Menu: Flavors of the Amazon
The Brazilian island of Marajó, where the Amazon meets the Atlantic, harbors flavors that just don't exist elsewhere in Brazil, which writer Neide Rigo describes in her story Passage to the Amazon. With cilantro, chiles, plantains and bananas, and an abundance of fresh seafood, bring a taste of Marajó into your home with this menu for a festive dinner party. Raise a toast with caipirinhas as you nibble chewy cassava-based cheese bread, and finish the meal with a creamy banana pudding and sweet chocolate brigadeiros.
The Menu
- Caipirinhas
- Sopa de Caranguejo (Crab Soup)
- Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)
- Filhote com Molho de Camaroẽs e Bananas (Fish with Shrimp Sauce and Plantains)
- Feijoada Completa (Black Beans with Mixed Meats and Accompaniments)
- Chopped Tomato Salad
- Baião-de-Dois (Rice and Black-Eyed Peas)
- Sombremesa de Banana com Queijo (Banana and Cheese Pudding)
- Brigadeiros (Brazilian Fudge Balls)
More About This Menu
The feijoada should be started at least a day ahead, as the meats and beans need to be soaked separately overnight. For more about this classic Brazilian dish and its history, see David Goldman's article Beans and Meat »
The bread known as Pão de Queijo uses tapioca starch, derived from the cassava root. For more about cooking with this unique tuber, also known as manioc or yuca, see Dorothy Irwin's profile on cassava, Taking Root, or browse our gallery of cassava recipes »
For a list of things to see, eat and do in Marajó, see our guide to the island.
For Brazilian music to set the mood for your dinner party, check out our playlist on Spotify »
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