INFLUENCES OF BRAZILIAN GASTRONOMY

In this publication we will unveil some of the history and influences of Brazilian gastronomy, which has been modified over the years by nations and ethnicities. Despite having many influences, the basis of Brazilian gastronomy is founded on the mixture of three cultures: -Indigenous, Portuguese and Indian, the latter motivated by commercial and political relations between Portugal and India in the 15th century and upwards.

Having Portugal occupied the territory that today forms Brazil for more than 300 years, Portuguese culture and gastronomy was the one that most influenced the Brazilian culinary customs, but the contrary also happened: the Indigenous and Brazilian culture also influenced the Portuguese culture and gastronomy, sometimes both simultaneously. An example of this is the inheritance of words and the beginning of the use of products such as pineapple, cassava, cashew, among others.

The colonization of Brazil by Portugal began in 1530 and with the change of part of the court to the Vila de São Vicente (present-day city of São Paulo, region where the Portuguese influence is most notorious), several foods were also brought in, such as watercress, garlic , rice, chives, chicory, coriander, cabbage, spinach, fig, ginger, mint, orange, lemon, basil, melon, mustard, spices, wheat, among others. In addition, livestock farming was also started with cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, sheep, ducks, pigs, bulls and cows.

With the beginning of rice planting in Brazil, dishes based on this ingredient began to be developed, as did the use of previously unused spices such as salt (especially for salting and preserving meat), rosemary, cinnamon, Indian cloves and fennel.

The two greatest influences, or the most notorious, of Portuguese gastronomy on Brazilian food habits are the Brazilian feijoada, made from Portuguese stews, but using “less dignified” meat, such as pork, and the pastry and confectionery, unknown in Brazil until then. All the great references of Brazilian sweets and pastries are influenced by Portuguese culture, such as marmalade, orange juice, sweet rice, sponge cake, among others.

These are all stories and inter-influences that are presented at the table of Geographia, the restaurant where the food speaks Portuguese and tells centuries-old stories of our culture and multiculturalism.

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