The Little Things

“You can’t argue with the little things, it’s the little things that make up life,” a line from the Simpsons but very true.  There are a lot of little things that make me happy living in Brazil, whether it’s the smell of the air after the rain or the array of fresh fruits in a supermarket, going to a football match or having a barbecue with friends.  Some of these things might not be everyone’s cup of tea, some may be just me, but they make me happy!

Fresh Fruit

It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that supermarkets in Brazil have a good selection of fresh fruit, but what strikes me is the smell.   As you approach the fruit section, the air is filled with the intoxicating aroma of fresh fruit, to the extent I’ve never experienced in Britain or the US.  Then you go to a dedicated fruit shop or market…

Churrasco

Barbecue (churrasco in Portuguese) is very popular in Brazil, especially in the South.  The format varies by region, with some areas preferring steaks and smaller skewers, while others prefer large pieces of meat, cooked over several hours and sliced at the table.  This is often accompanied by rice, farofa (a crunchy accompaniment made with cassava flour and various other ingredients, such as bacon, olives, egg etc), maionaise (Brazilian potato salad) and salad.  In my wife’s family at least, this is a typical Sunday lunch.

Rain

If you told me 5 years ago that I’d be glad of rain, I’d say you were mad.  Growing up in Britain, you take rain for granted, in fact you generally spend your time praying for a dry day!  After 4 and a half years in California, I found myself longing for some airborne moisture and Brazil (at least Paraná) does not disappoint!  When it gets really hot and humid, usually a nice cooling shower is on the way!

Coffee

Oh the coffee!  Brazil is the biggest coffee producer in the world, supplying about one third of the global production and it’s good!  It also plays a large part in the culture: breakfast is called “café de manha” (literally morning coffee) and meals are often followed by a little cafezinho.  If you go to a bank, restaurant or rest area by the motorway, you may well see a thermos of free coffee (although this is often already sweetened – my preference of unsweetened coffee is seen as a bit weird here!) 

Football

It will come as no surprise that the only country to have won the World Cup five times is mad about football.  The year starts off slowly with the state competitions, and then moves on to the Campeonato Brasileiro, the national league.  Everyone appears to have a favourite team, even people that aren't that keen on football and the atmosphere inside the stadium can't be beaten.

Arena da Baixada, the stadium of Atlético Paranaense

Green Things

It might seem silly, but it feels really good to drive through the countryside and see so much green!  After the greyish brown of California, the green grass, plants and trees make the country seem so alive.  Even in big cities like Curitiba, there is so much green, whether it’s trees by the side of the road, or the many parks and it’s all natural – not imported from other regions and sustained by constant sprinklers.

Woods near Pato Branco with pinheiros standing out on the horizon

Pinheiros

Yes, more green stuff.  These trees are only found in the South of Brazil and are the state tree of the Paraná.  Their unique look lends them a kind of charisma and seeing a stand of Pinheiros is like a welcome to the South.

Guaraná

It comes in a green can!  This is a very Brazilian soft drink, made from the guaraná fruit and is a more natural energy drink!  Living in Britain and the US, it was always a rare treat to find guaraná, here it is obviously widely available, so I’m being careful to not get carried away!  But it’s so good…

Coxinhas with Guaraná

Snack Foods

Brazil has many salgadinhos – little savoury snacks – such as pasteis, coxinhas, pão de queijo etc…  I’ll write about them some other time, for now all you need to know is that they’re bloody good!  

Sweets

I know I’m taking this post down a foodie cul-de-sac, but I can’t help it!  The variety of chocolates and sweets on offer here is great.  And that’s before you get into popular homemade sweets like brigadeiro (a chocolaty treat made with condensed milk and cocoa powder.)  I’m getting hungry… 

Holidays

Brazil has loads of public holidays and the best part is that when they land on a Tuesday, most employers allow employees to take the Monday off, and the same with Fridays when the holiday is on a Thursday.  The downside is that if a holiday falls on a weekend, there is no day off in lieu.  Although with the extra days off, there will always be plenty of holidays.

Comfortable Coaches

Brazil is a big country and one of the easiest ways of getting around is by coach.  There are various levels, including conventional, executive and the more luxurious leito.  Taking an overnight leito coach is an easy way to get where you need to be and get some sleep along the way.

 Hotel Breakfast

Yes, I’m back on to food.  Most hotels have a very good spread for breakfast, including; juices, coffee, fresh fruits, various breads and other baked goods, eggs and yoghurts.  If you leave feeling hungry, you’re not doing it right! 

Rodizio Restauarants

This a type of restaurant where waiters continually bring around food, rather than ordering a la carte.  Most Brazilian restaurants abroad are barbecue rodizio restaurants, where the meat is brought around on large skewers and sliced off upon request, but there are other types, including pasta and pizza, which are both very good.  The obvious advantage is that you can have as much or little as you like, and have the opportunity to try dishes that you might otherwise not order.  Not to mention that it is always freshly cooked when it reaches you.

