[Brazilian Food] – Caldo de mandioca | Portuguese Language Blog

[Brazilian Food] – Caldo de mandioca Posted by carol on Jun 14, 2017 in Brazilian Profile, Culture, Customs, Vocabulary

[Comida brasileira]

We’re in June! In Brazil this means temperatures are dropping and that it’s time for festas juninas, the popular festivities held esse mês (this month). To get you in the spirit, today we are going to learn a receita (recipe) for caldo de mandioca, a true Brazilian winter meal. It’s very fácil (easy) and simple to make, and within less than uma hora (an hour) you can prepare this conforting, wholesome and heart-warming recipe.

Palavras-chave/Keywords: cozinhar (cooking), comida (food), receita (recipe), prato típico (typical dish)

Caldo is a typical Brazilian dish that is primarily served during climas frios (cold weather). It is like a soup, but more consistent and thicker. There are many types of caldo; caldo verde (with potatoes and kale), caldo de feijão (with beans), caldo de mandioca and many others.

The many types of ‘caldos’
(photo by Pátria Minas Restaurante)

Mandioca may have many names, depending on the region you’re in. Also known as aipim and macaxeira, the tuber – called cassava or manioc in English – is a major staple food in the country and is widely used in culinary.

The ‘mandioca’
(photo by viajandonomundo)

Find the recipe below. First, you’ll have the list in Portuguese. Read it carefully and see if you can identify any of the words and then check the translation in English (remember that in Brazil we adopt the metric system for units of measure, so quantities come in quilos – kg).

Ingredientes

1kg de mandioca picada
500g de carne seca picada
1 cebola média picada
Sal/ Pimenta
Cebolinha
Uma colher de azeite
2 dentes de alho
2 tomates sem sementes

Modo de fazer

Cozinhe a mandioca com sal até que fique macia
Leve ao liquificador e bata com a água do cozimento e o tomate até que atinja a consistência de um creme homogêneo
Em uma panela, refogue a cebola, o alho e a carne seca
Acrescente o creme de mandioca e misture tudo
Decore com a cebolinha e sirva com pão

Version in English:

Ingredients

1kg of peeled and chopped manioc
500g of minced dried meat
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt / Pepper
Chive
A spoonful of olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 tomatoes without seeds

Directions

Cook the manioc with salt until it’s soft
Blend the manioc with the cooking water and the tomato until it reaches the consistency of a smooth cream
In a saucepan, saute the onion, the garlic and the dried meat
Add the manioc cream to the saucepan and mix everything together
Garnish with chives and serve with bread