The great unknown that should be a gastronomic mecca

Rio de Janeiro, BrazilLet's start a five-week journey through Brazil with gastronomy as the common thread. If I ask you to close your eyes and imagine a restaurant in Brazil, it's possible that your mind will take you to Rio de Janeiro. It's a magnetic city and a unique enclave in the world. However, despite being the most popular image, it's not representative of a large part of the country. Gastronomically (and sociologically), what does Rio have to do with the mining cuisine of Minas Gerais, the Bahian cuisine of Salvador, or the ancestral cuisine of the Amazon? Very little.

We will find some common elements throughout the country. Feijoada, for example, or the presence of farofa. Farofa is an unrefined cassava flour that they often mix with spices or dried meat. When you first arrive in the largest country in South America (with an area of over 8.5 million square kilometers), you don't know what to do with the farofa served to you at every meal. After a few days, you find it indispensable. Another issue that runs through the entire country is the presence of fruit. There is an abundance of it, and they make juices everywhere at a very low price. But the type of fruit will change depending on the region. In each place, you find what is native to it: the curious jabuticaba that grows attached to the tree trunk and from which a kind of sweet wine is made; the cupuaçu, which is the Amazonian relative of cocoa; the marolo, a tropical fruit from the Cerrado region that resembles the cherimoya. Or açaí, which you have surely heard of, as it has become globalized.

Açaí is the most well-known Brazilian ingredient worldwide. It can be found in any major city, in the form of a bowl full of purple sorbet topped with fruit, granola, or nuts. But as is often the case, this has nothing to do with how açaí is eaten where it grows. The version that has reached us is a revision from the United States, the açaí bowl, which became popular in the early 2000s. There are several milestones that made it extremely popular among the North American population, such as the appearance of dermatologist Nicholas Perricone on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004, where he praised its antioxidant properties and called it a superfood. However, is the sugar-loaded bowl as healthy as we might think? Açaí is a fundamental fruit in the diet of various Amazonian tribes. It is key to their survival and has social and even spiritual value. The way they consume it, moreover, has nothing to do with how it arrives in Europe.

We can see this at the Ver-o-Peso Market, in Belém, at the mouth of the Amazon. One of the most impressive open-air markets in Latin America. You can buy anything there. In a large and noisy area, all the stalls fry fish accompanied by a huge bowl of thick açaí. Açaí has a very short shelf life. If it is not processed within 24 hours, it spoils. For this reason, what is exported (and what can be found in much of Brazil) is freeze-dried and frozen. And that's why it's often eaten like sorbet. Açaí in the Amazon is not like that. It is a thick liquid with a rather bitter taste. Many people add large quantities of sugar, flour, or guarana syrup to it. An experience that is well worth it. It is also the place to taste other local dishes, such as duck with tucupi. Tucupi is a liquid extracted from cassava (the staple of their diet) and jambu (the electric flower widely used in the state of Pará, where we are). The multi-million dollar açaí business, however, has harmed Amazonian tribes, who have seen how the global demand for one of their main foods has made it more expensive.

From France to its own excellence

If açaí has brought Brazil abroad, foreign influence – not to say colonial – has also modified the lives of Brazilians. 20 years ago, when someone traveled to Brazil and they wanted to take them to a good restaurant, there was a high probability it would be a French cuisine restaurant. Doesn't Brazil have its own ingredients and recipes to build its own gastronomic culture? Absolutely, and this is where the great leap made by the cuisines of this vast and diverse country has come from.

One of the names that undeniably turned this situation around is that of chef Alex Atala. In his restaurant D.O.M., in São Paulo, he put Amazonian cuisine on a pedestal and made an ant its standard-bearer: the saúva. He still serves it in the petit fours, because more than 25 years ago this small insect served as his lever to change the opinion of a nation, demonstrating that by traveling through the country there were ingredients and customs that needed to be reclaimed. The restaurant, moreover, remains in top form and he is a global celebrity due to his television appearances.

