Another post about Caipirinhas? Yeah, what of it?! Just a quick one today as I’ve been working all day would you believe? But as I toiled away, here’s what I was dreaming off:
Is it just me, or does this thing look about a metre tall? A trick of the light or something I suppose – this is in fact just a normal, smallish plastic cup. The drink inside was lovely, regardless of its humble container…
Over the last few years I have become aware of a weird new use of an existing word: Evangelist. In Brazil of all countries it would be hard to avoid the traditional, religious sense of the word. But have you come across Technology evangelists? There are Microsoft Evangelists, Photoshop Evangelists, you name it. As far as I can tell, they are employees who spend time making training videos, running forums and generally singing the praises (hence the name presumably) of their chosen product/manufacturer.
Personally I wouldn’t much like to get stuck in a lift with any type of evangelist, though (as we’re about to see), perhaps I should remember what they say about throwing stones in glass houses, because not so long ago I found myself doing some evangelising of my own.
Luscious, juicy, Brazilian morangos (strawberries).
I love cooking. I love eating out too. I love discovering new food and I even enjoy shopping for food (the only form of shopping I do enjoy…). I am not a ‘foodie’. Urgh! Maybe this is just me, but foodie makes me think of some pompous bore endlessly questioning the ‘provenance’ of this and the ‘sourcing’ of that. You know, this kind of thing:
I’m all for locally sourced, seasonal food and all that, but there’s a time and a place. If you find yourself interrogating guests who bring food to your BBQ/Churrasco (“…are those sausages organic?!), it’s time to ask yourself a few questions…
Not being a pretentious food obsessive (well, hopefully not all the time!) means that I am free to enjoy the unsophisticated, deliciousness of Misto Quente (in the Carioca accent this sounds like Meesh-toe Kayntch). ‘Misto’ means mixed, ‘Quente’ means hot.
I have discovered all kinds of exotic ingredients and dishes in Brazil, but Misto Quente is pretty down to earth. Two slices of toasted bread, ham and melted cheese. In Britain we call it a Ham and Cheese Toasty. Here in Brazil you can find Misto Quente practically everywhere.
It may not look pretty, but let me tell you, this particular Misto Quente was amazing! It was a chilly morning in Ibitipoca National Park, Minas Gerais and we were suffering the obligatory hangover of New Year’s Day, made worse by a bad night’s sleep in a tent. Hot, crispy bread, salty ham from the hotplate and melting Minas Frescal (locally sourced cheese!) made this a winner!
One of the nice things about blogging is that once in a while some interesting spin-off opportunity comes along. A little while back I was contacted by a British television company who were looking for information about the restaurants and food scene in Rio. They were preparing to make programme in which a celebrity chef would travel through a selection of countries, learning about the local food and taking part in various cooking challenges. We had a couple of meetings, went for some drinks, I offered some suggestions and a few months later we were filming!
Filming took place in the neighbourhood of Lapa and also in Vidigal, a favela next to Leblon. This is a shot of Vidigal taken from the beach in Leblon at sunset.
Anyone know what this is?
It looks a bit like a pile of broken teeth doesn’t it? In Brazil they call this Canjica, in other countries it is known as hominy.
To use the official name, this is Nixtamalised maize. Apparently, Nixtamalisation is the process of soaking a grain in alkali solution and then removing its husk. Although that sounds worryingly like messing with food in a bad way, Nixtamalisation was developed by the Aztecs and Mayans more than 3,000 years ago and actually makes maize more nutritious!
If, like me, you had never heard of this stuff, you may be wondering what you do with it. Well, all sorts of things actually!