Chapter 7

Dining Out and Going to the Market

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Surveying Brazilian specialties and ordering food and drinks

Bullet Looking at verbs that express eating and drinking

Bullet Getting what you want: The verb quer er

Bullet Asking about your options: The verb ter

Bullet Buying food at supermarkets and outdoor markets

Está com fome? (eh-stah koh-oong foh-mee?) (Are you hungry?) Quer comer? (keh koh-meh?) (Do you want to eat?) Well, se fala (see fah-lah) (they say) that you can’t really get to know a cultura estrangeira (kool-too-rah ehs-trahn-zhey-rah) (foreign culture) until you’ve eaten its comida (koh-mee-dah) (food). This chapter is all about helping you become acquainted with Brazilian cuisine. Find out how to order it, talk about it, shop for it, and enjoy it.

Trying Brazilian Foods

The classic Brazilian comida (koh-mee-dah) (meal/food) is simples (seem-pleez) (basic): a piece of carne (kah-nee) (beef) served with feijão (fay-zhow) (beans), arroz (ah-hohz) (rice), and salada (sah-lah-dah) (salad). Brazilian cuisine gets its inspiration mainly from Portuguese, African, and indigenous culinary traditions. It’s generally not apimentada (ah-pee-men-tah-dah) (spicy) and varies a bit by region.

In this section, I describe Brazilian staples as well as the different types of Brazilian eateries and the food you can find there.

Sampling the classics

Cultural wisdom No dish is more typical of Brazil than feijoada, (fay-zhow-ah-dah), a black bean stew that uses various parts of a pig. Feijoada was first whipped up in cozinhas (koh-zeen-yahz) (kitchens) by escravos (ehs-krah-vohz) (slaves) brought from Africa starting in the 16th century. The escravos were pobres (poh-breez) (poor), and they made sure they ate almost all parts of every animal. Feijoada is traditionally served in restaurants on quarta-feira (kwah-tah fay-rah) (Wednesday) and sábado (sah-bah-doh) (Saturday).

Churrasco (choo-hah-skoo) (Brazilian barbecue) is also popular throughout the country. And you cannot leave Brazil without trying mandioca frita (mahn-jee-oh-kah free-tah), or fried manioc root. Manioc is a slightly sweet root vegetable indigenous to Brazil. Move over French fries, mandioca frita are way better!

A popular Brazilian lunch includes a sanduíche na chapa (sahn-dwee-shee nah shah-pah) (pressed hot sandwich) that combines meat, cheese, and other ingredients in a pão francês (pah-ooh frahn-say-eez) (small baguette), pressed on a hot grill.

Here are some other classic Brazilian foods:

  • açaí na tigela com granola (ah-sah-ee nah tee-zheh-lah koh-oong grah-noh-lah): Amazonian fruit sorbet in a large bowl, topped with granola and sometimes honey, this dish is a favored beach food of Brazilian surfers. Açaí is a small, eggplant-colored berry that’s now available in the United States, too.

  • acarajé (ah-kah-rah-zheh): This popular treat from Bahia state is sold on beaches and on the street and looks like a falafel sandwich. It consists of deep-fried black-eyed-pea cakes filled with a savory paste made from nuts called vatapá (vah-tah-pah), tiny dried shrimp, and diced tomatoes. They usually offer pimenta (pee-men-tah) (hot sauce), which you can add or not. The cakes are fried in azeite de dendê (ah-zay-chee jee den-day) (palm oil).

    Warning Beware the azeite de dendê. It’s very strong and can cause stomachaches for those who’ve never tried it before.