Blackout Curtains

When I sleep, I like the room to be as dark as possible, especially if I have the chance to sleep in in the morning.  What better than an impenetrable blackout curtain to keep out that intrusive morning sunlight?

Sunlight

And now, I’ll contradict myself.  Much as I like to sleep in a nice dark room, it’s nice to have a well lit room when I’m not sleeping.  The apartments I had in the US all seemed rather dark, it’s nice to be somewhere where the sun can shine in and light up the room.  (I know this is very subjective and depends on where you live, but it’s just another reason why I’m happy to be here!)

It’s Summer Again!

I know it won’t last, but it’s nice to have summer, a few weeks of winter, then summer again!  Now I need to somehow escape to Europe in August!

10 Reasons I Love Brazil

Before I start, I’ll qualify this post by saying that I have never lived in Brazil, I haven’t spent more than four weeks at a time there, this is simply about what I have observed being around Brazilians (whether in Brazil, the UK or the USA), what I have experienced in my trips to Brazil (admittedly trips to the Southeast and Southern regions) and watching Brazilian tv.  These are generalisations and I know that not everyone is friendly, not everyone is helpful, not everywhere is beautiful, but the same can be said about anywhere; nowhere is perfect.  So here’s my list:

1.     The People

No, my wife didn’t tell me to write this and no, that isn’t a gun pressed against my head... really...  On the whole, Brazilians are very friendly, curious and helpful.  Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but Brazilians have really impressed me. 

Brazilian Football Fans

Brazilians can never have too many friends and once you are friends with someone, it won’t be long before you are friends with their friends, their family, their neighbours...  And it’s genuine too; they’re usually not trying to network or thinking about what you can do for them, but showing an interest in you as a person.  They will invite you round to their house where you will be treated like family, you will be fed and watered (sometimes to the point of insisting that you should eat more, you look hungry!) and invite you to parties and events.  Even if you don’t know anyone else, you will soon end up chatting with everyone, with language barriers being the only potential obstacle.

Which brings me on nicely to...

2.     The Language

The first time I heard Brazilian Portuguese, I found it perplexing.  Very similar to Spanish, but also very different, I never thought I would learn the language!  As I started to learn Portuguese, I have grown very fond of the language.  I find it’s a very flexible and expressive language with many phrases that I use even when speaking English as they get across exactly what I mean.  I should add that this is usually with my wife; we have developed a kind of Portu-glish for everyday use.  This sometimes baffles fellow Brits and bilingual Brazilians find it funny when I drop Portuguese words into the middle of a sentence. 

Brazilians are aware that Portuguese is not the most obvious language for foreigners to learn – after all, the majority of countries in South America speak Spanish – so they are generally impressed when they meet a foreigner that can speak Portuguese, or even one brave enough to give it a try.  I would strongly encourage anyone visiting Brazil to learn a few phrases – it is invaluable if you stray away from the big cities, but it will also ingratiate you with your hosts.  This is where Brazilian helpfulness comes in again, they will be happy to help you learn more.

3.     The Food

I like my food and I love Brazilian food!  Before I went to Brazil for the first time, I asked about the food and got back a three word answer that didn’t particularly inspire me: “rice and beans.”  Growing up in Britain, my experience of beans was, more often than not, baked beans.  Going through university and living on cheap supermarket baked beans inspired an aversion to the orange slop that I can’t escape and the thought of spending a fortnight munching on rice and beans filled me with dread!  Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the black beans that can form an accompaniment to anything, or a meal in their own right.  After a few years of marriage, there is nothing more natural than throwing together a quick meal of steak, rice and beans!

Feijoada

The most well known beans dish is feijoada, a kind of stew consisting of pork, black beans and herbs.  This traditional dish dates back to the era of slavery when the masters would eat the good parts of the pig, leaving the less desirable parts of the animal to the slaves.  Feijoada was an effort to make something edible and tasty from this undesirable meat and results in a dish that looks an unappealing purplish-grey with random chunks of meat floating in it.  The first time I saw feijoada, I was really not impressed, but as my friends were so keen, I thought “oh well”, closed my eyes, thought of England and... was pleasantly surprised!  The second time I saw feijoada, I was again unimpressed and not particularly sure I wanted to get involved; but this time, it was all we ordered so I got stuck in and was once again impressed.  It wasn’t until the fourth or fifth time that I was able to look at feijoada and think “that looks good.”

