Learn about the 14 Best Eats and Treats to Try in Rio De Janeiro that the locals love!
Brazil is known for being a country full of immigrants, so it is not a surprise that the best Rio De Janeiro foods are a melting pot of many different culinary styles and influences. From European to African to Asian influences, Rio de Janeiro is a huge city of 7 million people, which means you will be able to find a variety of amazing foods, from cheap street food to expensive gourmet!
I traveled to Rio de Janeiro by myself for the purpose of seeing the Christ the Redeemer statue. Since I was there checking off my 7 Wonders list, I was expecting the statue to wow me. Instead, I surprised by the tasty authenticity of the Brazilian foods!
Even though I speak some Spanish and everyone else speaks Portuguese, you are able to get around with limited English and Spanish. The locals didn’t speak English, but you can figure out your way in local restaurants with a few key phrases!
Rio De Janeiro Food
Out of all the places I’ve traveled, Rio has some of the best mix of every type of authentic cuisine from all over the world. Did you know Brazil had Asian influences in their food? It was a nice surprise for me with my Asian background! Read below in the section about the many influences of African, European, Asian and indigenous influences for Brazilian food!
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14 Best Rio de Janeiro Foods
Brazil is a country that produces a great deal of meat. The main difference between U.S. and Brazil-produced beef is that U.S. is mostly grain-fed, and Brazil is grass-fed. In my opinion, their quality and price of beef is much better than ours in the U.S. and you can taste it when you bite into their steak!
Visit Rio de Janeiro and experience the 14 best local Rio de Janeiro foods:
1. Feijoada
Pronounced fay-jwah-dah, Feijoada is considered the national dish of Brazil. The origin story goes back to the Brazilian slaves who put together straps of food to make a stew. However, recent historians believed that the dish actually came from European settlers to help keep the cost low.
Feijoada name comes from the word bean, which of course is a main ingredient of the dish. Feijoada consists of black beans, beef, and pork that is stewed for a long period. Also this famous national dish is served with rice, kale, crispy pork crackling and with a side of orange slices for digestion.
Where To Find It: Casa da Feijoada
2. Acai
Acai is a Brazilian fruit now made popular in the U.S. with the famous Acai bowls. Little did we know that it Acai Bowls has been a staple of Brazilian culture for many years. The fruit is harvested in abundance from the Amazon River Basin Brazil, but only in the 1970s did it go from Amazon to other parts of Brazil. Not surprisingly, you’ll find Acai bowls everywhere in Rio, topped with a combination of strawberries, banana, berries, coconut flakes and granola.
Where To Find It: ASA ACAI
3. Pão de queijo
The Brazilian cheese bread originates in Minas Gerais, and are served as small little balls as a breakfast or snack. Since it is inexpensive and you can purchase it from street vendors, you can find it in many restaurants and vendors. It is unique in that it is made of cassava flour and it is chewy on the inside and has a crunchy texture on the outside.
Where To Find It: Cultivar Brasil
4. Brigadeiros
The most popular Brazilian sweet and dessert, Brigadeiros are everywhere! You can find them at every special occasion from weddings to graduations, or just an afternoon snack.
A background story on the name — there was a Brazilian aeronautical candidate for Presidency of Brazil by the name of Eduardo Gomes. During the time of his campaign, Eduardo had many female followers who found him “handsome and single”. So these women decided to distribute these sweets at campaign parties that they called “Brigadeiros”.
Where To Find It: Brigadeiros do Tuiter
5. Churrasco
Churrasco is a Brazilian style BBQ where a variety of meats are roasted on a large metal or wooden skewer. In addition, the BBQ can be roasting a variety of meats from beef, pork, lamb or chicken.
Churrasco is served immediately to you at the table on the skewer. The servers bring you a large stick of meat and they cut off the meat in front of you directly fresh off the roast. Certainly, this is an experience not to be missed as it is all you can eat! Traditionally, Brazilian only seasoned their meat with salt, then let it marinate for 30 minutes before roasting it over the fire.
