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explored the question of what it means to be Brazilian in terms of culture and
society.
Brazilian music has always been characterized by great diversity and
shaped by musical influences from three continents. It is still developing new
and original forms. The samba, which reached its height of popularity in the
1930s, is a mixture of Spanish bolero with the cadences and rhythms of African
music. In the 1960s, a bossa nova craze from Brazil swept the United States,
characterized by songs such as “The Girl from Ipanema”—although the sound
was influenced by NorthAmerican jazz. More recently, the lambada, influenced
by Caribbean rhythms, became internationally popular in the 1980s.
Brazilian Cuisine
When the Portuguese arrived in South America, the foodstuffs of the native
tribes were simple. As the Portuguese and Indian cultures blended, howev-
er, so did the cuisine. Locally gathered cassava, fruit, chilies, game, and fish
combined with imported olive oil, dried cod, stews, and numerous desserts.
African slaves introduced palm oil, coconuts, dried shrimp, and other typical
African foods.
Today, every region has its own festive dishes drawn from the past, but
feijoada
(bean stew), which originated in Rio de Janeiro, is widely considered
the most typical of Brazilian dishes. It is often served to visitors, who enjoy the
pot of black beans in thick sauce, cooked with an abundance of fresh meat.
The beans are usually served separately on one dish and the meat on another,
accompanied by finely sliced kale (quick-fried with a little oil and garlic), cas-
sava flour or
farofa
(flour mixed with butter), and slices of fresh orange.
Brazil
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