Cooking Terms

Brazilian cooking fuses the culinary identities of cultures spanning three continents. By combining Brazil’s basic native Indian culinary roots with African food artistry and Portuguese spices and ingredients, a national cuisine was born. One of the most appealing things about the cooking of Brazil is that the recipes are not overly complicated. Some involve extra steps that can be time consuming, but any extra effort spent preparing a dish will be greatly rewarded with the surprisingly delicious results. Here are a few simple techniques for you to follow as you discover the cooking of Brazil.

Grate
To grate means to fi nely shred foods. A four-sided metal grater with a handle at the top will give you a place to hold on to as you work. Always use extreme caution when using a grater and don’t allow your fi ngers to come too close to the grating surface.

Sauté
To lightly fry ingredients in a small amount of fat, butter, or oil, while stirring with a spoon or spatula.

Simmer
To cook food in a liquid kept just below the boiling point. Gentle bubbles will roll lazily to the top of a liquid that is simmering. Simmering is an important part of Brazilian cooking and is used in the long, slow cooking of beans, soups, stews, and braised meats.

Skim
Fats or impurities will rise to the surface of simmering or boiling soups or sauces. Skimming removes these unwanted residues as well as reduces fat and enriches fl avor. Use a large metal spoon or small ladle to remove and discard them.

This recipe was published in 'The Cooking Of Brazil (Seconds Edition) by "Matthew Locricchio" - p10 and p11'