Good morning, friends! Brazil is well known for its beaches and idyllic landscapes. But have you ever stopped to think about what Brazilians might eat on the beach? After all, for many people, the beach is an outing that lasts practically the whole day, so they must think about what they will eat during this time! So today, let’s talk about Brazilian beach food. Here in Brazil, it is very common to see ambulantes (hawkers) and camelôs (street vendors) selling food on the beach. Can you guess which types of food they sell?
Our school is very close to Copacabana Beach! When you come to study portuguese with us, you will see that we have many quiosques (beach bars) and ambulantes on the streets and at the beach. They offer many options of food and beverages. So let’s take a look at the most well known ones, so you can choose what you are ordering on your next beach day!
Coconut is a very popular fruit on Brazilian beaches. People love to buy a green coconut to drink coconut water using a (paper!) straw. It’s refreshing and super healthy.
The flour biscuit is very popular in Brazil, but this particular brand of flour biscuit is a favorite on the beach. With savory or sweet options, the Biscoito Globo has a recipe that is still kept secret today. It does not contain gluten or any type of coloring, preservative or antioxidant.
Mate tea, as the name suggests, comes from an herb used to produce the drink. It is well loved in Brazil everyday, but especially when on the beach! Beach mate sellers usually carry two metal barrels with them, one with iced mate and the other with lemonade. You can choose the amount of mate and the amount of lemon, to reduce the sweetness, in whatever proportions you want directly when it’s served.
A very popular thing to eat in coastal regions, in general, is fish and seafood. It’s no different with shrimp. People love to eat fried shrimp on skewers on the beach, accompanied by a cold beer! However, we don’t recommend you eat it on the beach, since seafood needs high levels of hygiene and refrigeration, and eating this type of food on the beach can cause some stomach problems.
Arab snacks are also quite successful on the sand. Is there any relationship between desert sand and beach sand, which makes us want to eat a warm sfirra? Brazilians love to eat sfirra on the beach, and you might even see an sfirra vendor wearing a distinctive Arabic turban!
Don’t confuse empada with its Argentinean version empanada! Brazilian empadas have a slightly softer crumbly dough, and are filled with many different ingredients. The most common are chicken or cheese.
Corn is a very common food in the Americas due to our indigenous ancestry. And it would be no different on the beach! We love to eat corn cooked on the cob, sometimes with a little butter on top. How delightful!
What’s better under the Rio de Janeiro sun than a good ice cream? We have some variations of ice cream: it can be in small balls (sorvete), or a fruity ice-pop on a stick almost like a skewer (picolé). The flavors are the most diverse: did you know that we even have ice cream made from cooked corn?
Just like regular bbq skewers, we have a cheese option, the queijo coalho. At the beach, you can find a tasty queijo coalho, which is a yummy block of cheese that is grilled over the coals in front of you. You can even have them sprinkle on some oregano or drizzle some honey to add flavor!
Caipirinha is a popular Brazilian cocktail known for its refreshing and zesty flavors. It’s made by muddling fresh lime wedges and sugar together in a glass, then adding cachaça, a sugarcane spirit, and ice. The mixture is stirred to dissolve the sugar and create a harmonious blend of sweet and tart flavors. Caipirinha is a quintessential Brazilian drink, enjoyed both in its home country and around the world, and is a delightful choice for those seeking a taste of Brazil’s vibrant culture in a glass.
Now that you know a lot of Brazilian beach food, let’s give your pronunciation of this vocabulary a boost! Can you repeat each of the words?
That’s it guys! Let’s drink some água de coco next time we go to the beach together? Thanks for reading our Dica and for learning a little more about the beach food in Brazil!
Until our next Dica!
Kisses.
Click in the links below to see more related Dicas
Brazilian Street Food
Coconut Water Benefits
Brazilian Corn Cake
Brazilian Drinks
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