Brazilian Food

Brazil Tour Tips
For international tourists or business travelers, Brazil hotel guide Hotel in Site also offers some interesting tour tips. As native Brazilians, we wish to make your stay more enjoyable and also call your attention to places and things in Brazil you may not be aware of. Here you will find tips on our traditional dishes Churrasco and Feijoada. To see all the tips we have gathered to date about major attractions, best tourist locations, Brazilian peculiar food and drinks, check the Brazil Tour Tips page.

In Brazil, breakfast is always included in the hotel price, and is generally very good. You can help yourself to as much as you like, and if you care for something special, you can order it and it will still be part of the meal, and will not be charged. Lately, some of the American chains have a different policy, but they are the exception.
When you get to the restaurant, you can pick your preferred table and take the seat without any assistance. Actually, you can do this in most restaurants in Brazil, unless there is a waiting line.
Most foreigners are very fond of the tropical fruits offered in Brazilian hotels and restaurants. Papaya, pineapples, banana, and mangos are all very delicious. Another top item is the hearts-of-palms at the salad bar, which are usually very tender.


Churrasco (Barbecue)

One of the best foods in Brazil is beef. Brazilian beef is very tasty, especially when barbecued. Also it is not too expensive. The restaurant specialized in barbecued beef is called Churrascaria, and there is always one around the corner. Nowadays they operate in the "Rodizio" system which means rotating system, where it is served around all the tables simultaneously. In the South the Gauchos also call it Espeto Corrido, which means Uninterrupted Spit.

Several waiters will come around and bring a spit with a special cut and ask if you wish a piece. If you like what is offered he will cut it directly to your plate and will move on to the next customer or next table. They will keep on coming until you are full. The price is the same if you eat a little or a lot. Now, to avoid having your plate flooded, they usually have a red and green flag on the table so you can turn the flow on and off. My advice is: Take it slow and in small pieces so you can try which cut you like best. Don't worry; he will be back later with more. And if he doesn't bring your preferred meat back, you can always ask for it. If you fill up your plate, you will end up with a lot of cold meat, and will have to pass on the good hot stuff that keeps on coming. So, when you have one or two pieces on your plate, and they offer another one, just tell them you will have it later. Also remember that the waiter will always try to cut you a large piece of the cheaper cuts, so if you don't like it , just leave it on your plate or place it on the side plate which is always handy, don't feel obliged to eat everything on your plate. It is not considered offensive to leave lots of unfinished pieces. Now, the top cut in Brazil is the Picanha, pronounced Picaania, which is very tender most of the time, when served rare or medium rare. So if it's not good, just leave it and wait for the next round, or ask for it specifically, and insist on rare.

When you arrive at your table, order your drinks, and leave the red flag on, then go to the salad bar, which is very good, and always included in the fixed price, no matter how much you eat. But watch out, you can have this at home, leave room for the main dish: Meat. Once you are done with your salad, turn the green flag carefully on, and off as soon as you have some good stuff lined up. Further they will probably bring lots of other plates with potato chips, rice, beans, polenta, and other good things which vary in each place. Here again, you don't want to stuff yourself full and miss the meat. Besides the meat cuts, they will also bring all kinds of other barbecued things such as sausages, chicken hearts, roasted chicken, pork, well you get the picture. Be sure to go only when you are prepared to have a full meal. Dessert is not included in the price, and in many places they will bring a bulging cart full of goodies after you have stopped definitively. Also the drinks are not included in the fixed rate. And at last, of course….. coffee, (included in the price)

It is obvious that you will spend at least 2 hours on this meal, and if you go in the evening, you will have to wait another 3 hours before you can go to bed. Well I understand this is very complicated, so you must go several times while you are in Brazil, to really get the hang of this. Good luck !!


Feijoada (pronounced fa-jo-ah-dah) is the most famous national dish. Brazilians have rice and beans every day as part of their main course for lunch and many have it also for dinner. But wdnesday and Saturday, they have Feijoada for lunch.
In Rio de Janeiro, the every day beans are black and Feijoada also. In Sao Paulo every day beans are brown but the feijoada is made with black beans. The feijoada is made with several parts of dried pork including ribs, ears, tongue, foot, sausseges etc. and also dried,salted and cured meat. All this is cooked slowly with the beans with all kinds of spices in very large pots. And then, of course there is the rice.
To complete the feijoada, there will be pork chops, Minas cabage chopped and refried, some pieces of peeled oranges and a coarse manioc flour or farofa which is very tasty and looks like sawdust, and small pieces of deep fried pork skin called Torresmo which resembles fried bacon. Brazilians like it hot, so there is a separate bowl with hot sauce. Be careful if you do not appreciate hot food.
Most restaurants lay out the Feijoada in clay pots on low burners on a long table, so you can help yourself as many times as you wish, and choose what you like best, and the price is fixed. A small cocktail called Batidinha, made with lemon juice and cachassa is always available and is included in the price. NOTE :
With the exception of international restaurants, which serve food "a la carte" all the other brazilian restaurants observe a strict diet according to the day of the week : On Friday there is fish, on Thursday chicken and noodles, Wednesday Feijoada, on Tuesday tripes with white beans, Monday there is Virado which is made with mashed beans and rice, minas cabage,pork chops, and a fried egg. Sunday, at home, it's noodles, and Saturday, Feijoada

If you are on a limited budget, there are thousands of restaurants where you can pay by weight. You fill up your plate at the buffet and at the end of the line you place it on a balance, and you will be charged according to the weight of your food. It generally costs around US$ 10.00 per Kilo. Dessert and drinks are charged separately. These are called "restaurante por kilo" and most of them are located in business areas or shopping malls, and will operate normally for lunch. Another good option is to have a sandwich at the "padaria" (bakery). There is one on every second corner, and the sandwich will be served on delicious French bread. It will cost one or two dollars and you can sit on a barstool or stand at the bar.

The most popular sandwiches are: The "mixto" (pronounced "misto") which contains ham and cheese. You have to say "mixto quente" if you want it hot with the cheese melting, or you say "mixto frio" to have it at normal temperature. Another one is the "Bauru" which is the same as the "mixto" but with two slices of tomatoon the cheese. The "Bauru" is always served hot. And finally there is the "Americano" where they add lettuce, mayonnaise, and a fried egg in the sandwich


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