But the tentacles of colonialism are very deep. So, even though countries gain independence, they take a long time to "decolonize the mind", to put it in the terms of the great Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o. And at the moment this happens, gastronomy can play a fundamental role in building a national identity. We are in Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia, one of the most culturally rich cities in Brazil. We are by the sea, and near the Casa do Rio Vermelho of the writer Jorge Amado (a must-see) and the temple dedicated to the sea goddess Yamanjá, a deity that African slaves brought with them. Here there are several stalls selling acarajé, a type of fritter made from legumes, fried in dendê (palm oil) and served with small shrimp. This dish is typical of the Yoruba African ethnic group, and was also brought by slaves from Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. Salvador had been the country's capital, and was a major hub for the slave trade, which is why it is now the center of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Contact with Ronaldo Jacobina, gastronomic critic of Jornal Correio de Bahia. “When I started covering food, two decades ago, the local scene was very limited. Little by little, projects began to emerge, talents emerged, and today I consider Salvador, for its size, to have a very interesting and diverse scene. We have evolved a lot, rediscovered our roots, and are building our history”. He gives me the example of Edinho Engel. His restaurant Amado is located by the water. It has a refined French touch, but I taste an excellent Bahian moqueca – a fish and seafood stew served with rice, farofa, and pirão, which is broth with manioc flour.

Ronaldo Jacobina explains to me that Salvador has always had good restaurants, such as Trapiche Adelaide, whose first menu was created by the French chef Claude Troigros, established in Brazil. This restaurant helped change the way Bahians viewed gastronomy. Another Frenchman who made history was chef Marc Le Dantec. French cuisine was considered prestigious. “Proof of this is that the restaurant Chez Bernard is over 60 years old, it has always been a favorite of high society,” states Jacobina.

Another example is Leite, in Recife, the capital of the state of Pernambuco. It is a city flooded with cranes that are growing skyscrapers, but it maintains an old historic center where, at times, you might feel like you are in Portugal. Leite is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Brazil: it has been there since 1882. There, I had planned to try a traditional dessert: the cartola pernambucana (fried banana, melted cheese, sugar, and cinnamon). And Leite is one of those places that does not disappoint. Impeccably dressed waiters attend to prominent figures and tourists. A pianist. And yes, a significant Portuguese influence on the menu and French in its presentation.

The sock has turned

But a whole other school of restaurants is making a fortune in Brazil and the rest of the world without needing to go through France. Very close to the acaraje stalls, in Salvador, is the Manga restaurant. It occupies a beautiful corner house with striking colors. It is run by a couple, Dante Bassi, who is from Salvador, and his wife Kafe Bassi, of German origin. He is responsible for the savory universe, and she, for the sweet. In fact, she has created some memorable desserts in homage to cocoa. Between the two, they offer a rooted but elevated proposal. It's not surprising, they have both worked with Atala. At Manga, the bar is set very high, and it shows what can be achieved even though it is far from the two major poles of attraction that are São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The Bassis are aware that it is a handicap, but their Bahian personality makes them unique.

“São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have a scene as strong as some other cities in the world. And this influences the rest of the country, which follows the push of these great poles,” explains Ronaldo Jacobina. And it keeps getting stronger. Brazil has achieved an unprecedented milestone this year: two restaurants in São Paulo have just received three Michelin stars. No one in Latin America had ever achieved this before. On the one hand, we have Ivan Ralston, with his restaurant Tuju. The establishment is located in a three-story house, and the menu unfolds as you go up. You end up in the attic having coffee and petit fours, surrounded by his library. Ralston designed a completely open and central kitchen, reminiscent of Cocina Hermanos Torres. Of course, he worked with the twins and learned a lot from them. It's not surprising that he talks about surf and turf, in one of the dishes, made with local ingredients. The menu is extraordinary and its execution too. The three stars are not a surprise. Next to him, his partner and life companion, Katherina Cordás, presents an impressive non-alcoholic pairing. She is in charge of the research and creativity of the restaurant and attends us in perfect Catalan. A language she inherited from her grandmother, who passed it on to her despite the exile. It is very exciting to hear her.

