COOKS TOUR BRAZIL

Brazil's food is a fusion of contrasting influences, including Portuguese, West African, Indian, Dutch, Italian, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese. Indigenous tropical vegetables, fruits and nuts, Mediterranean ingredients and traditional West African foods all feature prominently in the Brazilian cuisine. This book is an account of the author's travels in five different parts of Brazil in search of its authentic food and cooking. He describes the markets, home and restaurant kitchens and the people he encountered. The narrative is interspersed with over 100 authentic recipes, from classic dishes such as the bean stew "feijoada" and the Portuguese savoury pies known as "empadinhas" to lesser known delicacies, including "palmito assado" (baked fresh palm heart), fried fish from Bahia in hot malgueta pepper sauce, and "pato no tucupi" (Amazonian duck soup). The book is illustrated with colour photographs depicting the country, the people and the food.