Costelinha (ribs) on the barbecue

Then there’s churrasco, or barbecue.  The first time I went to a churrascaria, or barbecue restaurant, I was in love!  The meat is brought to the tables on skewers where the waiter slices off as much or little meat as you like and it is always hot and fresh.  This style of restaurant is becoming more popular in other countries and I have been to several in Britain and the US, but none compare to the real thing!

I could go on and on about the food, but maybe that should be left for another day!

4.     Snacks

Coxinhas

Ok, I said I wouldn’t go on about food, but Brazilian snacks deserve a special mention.  Pasteis (pastry filled with meat or cheese and fried) and coxinhas (pointed balls of dough, stuffed with chicken and fried) are just two examples that start my mouth watering just to think of them.  And then wash it down with some Guarana!  Ok, I’ll behave.

5.     Chocolates

I lied, but I don’t think this needs any explanation.  Next...

6.     Football

It should come as no surprise that Brazil loves football; any country with five World Cup wins is bound to have some measure of affection for the game.  It does not take long for the subject of football to appear in a conversation, with obligatory questions about the team you support.  The quality of club football in Brazil is, again unsurprisingly, of a very high level.  The games are marked by high speed, skilful play and very passionate fans, although this passion can often lead to the more ugly side of the game with fights and riots not uncommon. 

Aside from watching the pros, the amateur game is very much alive in Brazil with groups of friends regularly meeting up for a game, followed by a barbecue and a beer or few. 

7.     Music

I started listening to Brazilian music as a way of improving my Portuguese and just got hooked!  I starting listening to Bossa Nova by artists such as Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho and gradually learned the lyrics, which in turn helped me to remember some of the rules of the language, such as conjugating verbs in the past tense (much more enjoyable than sitting down with a textbook!)  I was then introduced to more contemporary music (I particularly like rock music) which has also improved my language skills, especially becoming familiar with common expressions.  For anyone interested, I highly recommend Charlie Brown Jr, Skank and CPM 22.

8.     The Landscape

Waterfall in Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais

Everyone knows that Brazil has very beautiful beaches, but there is so much more to the country.  The majority of my visits to Brazil have been to the south, which is where my wife is from (Pato Branco, a small city in Southwest Paraná that is closer to Argentina than the beach) so I have not seen all that the country has to offer, although I intend to put that right.  But those places I have seen, have taken my breath away.  From hiking in Serra da Canastra in Mias Gerais, to abseiling down waterfalls in Paraná, enjoying a refreshing drink of coconut water in Parque Ibirapuera, São Paulo to exploring the forests and beaches of Ilha do Mel, Paraná, it is impossible not to be enchanted with the place.  I’m sure I’ll add to this once I have been to the other places on the list: lençois maranhenses, Olinda, Pantanal, Serra Gaúcha...

9.     The Cities

It’s easy to be negative about cities and to come up with lazy generalisations but if you look beneath the surface, there is usually a lot hidden below.  A lot of people I have spoken to dismiss São Paulo is big, busy and ugly.  While I have to agree that it is big – well, only the largest city in South America, busy – I refer you to my previous point, and parts of it are ugly, there is a lot more to it.  I was surprised to find the calm of the botanical gardens and the relaxation of a walk in Parque Ibirapuera (even though half the city seemed to be there as well.)  There are beautiful building like the Paulista Museum and Vila de São Paulo and then more modern buildings such as the Banespa Building and the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art.  These aren’t for everyone, but I like them! 

Museu do Olho, Curitiba

But my favourite city has to be Curitiba, the capital of Paraná.  The city is beautiful, with colourful buildings, parks and interesting architecture.  It is easy to pass several hours in the botanical gardens and marvelling at the Museu do Oscar Niemayer, or Museu do Olho (eye museum) as it is affectionately known.  The city is well thought out, with dedicated bus lanes and an efficient public transport system that makes it easy to get around.  It is a city that I could easily see myself living in.

10.                       Political Awareness

Protesters around Brazil

No country is perfect and of course Brazil is included in that.  One of the biggest problems that the country faces is gross corruption.  For many years, Brazilians complained about corruption but threw their hands up in the air: “what can we do about it?”  In 2013, O gigante acordou – the giant awoke.  The people saw money being taken away from schools and hospitals and finally took to the streets to protest.  Brazilian expats around the world also held protests, with a trending twitter hashtag of #changebrazil, the world sat up and took notice – after all, they were protesting during a major football competition, so it MUST have been serious.  During this time, many of my friends spoke of their pride of being Brazilian and in the people trying to change their country for the better.  This ultimately leads me back to my first point; it is the people that make Brazil so special.

Recipe for Pizza de Frango e Catupiry com Borda Recheada

This is a recipe for a chicken and catupiry pizza with a catupiry stuffed crust (frango e catupiry com borda recheada.)   It's a combination of a few recipes that I put together and found it works well.  Catupiry is a Brazilian soft cheese; outside of Brazil, you may be able to find it in Brazilian shops.  If you can't find it, try any kind of cheese and let me know if it works!  This recipe works perfectly well for any topping of your choice, so go nuts!