Where To Find It: Churrascaria Palace
6. Moqueca
Moqueca has a long history of originating from the coast of Brazil over 300 years ago. The dish is a seafood stew with a shrimp or base with added ingredients like tomato, onions, garlic and lime. Similarly like many dishes in Brazil with mix cultures, this dish is cooked in a clay pot that has a blend of Africa, Portuguese and indigenous cultures. There are two types of Moqueca:
- Moqueca baiana. From the state of Bahia, this moqueca uses a broth of coconut milk and dendê oil (aka red palm oil), which signifies African influence.
- Moqueca capixaba. This version of Moqueca is from the state of Espírito Santo. It doesn’t have coconut milk and tastes milder and in flavor. It uses olive oil.
Where To Find It: Bira Restaurante
7. Coxinha
Coxinha is one of the most popular street foods in Brazil that originated from São Paulo in the 19th century! It is a crispy ball filled with chicken, meat and cream cheese that is then breaded and deep-fried. Also it is intentionally made into a shape of a drumstick. Coxinhas are served pretty much everywhere from cafes to barriers to street vendors and restaurants. In addition, coxinhas has a crispy crust with a creamy inside of chicken and cheese with onion, garlic, cilantro no and lime. You can eat it with some hot chili sauce or garlic mayo!
Where To Find It: Casa Cave
8. Filé Oswaldo Aranha
This is a Brazilian filet that has an abundant amount of fried garlic on top of the steak, served with white rice and far off on the side. Evidently, the dish is named after Oswaldo Aranha, who asked for his steak with a large side of fried garlic at the restaurant called Cosmopolita in Rio. Eventually the dish became so popular that they added the dish to the menu.
Where To Find It: Cosmopolita
Street Foods in Rio de Janeiro
Don’t miss these amazing street foods you can find in street vendors of Rio! Despite all that is offered already by Rio, you can head to Copacabana beach or Ipanema beach to find street foods at the vendors along many tourist beaches.
- Empanadas. Everyone loves a good empanada! This dish is a fan favorite. It is a fried pastry filled with assorted meat or veggies in the shape of a half circle or rectangle. As some people may know, their origins are from Portugal and Spain. Who doesn’t love a good empanada?
- Coalho. This is a roasted cheese on a stick! What in the world! Nonetheless, it is so darn good!
- Bolinho de bacalhau. These are codfish cakes, which is a fried pastry made of cod, onions, potatoes and spices.
- Tapioca. Not the tapioca balls the way we think in the U.S., but rather they are small tortilla-looking breads that are made of tapioca starch! It almost looks like little crepes that can be sweet or salty, topped with things like cheese or condensed milk. Altogether, you can’t go wrong with some yummy carbs with sugar!
- Pastel. This food looks similar to an empanada and is similar in the sense of a fried pastry with varies fillings. However, the main difference is the pastel is more crispy and flaky in the outside texture, while the empanada is made of a thicker dough. It will crumble in your mouth.
- Cachorro Quente. A Brazilian style hot dog with tomato sauce, ketchup, corn, cheese, bacon, mayo, and shoestring potato sticks, AKA. Batata Palha. This hot dog is kinda wild for Americans since it involves corn on your hot dog.
Book my favorite food tour here to experience many of the delicious foods!
Best Time to Visit Rio de Janeiro
April through September months are probably the nicest temperatures to visit, with least amount of rain from May to August. The temperatures are between 65-85 degree F from April to September, with the coolest time in June and July. However, Rio doesn’t get over 90 degrees even in its hottest times in January, even though it may be rainy. The temperatures are pretty nice all year round if you don’t mind the hotter temperatures!
Influences of Brazilian Food in Rio de Janeiro
Brazilian food is a product of 3 major influences: African slaves, Portuguese colonizers and indigenous people. Nonetheless, here is some history and background about these different cultures influences in the foods you may be trying in Rio de Janeiro!
