Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Blogging Circle of Friends

Discuss some famous people from Brazil - https://www.gapyear.com/brazil/famous-people-from-brazil
or discuss favorite Brazilian food - https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/top-10-foods-try-brazil
or write a recap of our trip thus far.

This is the only person I recognize... Carmen Miranda (1909 – 1955)
Carmen Miranda was as famous in the 40s and 50s as Angelina Jolie is today. She achieved worldwide stardom through her performances in both film and theatre, perhaps gaining most fame from her leading part in The Gang’s All Here, in which she wore a fruit hat. As you do. Her last performance was on the Jimmy Durante Show, during which she suffered a mild heart attack. She didn’t even realise, finished the show, then departed this world the following morning in the wake of a second, decidedly more severe heart attack.
This video shows her in The Gang’s All Here wearing that legendary hat.


As for the food... barbecue sounds fabulous to me. They even have a fried cheese recipe!
This also looks yummy: moqueca... a fish stew that is more than a mere fish stew. It is served with theatrical flourish as the piping hot clay pot is uncovered at the table amid clouds of fragrant steam. Baianos (residents of Bahia, in the north-east of the country) and Capixabas (from the neighbouring state of Espírito Santo) both lay claim to the origins of the dish, and both serve up equally tasty variations. At its simplest, fish and/or other seafood are stewed in diced tomatoes, onions and coriander. The Capixabas add annatto seeds for a natural red food colouring, while the Baianos serve a heavier version, made with palm oil, peppers and coconut milk. It’s teamed with rice, farofa (toasted manioc flour – ideal for mopping up juices) and pirão (a spicy fish porridge made with manioc flour – far tastier than it sounds).

I think I would be willing to try both versions of the stew, as long as they threw in some pao de de quelijo. This is cheese and bread brought together in glorious union. It is said to be a snack enjoyed at any time of day. Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, the gluten-free bread rolls are made with tapioca flour, eggs and grated curado minas cheese (a cow’s milk cheese from the state of Minas Gerais), rolled into small balls. For a naughty twist, keep an eye out for pão de queijo served in fist-sized rolls (or even a cake-sized bake), stuffed with cream cheese or various meaty fillings.

And dessert. One must not forget dessert. Brazil’s answer to the chocolate truffle, brigadeiros. The sweet balls are made by simmering condensed milk with cocoa powder, then whisking in butter and shaping the mix into balls before rolling in chocolate sprinkles. Guaranteed to give an instant sugar high, they’re cloyingly sweet for some palates. Brazilians won’t hear a word against them, though.

This might help to balance it out though - quindim is a glossy yellow sweet treat made with nothing more than eggs, sugar and coconut (with butter a common addition). Baked in cupcake-sized moulds, the bottom is toasted and golden, dense with grated coconut, while the top is a smooth, firm custard that sticks pleasingly to the roof of the mouth. The name is said to derive from the word ‘kintiti’ (meaning ‘delicacy’ in Kikongo, a language spoken in Congo-Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola), while the recipe itself was inspired by the Portuguese love affair with egg yolks in sweets and pastries.

Something tells me I am in food heaven. Good thing these are all calorie free... but lots of swimming in the pool will go along way to burn off the calories.