period (460-480AD) of the Mayan civilization. According to Wikipedia to make the chocolate drink, which was served cold, the Maya ground cocoa seeds into a paste and mixed it with water, cornmeal, chili peppers, and other ingredients.They then poured the drink back and forth from a cup to a pot until a thick foam developed. Chocolate was available to Maya of all social classes, although the wealthy drank chocolate from elaborately decorated vessels, The introduction of cocoa beans and chocolate drink to Europe came in 1528 when Cortes returned to Spain and brought back the idea of making a drink out of cocoa beans. After the introduction to Europe, the drink slowly gained popularity, but the drink remained very expensive in Europe because the cocoa beans only grew in South America. Sweet-tasting hot chocolate was then invented, leading hot chocolate to become a luxury item among the European nobility by the 17th century. Then, as the technology to separate the cocoa butter from the cocoa seeds was introduced, solid chocolate was introduced with added sugar and milk powder. Well, what is your favorite way to make hot chocolate? My favorite is when there is real melted chocolate with some spices included to add a little kick. Here is an excellent recipe of spicy hot chocolate, thick, chocolaty and a little spicy with hot pepper flakes and cinnamon. When we were in Italy, we got to enjoy hot chocolate as it should be, at any outdoor café we could find. Thick melted chocolate, with hot milk on the side, slowly added to make an irresistibly rich drink. If you are in the Princeton, NJ area, the bent spoon, artisan ice cream shop also serve a European style hot chocolate. I highly recommend it before the season is over! Picture from the New York Times, spicy hot chocolate recipe |
AuthorUnicultural team and trainers, sharing our views and experiences on everything cultural. Archives
May 2016
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