Fruit pulp refreshment

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If I had to choose between very hot weather and very cold weather, I would choose the heat. Just as well really, because it can get very hot here in summer and the winters are mild. I’m no masochist, I don’t enjoy being too hot, but sometimes it’s worth it for the pleasure of cooling down – think beach/waterfall or less glamorous options air conditioning/cold shower.

And the heat has clearly shaped the drinks culture here – red wine is commonly served chilled (even in an ice bucket sometimes!) and of course beer must extremely cold. Another chilly drink that I enjoy making home starts out looking like this:

Frozen cacau fruit pulp

A frozen block of fruit pulp from the Cacau fruit.

 

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Fruit confusion

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First we had questions over the various types of banana available in Brazil. Then more recently there was a great lemon-lime confusion. Today we need to talk about the fruit that has no rhyme: the orange. A few days ago I found myself browsing around ‘Zona Sul’, a fairly fancy supermarket that stocks a good variety of fruit and vegetables. I decided that I needed to try one of these Limas da Persia that apparently go so well in a caipirinha. As I found this mystery ‘lemon’, my eyes wandered to the right:

On the left you can see Lima da Persia. But what is this to the right? Laranja Pera?! A ‘Pear Orange’?!

 

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Going over to the sweet side

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There may be hope for me yet people! There is a fairly decent Kilo restaurant near work which has become my regular lunchtime haunt (largely because of the excellent chilli oil they serve alongside the arroz e feijão). Recently I have noticed that after a particularly spicy lunch, I find myself craving chocolate. And as I was queueing to pay yesterday, I saw this:

Mmmm, sparkly wrapping = good. Pão de Mel (honey bread) = yum. Artesanal = I doubt it, but still, a good aspiration. Com recheio de Brigadeiro (with Brigadeiro filling) = Nooooo!

 

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Brazil’s sweet Brigadier

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In my last post I showed you a selection of the seriously sweet goodies that you see at Brazilian weddings and parties. One or two of you may have noticed that one particular delicacy was glaringly missing from the list. To those of you who aren’t familiar with it yet, this is Brigadeiro: 

 

Another one of my photos from the sumptuous wedding of last weekend. This is the probably the most common form of Brigadeiro. To the untrained eye these may appear like everyday truffles, but as you pop one of these into your mouth you'll realise they're quite different.

 

These little balls of sweetness are one of the most beloved of Brazilian confectioneries. First created in the 1940s, they were named after this rather unprepossessing character:

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The unbearable sweetness of wedding

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We went to a really lovely (and very fancy) wedding last weekend. I don’t think either of them are regular readers, but on the off-chance, I’ll quickly say a HUGE thanks and congratulations to Fernanda and Sandro. To give you a little taste of just how fancy it was, check this out:

This is Confeitaria Colombo, an incredibly grand and elegant space which first opened in 1894. The huge mirrors and ornate decoration bring to mind images of Paris and La Belle Époque.

 

I won’t give you a blow-by-blow account, but hopefully this gives a good impression of the levels of opulence I am talking about. If you’re ever in town then you should definitely pop in for afternoon tea to take in the surroundings (and a delectable little cake or two).

Whilst we were chatting about the wedding the next day, I said something that left my wife in shock! In fact she looked almost grief-stricken on my behalf as she asked in a disbelieving voice “You mean you don’t do that in England?”.

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