Coffee! This is a coffee
shop. There is one on almost every corner of every street of every city. Coffee
is also sold by vendors on the street. The whole country smells of
coffee.
Coffee! This is a coffee
shop. There is one on almost every corner of every street of every city. Coffee
is also sold by vendors on the street. The whole country smells of
coffee.
Brazilian coffee is made incredibly strong. It is made by grinding up the roasted beans very finely. It is put in a "sock" with a wooden rim. This is set into a pot, and boiling water is poured over it. The coffee soaks for a few minutes in the hot water, and then the "sock" is taken out. It is never boiled, nor steamed, nor dripped.
It is drunk from very tiny cups. Brazilians stop many times a day to have a blast of coffee. The coffee shops also sell snacks called "salgados". Some are doughy balls, with things in the middle (like fish or cheese), deep fried. I ate a lot of those because they were cheap, but I didn't care for them.
I loved, loved, loved a snack called pastels. They are thinly rolled dough, with cheese and palm hearts inside, deep fried. Oh, yum. I wish I could get some right now!