  • coco (koh-koh): Brazilians love coconut. They drink coconut water out of a whole green coconut, through a straw. Vendors chop off a top slice of the coconut with a machete and then sell it for very cheap on the beach and on the street. Coco is also used in lots of main dishes from Bahia state and the rest of the Northeast.
  • coxinha (koh-sheen-yah): Coxinhas are made by mixing flour, butter and seasonings, then shaping the mixture into a teardrop, stuffed with shredded chicken, then fried. You can find this dish at most corner botecos (boo-teh-kooz) (cheap restaurants) (see the section “Bom apetite! Ordering and enjoying your meal” later in this chapter) or bakeries in Brazil.
  • farofa (fah-roh-fah): This is toasted manioc flour sautéed in butter. Sometimes people add bits of fried bacon, onion, or even scrambled eggs. Farofa is served with feijoada or on the side with steak. Mmmm, a not-to-miss item!
  • moqueca (moh-keh-kah): This thick seafood or fish stew from the coast of Bahia state is made with azeite de dendê (ah-zay-chee jee den-deh) (red palm oil) — which can be hard on a stomach that’s unfamiliar with it — and leite de coco (lay-chee jee koh-koo) (coconut milk).
  • pão de queijo (pah-ooh jee kay-zhoh): Pão de queijo is cheese bread that’s sold either as little balls or in pieces the size of a biscuit. This treat is unbelievably delicious and addictive. The warm, chewy bread originates in the state of Minas Gerais but has become popular all over Brazil.

Finding a place to eat

If you want to make plans to grab a bite to eat with your Brazilian friends, you may need to know how to talk about the basic meals:

  • café da manhã (kah-feh dah mahn-yah) (breakfast; Literally: morning’s coffee)
  • almoço (ah-ooh-moh-soo) (lunch)
  • jantar (zhahn-tah) (dinner)
  • lanche (lahn-shee) (snack)

Then it’s time to decide what kind of eatery you want to go to. You can get a refeição (heh-fay-sah-ooh) (meal) at five basic types of eateries in Brazil:

  • boteco (boo-teh-koo): A cheap restaurant serving simple meals where people also go to drink beer or take shots of liquor.
  • padaria (pah-dah-ree-ah) (bakery): At some Brazilian padarias, you can sit down for a meal.
  • lanchonete (lahn-shoh-neh-chee) (casual restaurant, Brazilian-style diner): An informal restaurant — Brazil’s answer to fast food — that tends to be busiest during the lunch hour.
  • restaurante à quilo (heh-stah-ooh-rahn-chee ah kee-loh) (pay-by-weight restaurant): A self-serve buffet where the price of your food is based on its weight in kilos; a delicious, healthy, fast, and cheap option in Brazil.
  • restaurante (heh-stah-ooh-rahn-chee) (restaurant): A traditional dining option, where you gather with friends and family for a sit-down meal that’s served to you by a garçon (gah-sohng) (waiter) or garçonete (gah-soh-neh-chee) (waitress).

Perusing the menu

As in other places in the world, food on the cardápio (kah-dah-pee-oh) (menu) in a Brazilian eatery is likely grouped into the following familiar sections:

  • bebidas (beh-bee-dahz) (drinks)
  • entradas (en-trah-dahz) (appetizers)
  • pratos principais (prah-tohz preen-see-pah-eez) (main dishes)
  • sobremesas (soh-bree-meh-zahz) (desserts)

You may also see the term especialidades da casa (eh-speh-see-ah-lee-dah-jeez dah kah-zah) (house specialties).

If you visit a Brazilian lanchonete, expect the cardápio to offer hamburgers (ahm-booh-gehrz) (hamburgers), sanduíches (sahn-dwee-sheez) (sandwiches), salgados (sah-ooh-gah-dohz) (savory pastries), pratos feitos (prah-tohz fay-tohz) (combo plates, usually consisting of rice, beans, meat, and salad), and sucos (soo-kohz) (fruit juices).

Don’t be surprised to see pizza or sushi — both spelled and pronounced the same in Portuguese as in English — in Brazilian restaurants, especially in São Paulo, where lots of Italian and Japanese immigrants (and descendants of immigrants) live. The robust presence of these populations also means that you can find excellent italiano (ee-tah-lee-ah-noh) (Italian) and japonês (zhah-poh-nehz) (Japanese) restaurantes in São Paulo.

Tip If you want to ask for something specific, say Tem…? (tang…?) (Do you have…?) You can fill in the blank with one of the following words or phrases:

  • algo para crianças (ah-ooh-goh pah-rah kree-ahn-sahz) (something for kids)
  • frango (frahn-goh) (chicken)
  • legumes refogados (lay-goo-meez ray-foh-gah-doos) (sautéed vegetables)
  • massas (mah-sahz) (pasta)
  • peixe (pay-shee) (fish)
  • pratos vegetarianos (prah-tohz veh-zheh-teh-ree-ah-nohz) (vegetarian dishes)
  • salada (sah-lah-dah) (salad)
  • sopa (soh-pah) (soup)

You can also use Tem, from the verb ter (teh) (to have), to ask whether a prato (prah-toh) (dish) contains a specific ingrediente (eeng-greh-jee-en-chee) (ingredient) that you may or may not want.

