Products of Culture

Sometimes we have a lot of feelings. And sometimes we eat them. Brazilians accomplish both very well.

The Brazilian diet typically consists of fruit, beans, rice, cheese, and a lot of meat. Thus, the churrascaria was born. This style of barbecue originated with the gaúcho or “cowboy” culture of southern South America. Churrasco often manifests itself in conjuction with the rodizio, a type of service in which waiters come by with different samples of the restaurant’s specialty. This might be cuts of meat, slices of pizza, or rolls of sushi.

Many chains providing authentic Brazilian steakhouse experiences have appeared around the world. In the U.S., for instance, one may go to Chima, Fogo de Chão, Texas de Brazil, etc. One of my best rodizio dinners took place in Clarke Quay, a riverside village along the Singapore River. My friends and I were the first ones in the restaurant, so the passadores, or meat waiters, gave us their undivided attention. They even brought pineapple out on skewers, which was a novelty for me.

My friend, Kobie, with picanha (top sirloin) to his right and abacaxi to his left

A few days ago, I went to a restaurant in Recife called Skillus. This is a steakhouse that offers a buffet and/or rodizio, except that instead of 16 different types of meat, the waiters bring over 16 different kinds of pizza. For less than $10, it’s a good deal.

João, our pizza waiter

I managed to document 11 varieties of pizza:

Vegetarian Pizzas

             Marguerita                    Napolitana                        Queijo-do-reino           Mussarela

These were mostly classic flavors. The queijo-do-reino had a rich, savory taste.

Meat Pizzas

 

 

                                 Carne de sol (beef)                  Frango catupiry (chicken & cheese)

I did not eat many of the meat slices, for two reasons. Most of them had pork, which I avoid. More importantly, I needed to have room for the very unique dessert pizzas:

  Dessert Pizzas

From left to right:

Brigadeiro: chocolate sauce and sprinkles

Romeu e Julieta: quava spread and cheese

Cartola: banana and cheese, sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon

            (This is my favorite)

Bem Casada (“Well Married”): chocolate, condensed milk, and doce de leite

Pineapple?

They claimed the last one was pineapple, but we were a bit deterred.

Crusty, saucy one

This may be kind of cheesy

You can make me melt

Now please excuse me while I jog to Porto de Galinhas.