Tourist Day: Chef Recommends 5 Classic Brazilian Dishes to Travel Without Leaving Home

We’ve selected some regional specialties to celebrate Tourist Day. Learn more.

June 2020 – Staying at home led some people to polish their cooking skills, while others opened cookbooks for the first time. When it comes to gastronomy, we all enjoy trying new flavors. And to spark some kitchen inspiration, chef and nutritionist for the Umami Committee, Lisiane Miura, put together a few tips to celebrate Tourist Day, observed on the 13th.

Lisiane says there’s nothing better than using cooking to ease the longing. “For those who want to relive great moments from trips and Brazilian cuisine, now’s the time to roll up your sleeves and choose the typical dish from your favorite region. Preparing a meal has the power to bring comfort and well-being during this period of isolation. To soothe the urge to travel and remember all those delights, it’s worth recreating some of these dishes at home,” the chef recommends.

Brazil is a major culinary hub and, although each place has its own particularities, typical dishes win over many palates. Lisiane explains this happens because Brazilians often use many foods that provide the umami taste—the fifth basic taste of the human palate—in their recipes. “Tomatoes, cheeses, corn, and meats are a few examples and can be noticed by the increase in salivation. Many times these ingredients are used to accentuate and prolong flavor in the mouth, making dishes even tastier,” she adds.

Check out these typical dishes and “travel” through the states of Pará, Pernambuco, Goiás, São Paulo, and Rio Grande do Sul without leaving home:

Pará

In Pará, many dishes are prepared with seafood, such as shrimp, which has a high umami content. “For anyone missing this place with its beautiful beaches and rich culture, you can make a delicious Tacacá, an Indigenous dish well known throughout the country. This Pará specialty is a hot broth made with plenty of chili, tucupi, tapioca starch, sautéed jambu leaves, and shrimp,” the chef suggests.

Pernambuco

For those choosing the Northeast, the specialist suggests the flavorful Cozido Pernambucano. “When you prepare the recipe with love, you can create your own seasoning as you remember the moments from that special trip. In Pernambuco, the traditional stew can be made with chuck or ossobuco; it’s a colorful dish with potatoes, carrots, and corn,” says Lisiane.

Goiás

If you want to feel like you’re in Brazil’s central region, add the ingredients for Peixe na Telha to your shopping list—a very popular dish in Goiás. “It’s a simple, light recipe that recalls homemade food cooked by mom or grandma,” the chef notes. This dish is usually made with freshwater, scaleless, cut-into-steaks fish such as pintado or surubim (tiger sorubim).

São Paulo

Heading a bit farther down the map, in the city of São Paulo, Lisiane recommends Virado à Paulista. “The ‘land of drizzle’ offers many gastronomic options and, at times, traditional cuisine gets overlooked. It’s very common to find virado on Mondays in restaurants; it features umami-rich foods like beef and sausage, which make the dish even tastier,” the nutritionist highlights.

Rio Grande do Sul

In Rio Grande do Sul, meat is a must. But to skip the grill, Lisiane suggests making a tasty Arroz Carreteiro. “Preparation is simple: rice cooked with chopped dried beef (charque). Many gaúcho dishes are rich in umami, and you can perceive the fifth taste in all meats through increased salivation—leaving you wanting more,” she concludes.

UMAMI

It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste in the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the persistence of taste for a few minutes after ingestion. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br.