Here’s how to conjugate ter.

Conjugation

Pronunciation

eu tenho

eh-ooh tang-yoh

você tem

voh-seh tang

ele/ela tem

eh-lee/eh-lah tang

nós temos

nohz teh-mohz

eles/elas têm

eh-leez/eh-lahz tang

vocês têm

voh-sehz tang

Here are some practice questions for finding out more about a dish:

  • Tem carne? (tang kah-nee?) (Does it have meat in it?)
  • Tem frutos do mar? (tang froo-tohz doo mah?) (Does it have any seafood in it?)
  • Tem azeite de dendê? (tang ah-zay-chee jee den-deh?) (Does it have palm oil?)
  • Tem coentro? (tang koh-en-troh?) (Does it have cilantro?)

Bom apetite! Ordering and enjoying your meal

When you’re pronto (prohn-toh) (ready) to pedir (peh-jeeh) (order; Literally: to ask for), you can just say, Quero … por favor (keh-roo … poh-fah-voh) (I want … please).

Remember Quero comes from the verb querer (keh-reh) (to want), which comes in handy in lots of situações (see-too-ah-soh-eez) (situations), not just when tem fome (tang foh-mee) (you’re hungry).

You can use querer at a store to tell the clerk what you want, to tell an amigo (ah-mee-goh) (male friend) what kind of bebida (beh-bee-dah) (drink) you’d like when you’re visiting his casa (kah-zah) (house), or to tell someone about your trabalho (trah-bahl-yoh) (job) or metas para a vida (meh-tahs pah-rah ah vee-dah) (life aspirations).

Here’s how to conjugate querer.

Conjugation

Pronunciation

eu quero

eh-ooh keh-roo

você quer

voh-seh keh

ele/ela quer

eh-lee/eh-lah keh

nós queremos

nohz keh-reh-mohz

eles/elas querem

eh-leez/eh-lahz keh-rang

vocês querem

voh-sehz keh-rang

Soundnative Brazilians often just say Quer? (keh?) (Do you want?) to ask whether you want something. So you can offer your Brazilian colleague a slice of cake by pointing to it and saying Quer? Similarly, Brazilians generally say Vou querer (voh keh-reh) (I will have; Literally: I will want) instead of Quero. But Quero is easier to memorize, and it’s a useful word for many other situations.

You can practice querer with these questions and phrases:

  • Quer um Guaraná? (keh oong gwah-rah-nah?) (Do you want a Guaraná?) (a popular Brazilian soda made from the seeds of the guaraná plant, which is local to the Amazon region and contains caffeine)
  • Sim, quero. (sing, keh-roo.) (Yes, please. Literally: Yes, I want.)
  • Não, não quero, obrigada. (nah-ooh, nah-ooh keh-roo, oh-bree-gah-dah.) (No thanks.)

Tip If the cardápio is too confusing, you may just want a recommendation. Say O que você recomenda? (ooh kee voh-seh heh-koh-men-dah?) (What do you recommend?). If you want to go with what the person recommends, say OK, tá bom (oh-kay tah boh-oong) (Okay, I’ll go with that; Literally: That’s good).

Here are some things you may want to pedir (peh-jee) (ask for) at a restaurante (heh-stah-ooh-rahn-chee) (restaurant) or someone’s casa (kah-zah) (house):

  • sal (sah-ooh) (salt)
  • pimenta do reino (pee-men-tah doo hay-noo) (black pepper)
  • pimenta (pee-men-tah) (Brazilian hot sauce — hot red peppers soaking in oil; Literally: pepper)
  • limão (lee-mah-ooh) (lime)
  • pão (pah-ooh) (bread)
  • gelo (zheh-loh) (ice)
  • azeite de oliva (ah-zay-chee jee oh-lee-vah) (olive oil)
  • vinagre (vee-nah-gree) (red or white wine vinegar)
  • vinagrete (vee-nah-greh-chee) (vinaigrette; made of chopped tomato, onion, and green bell pepper with vinegar — Brazilians put vinagrete on barbecued meat)

