Caipirinhas

Caipirinhas, not routinely found on the menus of British cocktail bars, are the national drink of Brazil. They are found everywhere from classy cocktail bars to beachside huts with plastic chairs, and can cost anything from £2 to £20 accordingly. They are made by muddling chopped lime with cachaca (a sprit distilled from sugarcane) and shaking the mixture over a glassful of crushed ice.

We mostly drank caipirinhas in plastic cups from beach huts or street stalls in Lapa, where you got a lot of cachaca for your money, but we did have the occasional posher one, notably in Garota de Ipanema in Rio and Veloso bar in Sao Paulo. My parents even found a restaurant in Rio where they came with a lime ice lolly in the glass, but they frequented classier establishments than we did. 

They are extremely refreshing, very moorish and dangerously drinkable. The bittersweet taste masks the burn of the alcohol, and if you aren't careful things can get messy.....

Kate

Rio de Janeiro

Five days ago we landed in Rio and started our 151 day trip around the world. We've had a wonderful time finding what Rio has to offer in terms if food and drink,  as well as soaking in the amazing views and basking in the sun,  often all three at once.

The food in Rio is essentially international.  I don't think there is a world cuisine you wouldn't be able to find if you suddenly got a craving.  Whether it is sashimi,  or authentic Parisienne pastries,  Rio can cater for it.

There are of course traditional Brazilian dishes,  the ones that stuck in my mind are feijoada, meat stuffed pastries and churrascaria.
Feijoada is a pork and bean stew.  We age ours at a restaurant on Copacabana on Saturday,  the day on which it is traditionally eaten.  It came in a large heavy pot,  and was accompanied by fried pork belly,  rice and slices of orange.  We ate the orange before the stew came,  and later found they were supposed to be put on top of the stew.

The various pastries available on every street puts the north of England to shame.  Stuffed with meat,  chicken or cheese they make a perfect snack. A Churrascaria is a restaurant that serves copious amounts of char grilled meat,  all directly to your seat.  After paying a set cover charge,  and paying what in my case was a token visit to the salad bar (which is amply stocked with seafood and fish as well as veg)  the meat marathon begins.  Waiters with meat on an array of spikes and trays walk by your table and offer you the meats.  Many times I thought I was full and finished only to have a beautifully cooked piece of meat brought to the table,  and seconds later I found myself finding just a little more room.

Unfortunately,  partly doe to Rio's reputation I didn't have my camera for most of the food we had in Rio.  Hopefully ill have more from the Amazon, where we are headed next