Pastel is the crisp, blistered fried pastry sold at Brazil’s open-air street markets, called feiras, where vendors fry them to order in giant woks of oil.

Coxinha, or little thigh, is the teardrop-shaped chicken croquette that rules Brazilian snack bars and birthday parties. A creamy shredded chicken filling

Pão de queijo is the pride of Minas Gerais: golden little balls with a crisp shell and a soft, cheesy, stretchy center. Brazilians eat them for breakfast,

Most of the world thinks of avocado as savory, but in Brazil it is treated like any other sweet fruit. Vitamina de abacate is a thick, creamy shake of ripe

Mingau is the warm, spoonable porridge that Brazilian grandmothers make for breakfast, for supper and for anyone feeling under the weather. This version is

Brazilians stir a spoonful of requeijão, a soft and spreadable cheese, into almost everything, and scrambled eggs are no exception. It melts into the eggs

Cuscuz nordestino is the golden steamed cake that starts the day in homes across Brazil’s Northeast. It is loosened with a fork, crowned with butter and se

In Brazil’s Northeast, tapioca is a chewy, folded crepe cooked on a hot pan and filled with anything from cheese to coconut. Street vendors called tapioque

Misto quente means hot mix, and it is Brazil’s answer to the grilled ham and cheese. Padarias and lanchonetes press it in a hot sandwich iron until the bre

Pão na chapa is the simplest and most beloved breakfast in any São Paulo padaria: a split bread roll pressed onto a hot griddle with plenty of butter until