If you know a prato has a specific ingrediente that you want retirado (heh-chee-rah-doh) (taken out), say sem (sang) (without) followed by the name of the ingredient, which may be one of the following words:

  • açúcar (ah-soo-kah) (sugar)
  • alho (ahl-yoh) (garlic)
  • cebola (seh-boh-lah) (onion)
  • leite (lay-chee) (milk)
  • maionese (mah-ee-oh-neh-zee) (mayonnaise)
  • manteiga (mahn-tay-gah) (butter)
  • molho (mohl-yoh) (sauce)
  • óleo (oh-lee-oh) (vegetable oil)
  • queijo (kay-zhoh) (cheese)

When enjoying a meal with your Brazilian friends, you may want to use these phrases at the mesa (meh-zah) (table):

  • Que gostoso! (kee gohs-toh-zoo!) (How delicious!)

    É delicioso. (eh deh-lee-see-oh-zoo.) (It’s delicious.)

  • Eu adoro chocolate (or any food you love)! (eh-ooh ah-doh-roo shoh-koh-lah-chee!) (I love chocolate! Literally: I adore chocolate!)
  • Eu detesto ovos. (eh-ooh deh-teh-stoh oh-vooz.) (I hate eggs. Literally: I detest eggs.)
  • Qual a sua comida favorita? (kwah-ooh ah soo-ah koh-mee-dah fah-voh-ree-tah?) (What’s your favorite food?)
  • Está quente. (es-tah kang-chee.) (It’s hot.)
  • Está frio. (eh-stah free-oh.) (It’s cold.)
  • Bom apetite! (boh-oong ah-peh-tee-chee!) (Bon appetite!)
  • Saúde! (sah-oo-jee!) (Cheers! Literally: Health!)

Satisfying your sweet tooth

When you’ve finished your meal and want a bit more time to enjoy the company of your friends or family that gathered with you for your Brazilian meal, be sure to enjoy sobremesa (soh-bree-meh-zah) (dessert). Here are some of my favorite Brazilian desserts:

  • bolo de laranja (boh-loo jee lah-rahn-zhah) (orange-flavored pound cake)
  • bolo de limão (boh-loo jee lee-mah-ooh) (lime-flavored pound cake)
  • musse de chocolate (mooz jee sho-koh-lah-chee) (chocolate mousse)
  • musse de maracujá (mooz jee mah-rah-koo-jah) (passion-fruit mousse)

  • pizza doce (peet-zah doh-see) (pizza with sweet toppings)

    In Brazil, pizza joints usually offer several dessert pizzas. Chocolate e morango (sho-koh-lah-chee ee moh-rahn-goh) (chocolate and strawberry) is an experience not to be missed.

  • pudim de leite (poo-jing jee lay-chee) (flan custard)
  • Romeo e Julieta (hoh-mee-oh ee zhoo-lee-eh-tah) (guava paste with a piece of hard white cheese; Literally: Romeo and Juliet)
  • sorvete (soh-veh-chee) (ice cream)

You may even want a cafezinho (kah-feh-zeen-yoh), a shot of Brazilian coffee served in a tiny cup or glass to go with your sobremesa. In good restaurants, you can ask for your coffee to be sem açúcar (sang ah-soo-kah) (unsweetened). And if you’re in a really decadent mood, you can ask for chantily (shan-chee-lee) (whipped cream) with your coffee.

Cultural wisdom Brazilians usually leave a 10 percent gorjeta (goh-zheh-tah) (tip) at a restaurant, even the simpler ones. Most restaurants include the tip in the conta (kohn-tah) (bill), which says serviço incluído (seh-vee-soh een-kloo-ee-doh) (tip included). If service is terrible, though, you can refuse to pay the extra charge. Sales tax on a conta shows up as I.V.A. (ee-vah).

Buying Drinks

The incredible variedade (vah-ree-eh-dah-jee) (variety) of sucos (fruit juices) that Brazilian eateries offer is my favorite aspect of eating and drinking in Brazil. The average restaurante has between 10 and 20 types of sucos to choose from, and the selection varies depending on the region. Brazilians love their sucos and vitaminas (vee-tah-mee-nahz) (fruity milkshakes/smoothies). Juice bars are everywhere. Rio seems to have one on every block.

