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explored the question of
what it means to be
Brazilian in terms of cul-
ture and society.
Brazilian music has
always been character-
ized 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 North American jazz. More
recently, the lambada, influenced by Caribbean rhythms, became international-
ly 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-
Brazil
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Feijoada
, a popular
meal in Brazil, is a
stew made with black
beans and beef or
pork.