by
Elisa Duarte Teixeira
Acarajé
Black-eyed pea fritters fried in dende palm oil and stuffed with dried shrimp
and several optional regional concoctions, such as vatapá* and caruru (okra
and smoked dried shrimp porridge.)
Baião de dois
Dish of rice and beans cooked together and mixed with seasonings, manioc
flour and several optional additions (such as bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs,
salt-cured beef and cilantro.)
Batida
Mixed drink containing cachaça, one or more fruits, and usually either
sweetened condensed milk or coconut milk, all mixed together in a blender.
Bendita
Bolinho de
bacalhau
Boteco
Buchada de bode
Another name for cachaça.
Salt cod and mashed potato croquette.
Brazilian-style casual bar, usually with a rustic decor and serving only
appetizer-like bar food, to be shared by the table and paired with mixed drinks
and beer.
Caninha
Carne de sol
Literally “hot hole”, it is a pão fancês bread loaf emptied of some of its center
and stuffed whole with well-seasoned sautéed ground beef.
Caipifruta
Caipirinha made with fruits other than lime (the traditional fruit used to make
caipirinha.)
Calabresa
Pork sausage seasoned with red pepper flakes (“calabresa” pepper, in
Portuguese), among other seasonings. It is a required ingredient for feijoada*.
Available fresh and smoked.
Caldinho
An appetizer soup, usually served in a glass or cup, meant to be drunk.
Brazilian salt- and sun-dried cured beef.
Carne seca
Also called charque in Portuguese, among many other names, it is the Brazilian
version of jerked beef, consisting of large pieces of boned meat that are cut into
approximately 1 in. mantas (“blankets”) and then salt-cured and air-dried.
Casquinh(o/a) de
caranguejo
Brazilian-style dressed crab, baked or cooked with coconut milk and
seasonings and served in a shell, topped with farofa*. In Portuguese, there are
two words for crab, siri and caranguejo -- the different species can be set apart
by looking at their last pair of legs, which look like oars in the siri.
Casquinha de siri
see casquinh(o/a) de caranguejo*
Catupiry
Originally a brand name, the term is now used to designate a Brazilian version
of cream cheese.
Charque
see carne seca*
Comida de boteco
Brazilian-style bar food, usually served appetizer-style, to be shared by the
table and eaten paired with mixed drinks or beer.
Coxinha
Salgadinho* made with pate-a-choux-like cooked flour dough that is stuffed
with shredded chicken, molded like a chicken drumstick and then breaded and
deep-fried.
Dadinho de
tapioca
Savory version of tapioca pudding prepared to a thick consistency, sometimes
mixed with queijo coalho* or other cheeses, and then cut into small cubes and
deep fried. Usually served with a hot pepper dipping sauce.
Doce de leite
Brazilian version of milk caramel, prepared by boiling milk and sugar together
until it reaches the right consistency, which can vary from spoon-thick to hard
enough to be cut into squares.
Escondidinho
Shredded carne seca* (or other meat, poultry or seafood) “hidden” under
mashed cassava or, some [Y\