Brazil is a multi-ethnic society, consisting mainly of the Amerindians (the indigenous Indians of Brazil), the descendents of colonial and post-colonial Poruguese settlers and immigrants, and the African slaves brought over primarily to work the sugar cane industry. These were later followed by Italians, Spaniards, Germans, Japanese, Syrians and Lebanese.
From Africa, Brazilians get some of their most addictive spices: dende, peppers, dried spiced shrimp, nuts, and cilantro, and coconut milk that were added to the sweet potatoes, cassava meal, corn porridge, hearts of palm, roots, and appreciation of certain species of fish, that were first used by the Brazilian Indians, resulting in foods such as Acharaje: a cornmeal sandwich with a shrimp and ocra filling, and Feijoada a stew of beans with beef and pork, which is a typical Portuguese dish, also typical in Brazil, Angola and other former Portuguese colonies. In Brazil, feijoada is considered the national dish; and finally they make Moqueca (pronounced "mo-KEH-kah"), a stew made with fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and in the northern state of Bahia, coconut milk. Though all of the above are enough to endear a visitor to the country's food, it is the Churrasco that consist of a large variety of meats including chicken, beef, sausage and pork, that is a Brazilian food tradition that has spread to many of the world's cosmopolitan cities. The meat is usually barbequed, sliced at the table and offered buffet style by wondering attendants.
But it is the African tradition of extended family that I most noticed during many visits to some of the juice bars found throughout the city. From Portugal, the Brazilians got port development experience first acquired in 1808, when the capital of the Portuguese Kingdom was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, after Napoleon invaded Portugal. Similar to China where every viable space holds a mom and pop business, like a curbside tailor, or shoe cobbler, the Brazilians are an enterprising people, that believe in building from the ground up. This has led to economic growth first inspired by developments in fossil fuels and later, marketing, and its ability to judge the competition that led to Brazil acquiring the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup (Brazil is the world's second largest producer of ethanol fuel and the world's largest exporter).
Even now the Brazilian government has renewed its efforts to put a new face on Rio, and in particular, the favelas. It has encouraged celebrating the art found in many of the favelas, by sanctioning tour groups comprised of upperclass European and Western tourist to downplay the harder urban elements. Another example of the celebration of art is the roadside panels which frame the highway into Rio de Janeiro's center coming from the airport. The panels attempt to cover your initial site of the favelas that dot, the city, with art ranging from graffitti, to religious portraits. Another way that the Brazilian government is attempting to homogenize the landscape is the insertion of movie theaters on the edges of favelas; along with a permanent police presence in some favelas. The question is will these additions benefit the poorer Brazilians, or is all of the profit from this and other beautification projects going to the new breed of entrepreneur that has landed in the city. This and other tough questions are ones that I long to ask the new government, led by Brazil's first female president, who grew to strenth as first the Secretary and then the Minister of Mining and Energy.
In our global economy what lessons will Brazil take from other cultures to mix with its own multi-cultural soup. The visuals of the synergy and community present at a juice bar, or along a street, filled with Coconut water vendors, and mop salesman, are all a part of what Why Brazil, the doc will quickly express visually, far more simply and thoroughly than Why Brazil the blog.
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