Here are the most common frutas (froo-tahz) (fruits) in Brazil. If you want to ask for the fruit in suco form, say suco de … (soo-koh jee …) (juice of …). Just plug one of these fruits into the blank:

  • abacaxi (ah-bah-kah-shee) (pineapple)
  • goiaba (goy-ah-bah) (guava)
  • laranja (lah-rahn-zhah) (orange)
  • mamão (mah-mah-ooh) (papaya)
  • manga (mahn-gah) (mango)
  • maracujá (mah-rah-koo-zhah) (passion fruit)
  • melancia (meh-lahn-see-ah) (watermelon)

Tip Don’t leave Brazil without trying my favorite suco: cupuaçu (koo-poo-ah-soo), a milky white Amazonian fruit with a tangy taste.

Aside from suco, to help you wash down all the wonderful Brazilian food, you may want one of the following bebidas (beh-bee-dahz) (drinks):

  • água sem gás (ah-gwah sang gahz) (still mineral water)
  • água com gás (ah-gwah kohng gahz) (sparkling mineral water)
  • Guaraná Antártica (gwah-rah-nah ahn-tah-chee-kah), (Brazil’s most popular brand-name soda, made from the Amazonian berry guaraná; Antártica is the brand name)
  • Guaraná diet (gwah-rah-nah dah-ee-chee) (diet Guaraná)
  • Coca-Cola (koh-kah koh-lah) (Coke)
  • Coca light (koh-kah lah-ee-chee) (Diet Coke)
  • cerveja (seh-veh-zhah) (beer)
  • chope (shoh-pee) (light draft beer)
  • vinho branco/tinto (veen-yoh brahn-koh/cheen-toh) (white/red wine)
  • café (kah-feh) (coffee)
  • chá (shah) (tea)
  • leite (lay-chee) (milk)

Soundnative If you go to a bar in Brazil, you may notice people saying Mais um (mah-eez oong) or Mais uma (mah-eez ooh-mah) a lot. The phrases mean I’ll have another (Literally: More one).

A note about Brazilian cerveja: Brazilians often joke that beer has to be estupidamente gelada (eh-stoo-pee-dah-men-chee zheh-lah-dah) (stupidly cold). A Brazilian sends back a beer that’s not ice cold. And the only time you can possibly get good cerveja escura (seh-veh-zhah es-koo-rah) (dark beer) in Brazil is during the German beer festival Oktoberfest, held each year in Blumenau (bloo-meh-now), which is in Santa Catarina state (southern Brazil, where many descendants of German immigrants live).

Remember Then, of course, there’s the national drink of Brazil, the caipirinha (kah-ee-pee-ring-yah). It’s made with cachaça (kah-shah-sah) (sugar cane liquor), gelo (zheh-loh) (ice), limão (lee-mah-ooh) (lime), and açúcar (ah-soo-kah) (sugar). You can also order a caipifruta (kah-ee-pee-froo-tah), which is a caipirinha made with a fruit of your choice instead of lime. Or, as is the preference of many Brazilians, you can specify that you’d like a caipiroska (kah-ee-pee-roh-ska) (caipirinha made from vodka instead of cachaça).

Basking in Brazilian Barbeque

You can’t talk about Brazilian food without mentioning the beloved churrascaria (choo-hah-skeh-ree-ah), a Brazilian-style barbeque restaurant that is usually rather fancy. It’s a comer à vontade (koh-meh ah vohn-tah-jee) (all-you-can-eat) affair, and churrascarias are popping up in cities all over the world.

Waiters come by your mesa (meh-zah) (table) with a trolley holding about ten different cortes (koh-cheez) (cuts) of meat or even a whole salmão (sah-ooh-mah-ooh) (salmon) every five minutes or so.

Sometimes you’re given a round card that’s verde (veh-jee) (green) on one side and vermelho (veh-mel-yoh) (red) on the other. When you want to comer mais (koh-meh mah-eez) (eat more), place the card with the verde side up. When you’re satisfeito (sah-tees-fay-toh) (full), be sure to have the vermelho side showing. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to fend off the garçon (gah-sohng) (waiter)!