Ingredients

Base

1 table spoon yeast (eg 1 sachet)

1 coffee spoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 egg

1 cup of warm milk

3 tablespoons olive oil

Plain flour (enough to make up the dough)

1 packet Catupiry (divide between the stuffed crust and the topping)

Topping

Chicken, roasted and shredded

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato puree

2 cloves garlic

1/2 medium sized onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh basil and parsley

Dried oregano to garnish

a few slices mozzarella

Method

Topping

1. In a saucepan, fry the onions and garlic until the onions are soft
2. Add the chicken and mix well
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, basil and parsley and cook over a low heat until the sauce thickens.
4. Leave the topping to one side until ready to add to the pizza
5. Add salt and pepper to taste

Pizza

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F)
2. Activate the yeast by stirring into ¼ cup of warm water (35-45°C, 100-110°F) with 1 teaspoon of sugar.  Let it stand for 10 minutes until it foams and doubles in volume.
3. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, adding extra flour until the dough no longer sticks to your hands.
4. Knead the dough on a floured surface for approx 15 min.
5. Roll out the dough until it is thin and round.
6. Grease the pizza tray (or baking tray) with a little olive oil
7. Lay the dough on the pizza tray, ensuring the dough extends an extra inch or so over the edge of the tray.
8. Use a piping bag to pipe a thick ring of catupiry around the dough, roughly marking out the edges of the pizza tray.
9. Fold the dough over the catupiry and firmly press into the base of the pizza.
10. Prick the dough with a form in several places.
11. Put in the oven for approx 10 minutes until the dough is slightly golden.
12. Remove the dough from the oven
13. Lay a few slices of mozzarella on the base
14. Spoon the chicken mixture on top of the mozzarella
15. Pipe the remaining catupiry over the chicken and garnish with dried oregano
16. Put the pizza back in the oven for approx 10 minutes until the crust is golden and the toppings are cooked.
17. Leave to cool a little before serving.

Piping the catupiry (use more cheese than I used!)

Folding the dough over the catupiry

Finishing touches before first bake

After baking (we put some mozzarella slices under the topping)

Frango...

... com catupiry

Ready for the oven

Ready for eating

Pizza

Pizza in Brazil is a unique experience.  There are loads of possible toppings, some familiar, some not so much.  Stroganoff, bolognaise, broccoli, German sausage... if you can imagine it, someone has probably put it on a pizza! 

Frango com catupiry pizza

Special mention goes to a cheese called Catupiry, a creamy cheese that originated in Minas Gerais.  The name comes from the native Tupi language meaning excellent and with good reason!  It is a very popular pizza topping in Brazil and goes with practically everything – one of my favourites is frango com catupiry (chicken with catupiry.)  Cooked chicken is combined with tomatoes, garlic and herbs then spread on the pizza with catupiry liberally squeezed all over it. Catupiry often makes another appearance in the crust.  Borda recheada (stuffed crust) is a popular option with catupiry being the cheese of choice. 

Just in case you aren’t feeling full after that, you have the option of sweet pizzas.  Growing up in Northeast Scotland, I had heard rumours of such a thing on occasion, but never came face to face with one until I went to a rodízio restaurant in Meia Praia, SC.  Rodízio restaurants are all-you-can eat restaurants where the food is rotated (hence the name) around the restaurant by the waiters.  Outside of Brazil, this will usually be a churrascaria (barbecue restaurant) – I will no doubt be writing more about these – but in Brazil, it could be anything from feijoada to pasta.  Personally I think pizza rodízio is a great idea, as you can try as many types as you like and sometimes looking at the pizza that is offered will make your mind up for you.  Of course, there are consequences as well, so prepare for that guilty, overfed and overfull feeling when you leave...

Sweet pizza with various toppings

Anyway back to sweet pizzas... An apparition of chocolate, strawberries and ice cream appeared before me (sorry, I’m back on the rodízio place) and I had to try it!  Of course, by this stage, you’ve probably already eaten too much (well, I have anyway) but if you have to have a dessert, why not have it in pizza form?  By the way, I just googled “pizza doce com borda recheada” and saw a picture of a pizza with strawberries and chocolate in the crust, I have to try that!

Before I finish, I’ll add a few words about pizza etiquette in Brazil.  Everyone has their own habits; personally I like to pick up a slice and attack it!  In Brazil, it is very rare that people eat pizza with their hands, whether in a restaurant or at home.  If you’re meeting the in-laws for pizza, don’t forget the knife and fork!

After all this writing about pizza, I need to go on a diet!  Or eat a pizza...