From pão de queijo to great fish moquecas, gastronomy in the southeast is an all-around palate pleaser
Brazil's rich
and varied gastronomy is strongly influenced by indigenous and African heritages, all mixed with Portuguese cousine. In the southeast, from Minas Gerais pão de queijo to Espírito Santo's moqueca, the region is chock full of options for those looking to explore local culture through its flavours. One of the richest and most populous regions of Brazil, the southeast is formed by the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.
Until the 19th century, the southeast's cuisine was essentially influenced chiefly by the origins of natives and colonizers. Simple foods such as roots, meats, grains and vegetables were spread throughout the region, which made the gastronomy of each state become quite similar. The exception is Espírito Santo, which, because of its proximity to the Northeast and large coastal area, shows a strong presence of fish and seafood dishes.
Photo: Tadeu Bianconi/Gov. do Espírito Santo
Peculiarities
In São Paulo, typical foods often seen on local tables include the so-called paulista couscous, made with corn flour, vegetables and spice sauce, and the famous Virado à Paulista, originally made with cooked beans thickened with maize or cassava flour and pork loin.
In Rio de Janeiro, feijoada is one of the favorite dishes of local cariocas, easily found in the menus of modern and traditional restaurants alike. In Minas Gerais, in turn, typical fare ranges from corn-based dishes and desserts such as couscous, pamonha, curau and angu to traditional sweet preserves.
“The first sweet produced in the Minas Gerais region was ambrosia, which is a Portuguese sweet of Greek origins. It is the oldest sweet, and just as popular. The people of the area are well accustomed to eating it," said Luísa Tamachuvas, a professor of Gastronomy and a researcher of Southeast cuisine.
According to her, dishes vary widely across the region, with origins characteristic of the need for food and the supply of inputs in each state. "As much as we have these regional dishes, the food basis for most of the Brazilian population are rice and beans, also cooked according to the peculiarities of each place," he said.
Photo: Arquivo/Prefeitura de Pedreira (SP)
Typical dishes
Some of the main dishes in the region include bean tutu (a sort of refried bean paste), the Virado à Paulista, the Espírito Santo moqueca, feijoada, São Paulo's picadinho and the traditional pão de queijo. The most consumed ingredients in these states include rice, beans, eggs, meat, pasta, palm, cassava, banana, potatoes, corn and starch.
The moqueca capixaba is Espírito Santo's most traditional dish, made with fish cooked with vegetables and seafood. Variations of the recipe are easily found on the menu of most local restaurants, including regarding the fish used: (dorado, badejo and a local shark species known as cação). An interesting characteristic of the Espírito Santo moqueca is the use of an earthenware pot, a heritage from indigenous culture.
Feijoada, in turn, consists of a mixture of cooked black beans and pig parts, traditionally the tail and ear, as well as pork sausages and dried pork meat.
The pão de queijo, considered one of the symbols of Minas Gerais cuisine, is a type of roll made from a bread-like dough based on abundant cheese and sweet or sour starch.