Here are the typical cortes the garçon may bring by your mesa:

  • picanha (pee-kahn-yah) (rump steak)
  • alcatra (ow-kah-trah) (top sirloin)
  • fraldinha (frah-ooh-jeen-yah) (flank steak)
  • linguiça (ling-gwee-sah) (Brazilian chorizo-style sausage)
  • lombo (lohm-boh) (pork loin)
  • coxa de frango (koh-shah jee frahn-goh) (chicken thighs)
  • peito de frango (pay-toh jee frahn-goh) (chicken breast)
  • coração de frango (koh-rah-sah-ooh jee frahn-goh) (chicken hearts)
  • cordeiro (koh-day-roh) (lamb)

Carne is most often served grelhada (greh-ooh-yah-dah) (grilled).

Cultural wisdom You may wonder what you’re supposed to do with the bowl of yellow powdery stuff that looks like corn meal on your mesa. It’s farinha (fah-reen-yah) (manioc flour). Dip your meat into coarse flour? I personally didn’t like farinha for about a year. But now when I eat a steak without it, I miss this accompaniment. It’s definitely an acquired taste, but once acquired, you’ll find it impossible to viver sem (vee-veh sang) (live without). It gives nice texture to steak.

Vegetarianos (veh-zheh-teh-ree-ah-nohz) (vegetarians), never fear: Churrascarias always have a wonderful salad buffet for you to enjoy.

Mastering Eating and Drinking Verbs

I’ve included the word comida (koh-mee-dah) (food) in this chapter already. It comes from the verb comer (koh-meh) (to eat/to have a meal). Here’s how to conjugate comer.

Conjugation

Pronunciation

eu como

eh-ooh koh-moo

você come

voh-seh koh-mee

ele/ela come

eh-lee/eh-lah koh-mee

nós comemos

nohz koh-meh-mohz

eles/elas comem

eh-leez/eh-lahz koh-mang

vocês comem

voh-sehz koh-mang

Try out these sentences to use comer:

  • Vamos comer. (vah-mohz koh-meh.) (Let’s eat.)
  • O meu cachorro come cenoura. (ooh meh-ooh kah-shoh-hoo koh-mee seh-noh-rah.) (My dog eats carrots.)
  • Como muito. (koh-moo moh-ee-toh.) (I eat a lot.)
  • Ela come pouco. (eh-lah koh-mee poh-koh.) (She doesn’t eat much; Literally: She eats little.)

Next, glance at the verb beber (beh-beh) (to drink). Depending on the context, beber can also specifically mean to drink alcohol, much like when people in the United States say “He drinks a lot” to mean He drinks a lot of alcohol. The Portuguese equivalent is Ele bebe muito (eh-lee beh-bee moh-ee-toh). Here’s how to conjugate beber.

Conjugation

Pronunciation

eu bebo

eh-ooh beh-boh

você bebe

voh-seh beh-bee

ele/ela bebe

eh-lee/eh-lah beh-bee

nós bebemos

nohz beh-beh-mohz

eles/elas bebem

eh-leez/eh-lahz beh-bang

vocês bebem

voh-sehz beh-bang

Here are some basic phrases that use beber:

  • O que você quer para beber? (ooh kee voh-seh keh pah-rah beh-beh?) (What do you want to drink?)

    É preciso beber muita água todos os dias. (eh preh-see-zoh beh-beh moh-ee-tah ah-gwah toh-dooz ooz jee-ahz.) (It’s necessary to drink a lot of water every day.)

Soundnative Brazilians often also use the verb tomar (toh-mah) to mean to drink. It’s okay to use tomar when you’d say to have a drink, as in these examples:

  • Gostaria de tomar uma Coca-Cola? (gohs-tah-ree-ah jee toh-mah ooh-mah koh-kah koh-lah?) (Would you like to have a Coke?)
  • Vamos tomar um drinque. (vah-mohz toh-mah oong dring-kee.) (Let’s have a drink/cocktail.)

