From a culinary point of view, Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world, with an extremely diverse mix of peoples, has not made an appearance here so far. Argentina is known for its steaks, while Peru and Mexico are always in the spotlight when it comes to avant-garde creations based on indigenous traditions. Brazil, on the other hand, brought the world the caipirinha, but its cuisine seems to offer little more than feijoadas, black bean stews that can taste quite sensational. A mistake, as the author had to realize when he was looking for dishes that lighten up the autumnal sadness with a little lightness and are hearty enough to brave the seasonal rigors.
A tucupi soup refined with saúvas, which is popular among the ethnic groups in the border area between Brazil and Venezuela, would be ideal for this. This rich, dark purple broth gets its signature lemongrass, ginger, and cardamom-scented aroma from the addition of copious amounts of saúvas, an Amazonian species of leafcutter ant, potentially inducing culturally conditioned resentments. In addition, the processing of cassava flour into tucupi juice is not entirely unproblematic, since the unfermented precursor contains hydrocyanic acid and is therefore toxic. The same applies to the North Brazilian classic pato no tucupi, duck leg in tucupi sauce. Far less risky, on the other hand, are dishes that combine local vegetables – with types of meat that are also valued here – and types of fish. After all, Brazilian history, which is not presented correctly here and is shaped by the crimes of colonization and slavery as well as various waves of immigration, has had at least one good result on the plus side: a diversity fed by indigenous, African and European, not least German, traditions that makes Brazilian cuisine unique on the one hand, and makes it appear more familiar to our palate than that of neighboring countries on the other.
Chickens, and especially ducks, were staple foods in the poor Northeast for hundreds of years, and the history of cattle ranching has not always been shaped by the perverse excess of today’s rainforest destroyers. And among the numerous freshwater fish, in addition to the local delicacies pirarucu and angel shark, there are also catfish and perch, while the popular tambaqui, in English black pacu, is distantly related to the local barbel and can be replaced by a red mullet or a salmon trout.
A hearty, yet delicate autumn dish can be prepared from fish fillets briefly baked in the oven, paio sausage (portuguese if necessary) and tripe, both fried, herb oil, broad beans and a white wine and tomato sauce. Or an Afro-Brazilian glazed suckling pig ribs in Malbec cream with honey, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves and chili with finely chopped cassava sticks, which are first blanched for a minute and then deep-fried in rapeseed oil at a temperature of 180 degrees.
A particular delicacy is Cupim com Purê de batata, which turns out to be almost normal roast beef with mashed potatoes, albeit with a few exquisite Brazilian twists. Like the previous ones, the recipe comes from the Brazilian top chef Alex Atala and all the details can be found on the Internet, where you can also buy the “exotic” ingredients at moderate prices. The mashed potatoes, prepared according to a German recipe, are only enriched with Pequi oil, giving it a fluffy, fruity and nutty taste. The roast meat comes from Zebu beef, but from German organic rearing. Its meat is lean on the one hand, but the individual parts, especially the typical hump, are covered with layers of fat rich in gelatin. First steamed at a low temperature, then seared briefly and finally slowly stewed in a water bath, it develops an incredibly tender texture. There are Brazilians who claim that the resulting roast can be eaten with a spoon.