The other restaurant that has received the highest distinction is Evvai, by chef Luiz Filipe Souza. The menu is fun and you end up with the impression that you know Souza. Firstly, beautiful postcards with drawings describe each dish. He did the illustrations. A sense of humor is present on the menu. It's one of those places where you eat well and have fun. Souza adds Italian references, as he has roots there. In São Paulo, the diversity of origins has generated a unique culinary scene. A few tables away, one of the great ladies of Brazilian gastronomy is enjoying the new menu. She is Janaína Torres, best chef in the world in 2024 and co-owner of A Casa do Porco. A place suitable for all (European) pockets and which is both delicious and informal. It doesn't fit with the concept we have of a stuffy restaurant, it's a place that is as popular as it is difficult to get a reservation. It's worth it if you like meat and it's suitable for going with family.

The great Catalan lady

Janaína Torres is a woman who has done a lot for Brazilian gastronomy, but there is another great lady to whom a good part of the merit for its internationalization can be attributed: she is Catalan and her name is Joana Munné. She has lived in Brazil for 28 years and has a key agency in the country for growing projects, Síbaris. Munné brought Santi Santamaria to Brazil, and Alex Atala to Madrid Fusión, where many people discovered ingredients they had never seen before. And she brought Paulo Martins, father of Brazilian cuisine and one of the promoters of its fame, to Barcelona so he could meet Ferran Adrià. “Brazilian cuisine captivated me and still captivates me,” she says.

“When I arrived, Brazil looked at Europe. Ten years later, the Spanish avant-garde arrived. Everything that came from abroad was better. But finally, the cuisine from here has been valued. The producers. Like wine, which is an embryonic product, honey, cheeses, meat... Brazilians did not value their own products”. Munné states that “there are many cuisines in Brazil”. And not only because of its regions, but also because of the communities of people from all over the world who live there, especially in São Paulo. That is why there can be an Italian restaurant that triumphs, like Bottega Bernacca, which this year has also arrived in Barcelona, or the Japanese restaurant Kuro, with a Michelin star, which transports you directly to Tokyo.

I ask her if we know Brazilian cuisine, and the answer is clear: “Europe doesn’t know many cuisines well.” But Munné gives the example of two preparations that have been exported well: the caipirinha, made with cachaça, and the irresistible pão de queijo. She is an incredible ambassador for Brazil, and assures that things will get better. “I predict all the best for Brazil. We have many good people and a high standard. The economy is doing well. The only pity is the difference in social classes. And there are people starving. It needs to be more balanced. There should be education, healthcare. There can’t be people living in favelas in inhumane conditions in a country like Brazil,” she states.

That cuisine can be key to improving society is demonstrated by a third great lady of Brazilian gastronomy. Her name is Manu Buffara. We are in Curitiba, in the south of the country. Here is the fantastic Oscar Niemeyer museum and the Manu restaurant. Probably one of the most exciting meals of a long trip through the country. Buffara has the merit of making complex dishes seem simple. And of bringing out the maximum potential of ingredients. As she tries to do with people. This activist chef has shown that cooks can be agents of change. Through the Manu Buffara Institute, she has a program to help victims of domestic violence, teaching young people and women about nutrition and entrepreneurship. She drives initiatives to feed the homeless. She has also been an advocate for animals as small as they are significant: bees. For 10 years, she has been promoting a program to recover native stingless bees from Brazil. Their honey can be tasted in her dishes. Buffara has put Curitiba on the world gastronomic map, and gives back what she has achieved to her fellow citizens.

We finish, now yes, the trip to Rio de Janeiro, the marvelous city, the carioca capital, the image that comes to mind when someone says Brazil and the Christ the Redeemer of Corcovado appears. We visit the not very recommendable bar whereGarota de Ipanema was written, popular botecos where they make skewers of chicken hearts served with large bottles of light and cold beer, and two haute cuisine restaurants. Oteque, more aimed at the city's affluent public. And Lasai, a unique and collective experience dedicated to Brazilian produce, especially vegetables. At Lasai, all diners arrive at the same time. It's a bar and they cook and serve everyone at once. It's Rafa Costa i Silva's restaurant. With an exceptional head chef, Marcelo Malta, who commands the stage and many languages. In this restaurant, they put the humblest vegetables on the grandest pedestal. And you end up making friends with the people next to you. If they change location, they could follow in the footsteps of Evvai and Tuju.