Tomar also means to take. Brazilians and North Americans use some of the same expressions that use take:

  • tomar a iniciativa (toh-mah ah ee-nee-see-ah-chee-vah) (to take the initiative)
  • tomar conta de (toh-mah kohn-tah jee) (to take care of)
  • tomar remédios (toh-mah heh-meh-jee-ooz) (to take medicine)

Shopping at the Market

Brazilians shop at supermercados (soo-peh-meh-kah-dooz) (supermarkets), but they also love to buy frutas (froo-tahz) (fruits) and legumes e verduras (leh-goo-meez ee veh-doo-rahz) (vegetables) at feiras (fay-rahz) (outdoor markets), where the food is usually mais barata (mah-eez bah-rah-tah) (cheaper) and mais fresca (mah-eez fres-kah) (fresher). (Flip to Chapter 14 to find out about Brazilian money.)

Cultural wisdom The biggest supermarket chain in Brazil is called Pão de Açúcar (pah-ooh jee ah-soo-kah) (The Sugarloaf), named after the famous rock that distinguishes Rio’s skyline.

Picking up practical items

Here are some items you can buy at a supermercado besides produtos frescos (proh-doo-toos fres-kohs) (fresh food items):

  • adoçante (ah-doh-sahn-chee) (popular sugar substitute)
  • aparelho de barbear (ah-pah-rel-yoh jee bah-bee-ah) (shaving razor)
  • coisas congeladas (koy-zahz kohn-zheh-lah-dahz) (frozen things)
  • escova de dente (eh-skoh-vah jee den-chee) (toothbrush)
  • fralda (frah-ooh-dah) (diapers)
  • legumes enlatados (leh-goo-meez en-lah-tah-doos) (cans of vegetables)
  • massas (mah-sahz) (pasta)
  • papel higiênico (pah-peh-ooh ee-zheh-nee-koh) (toilet paper)
  • pasta de dente (pah-stah jee den-chee) (toothpaste)
  • produtos de limpeza (proh-doo-tohz jee leem-peh-zah) (cleaning products)
  • revistas (heh-vee-stahz) (magazines)
  • sabonete (sah-boh-neh-chee) (soap)
  • temperos (tem-peh-rooz) (herbs and spices)
  • xampu (shahm-poo) (shampoo)

Visit www.paodeacucar.com/ to discover the names of more supermarket items in Portuguese.

Buying produce at an outdoor market

Now check out the feira. Here are some typical verduras (veh-dooh-rahz) (leafy veggies) and legumes (leh-goo-meez) (veggies that grow underground) you can often find at this type of market:

  • abóbora (ah-boh-boh-rah) (pumpkin)
  • batata (bah-tah-tah) (potato)
  • berinjela (beh-ren-zheh-lah) (eggplant)
  • brócolis (broh-koh-leez) (broccoli)
  • coentro (koh-en-troh) (cilantro)
  • couve (koh-ooh-vee) (collard greens or kale)
  • espinafre (es-pee-nah-free) (spinach)
  • feijão (fay-zhow) (beans)
  • pepino (peh-pee-noh) (cucumber)
  • repolho (heh-pol-yoh) (cabbage)
  • salsinha (sah-ooh-seen-yah) (parsley)

Tip Fry shredded couve with garlic and eat it with feijoada, a black bean stew that’s a staple of Brazilian cuisine.

A feira also usually sells some types of fish and meat:

  • peixe (pay-shee) (fish)
  • frutos do mar (froo-tohz doo mah) (seafood; Literally: fruits of the sea)
  • marisco (mah-rees-koh) (shellfish)
  • atum (ah-toong) (tuna)
  • salmão (sah-ooh-mah-ooh) (salmon)
  • camarão (kah-mah-rah-ooh) (shrimp)
  • caranguejo (kah-rahn-gay-zhoh) (crab)
  • lula (loo-lah) (squid)
  • polvo (pohl-voh) (octopus)
  • cortes de carne (koh-cheez jee kah-nee) (cuts of meat)
  • carne moída (kah-nee moh-ee-dah) (ground beef)
  • aves (ah-veez) (poultry)
  • frango sem osso (frahn-goh sang oh-soo) (boneless chicken)
  • frango com osso (frahn-goh koh-oong oh-soo) (boned chicken)

Sometimes a butcher asks whether you want your meat de primeira ou de segunda (jee pree-may-rah ooh jee seh-goon-dah) (highest quality or regular quality). You can answer, de primeira, por favor, or de segunda, por favor.