Ei, pessoal! Hey, guys! Over the past few years, a variety of new dining establishments in which the car itself was the very base of the kitchen took off around the world. These are the food trucks that, appropriating the idea of a refeição rápida e prática (quick and practical meal), have take over the streets, especially in large Brazilian cities. However, the final product is not always cheaper for the consumidor (consumer), since products labeled as “gourmet”, “homemade” or “craft” were the most commonly found food trucks. If you would like to learn a little more about food trucks, unfortunately this article will not help you. But if you want to get to know the mouth-watering Brazilian comida de rua (street food), this is your place. This first instalment of the text will matar a fome (satisfy the hunger) of carnivores, strolling through three of the best known street delights in our country.

One thing is for certain, whether it is the morning or evening, you will find numerous stands, carts or vendors with delicious street food in any town. You probably already know many of them, but not the with the Brazilian twist:

CACHORRO QUENTE | HOT DOG

Cachorro-quente brasileiro (Photo by Claudia_midori on Flickr)

Hot dogs in a bun with ketchup and mustard? That is for amateurs! The Brazilian hot dog is an excess of cores (colors), sabores (flavors) and texturas (textures). Here we go for milho (corn), ervilha (peas), passas (raisins), molho de tomate (tomato sauce), potato chips, Parmesan and, of course, salsicha (hot dogs). In some regions, this delicacy varies in ingredients. In São Paulo state, even purê de batata (mashed potatoes) are quite common, while in Rio de Janeiro it is the ovo de codorna (quail egg) that crowns the sandwich.

HAMBÚRGUER ou PODRÃO | BURGER

Once again Brazil reinvents a fast food classic, overdoing it in all aspects. The Brazilian hamburgers that you find everywhere, consists of a sandwich where portions of everything that is gorduroso (greasy) abounds. There are several types of hamburgers, but the X-tudo is usually the flagship of the house, being assembled with almost all ingredients available. Again, corn, potato chips, azeitona (olives), fried egg, cheese, presunto (ham), chunks of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise and ketchup. Don’t be alarmed if in some regions your X-tudo comes with shredded chicken. An important tip, because of the similarities between the pronunciation of “cheese” and “X” in Portuguese, this letter is placed before the name of the sandwiches to indicate the presence of queijo (cheese).

CHURRASQUINHO ou ESPETINHO | MEAT SKEWERS 

Churrasquinho ou espetinho (Photo by Sebástian Freire on Flickr)

Carne, carne, carne! (Meat, meat, meat!) Whether boi (beef), porco (pork) or frango (chicken), Brazilians love to eat meat at virtually every meal. If churrasco (barbecue) is a national passion, its compact version makes for a more convenient snack. These meat skewers are sold in almost every cities for a very affordable price. And the inventiveness of Brazilians would not leave skewers consisting of only a single type of meat. You can find coraçãozinho (chicken heart), kaftas, linguiça (sausages) and medalhão de frango (thick chunks of chicken wrapped in bacon), usually paired with seasoned cassava flour and salsa.

I don’t know about you, but these tipos me deixaram com água na boca (made my mouth water). Vegetarians, await. There are treats for you as well. Do not forget to leave us a comment!