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Canjica – exactly what I was looking for!

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Anyone know what this is?

canjica hominy

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!

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Do try this at home

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One of the major changes in my life since moving to Rio back in 2010 has been a slow-down in my social life. I know everyone assumes that life in Rio is one long party in which we share our time equally between the beach and various bars and clubs, occasionally stopping to refill our caipirinhas or play some beach volleyball, but reality is somewhat different.

Moving to a new city presents quite a few challenges and when you don’t speak the language, those challenges are amplified. But I’m not complaining – it was probably about time that my social life calmed down a bit! And when you aren’t spending so much time socialising in bars (or being hungover the next day), you have more time for other things, like writing, photography, learning a new language. You know, all those things you’ve been meaning to do for years but were always too busy for.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most during my enforced social hiatus, has been learning about Brazilian food (did I mention that I’ve written an Amazonian food tour app for the iPhone? ;) ). In general, I wouldn’t describe Brazilian food as sophisticated. That’s not to take anything away from it (I think it’s delicious) I just mean that there is an uncomplicated goodness that belies its country roots.

And what could exemplify that uncomplicated goodness better than pão de quejio?

 

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My Favourite Brazilian Christmas Treat

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OK, don’t all laugh at me, but I heard a rumour going round that Christmas is fast approaching. I haven’t worked it out exactly, but my guess is that there aren’t many shopping days left until the big day itself. This information does not compute. I have spent every day this past week thanking whoever it was that invented air conditioning (and also thanking my father-in-law for donating an air conditioner a few weeks back).

Seriously, I put up a hammock yesterday. Hammocks and Christmas are not, in my book, words that go together.

Ah, my lovely hammock from lovely Colombia. This trusty fellow looked after me on an interminable boat ride down the Amazon and it's great to see him again. However, does this scene strike you as Christmasy? I guess the hammock does have a bit of a Santa colour scheme going on...

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Shrimp Festival Disappointment

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The Portuguese word for shrimp is camarão (in England we use the word ‘prawn’ for big shrimps – in America it is the other way round apparently). Well regardless of the name, I love them! So you can imagine my delight the first time I went to my local kilo restaurant on a Friday and saw a sign saying “Festival de Camarão”. I love food, I love camarão – the idea of a festival dedicated to these delicious morsels of the sea set my mouth a-watering! 

 

Not the sign I saw. Not the scene that ensued.

 

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How to make a great Caipirinha

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Before I get going on the steps for making a great Caipirinha, I want to reiterate the warning I gave in an earlier post – this is a powerful drink. When I arrived in Brazil I thought of the Caipirinha as being the same strength as a standard large measure of spirit (rum, vodka, whisky) with a mixer. It isn’t – I estimate that the standard version served in a bar or restaurant in Rio contains at least 5 or 6 standard measures of Cachaça…

 

The basic tools required to make a Caipirinha

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