Indigenous influence
Tupi and Guarani tribes were some of the original inhabitants and a lot of the most popular dishes stemmed from their method of cooking. The indigenous people harvested corn, beans, and cassava. Also, they picked fruits like Acai and guava, and roasted meat over the open fire which is now what we know as churrasco. In addition, they also hunted fish that are native to the Amazon basin.
Portuguese influence
In 1500, Pedro Alvarez sailed from Portugal and landed in Brazil, making it the first European settlers. The Portuguese colonizers came over with sugarcane and coffee, along with Olive oil, wine, cinnamon, cloves and dairy products. On top of that, the settlers also brought over cooking techniques such as preserving meats which helped shape the national dish of Feijoada.
African influence
Brazil had millions of slaves from the slave trade in the 16th century that helped with Brazil’s sugar plantations. The slaves introduced palm oil, black-eyed peas and certain spices. In addition, two dishes with African influence are Vatapa and Acaraje, with Vatapa made of palm oil and Acaraje with palm oil.
The dish of Moqueca is rooted in African influence, especially in Bahia, where this fish and seafood stew dish is popular in the region.
European and Asian influences
In the 19th and 20th century, Europeans and Asians started immigrating to Brazil, bringing them a new host of cultures to add to already the melting pot of Brazilian fusion food! Not surprisingly, the Japanese brought sushi, Italians brought pizza and Germans brought sausage and beer.
FAQS
All you want to know about Rio de Janeiro’s delicious foods answered below!
What is the main dish of Rio de Janeiro?
Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil, although Coxinha is a close second to the hearts of many Brazilians.
Feijoada has origins in the country of Portugal, so it isn’t just found in Brazil. It is also popular still in Portugal and other former colonies such as Macau, Angola, Mozambique and Goa.
Feijoada is often eaten with family or group of friends over the weekend. It is a type of comfort food that needs to be eaten slowly due to its large size. In Rio de Janeiro, it is often eaten on Wednesdays during lunch break since Wednesday is mid-week and almost over! Many restaurants in Rio call Wednesdays “Feijoada Day”.
In Rio, popular places for Feijoada are Casa da Feijoada in Ipanema and Bar Mineiro in Santa Teresa.
What are the top 3 foods of Rio de Janeiro?
Believe it or not, steak and fries is pretty popular in every restaurant and it’s SO good! For some more specialities, Feijoada is obviously the national dish that you must try. Coxinha and Brigadeiros are also Brazilian staples you should try when in town!
What is the most eaten food in Rio de Janeiro?
In addition to the national dish of Feijoda, beans, rice and root vegetables like cassava and yams are going to be a part of whatever main dishes you order. It will be white rice with black beans. In terms of fruits, tropical ones like açaí, papaya and guava will be popular flavors.
What is the most popular drink in Rio de Janeiro?
Caipirinha! This is Brazil’s national cocktail, and it is made of cachaca, sugar and lime. Cachaca is a sugarcane hard liquor. You can find this drink in most bars and restaurants and, believe it or not, it has even been known to be used to aid for the common cold.
Is food cheap in Rio De Janeiro?
For U.S. citizens traveling to Brazil, it can be quite a special deal to eat there since the exchange rate is in our favor. For instance, 1 dollar is to 5BRL. A fancy steakhouse where a steak is $89BRL is the equivalent to $16 USD.
What food do they eat in Rio de Janeiro Carnival?
You’ll find that attendees of the carnival are eating street foods that are easy to carry around. Foods like coxinhas, brigadeiros, churros, and pão de queijo!
Summary
Brazilian food has so much local flavor and culture that you need to make it a top priority when traveling there. In fact, I thought the food experience was even better than seeing the Christ the Redeemer statue.
Lastly, the national food of Feijoada and national drink of Caipirinha is just a starting point to try delicious flavors with a familiar taste!