Manuela’s Aratu MoquequinhaMangue Seco “We are warriors,” Manuela proudly says, representing the fourth generation of her family selling aratu moquequinha on the sands of the paradise-like Mangue Seco. Railda, her grandmother, learned the recipe from her mother, Manuela’s great-grandmother, who had been making it for several decades to sell at the market. “You have to…
Toinha's AcarajéSerra Grande Few people, if any, make acarajé like Toinha in Brazil. The most famous street food in the country, which arrived here with the slaves, is already challenging on its own: bean paste, vatapá, caruru, peppers, all with slow and complex preparation. But Toinha goes further and even makes her own dendê oil.…
Vegan Bobó by Creative CommesSão Paulo For Raquel, food is synonymous with resistance and a tool for occupying public spaces, exchanging affection, and fighting for the end of waste and the democratization of real food. Being on the streets selling her vegan bobó is a form of struggle for her – fighting for the end…
Paulina's BurritoSão Paulo Paulina has traveled halfway around the world, lived in Japan, and visited every country in Europe and the Americas – only El Salvador and Honduras are left, she says – and she knows well what it’s like to miss home. “You can bring your country with you through food, feel its taste…
Don Biondo's CannoliSão Paulo In the most Italian city in Brazil, it’s hard to find the most typical sweet from Sicily, cannoli (plural: cannoli), a tube-shaped pastry filled with ricotta cheese and complemented with candied fruits, chocolate, and pistachios. Luís was one of the first, and perhaps still the only one, to sell this delicacy…
Kurtos by HungariansSão Paulo When you hear about Transylvania, the first thing that comes to mind is Count Dracula. But almost as famous in Eastern Europe as the character from the Irish Bram Stoker is the Kürtős Kalács, a typical sweet from the region (which belonged to Hungary and is now part of Romania), with…
Macondo’s Colombian BarbecueSão Paulo “I’m trying to present the richness of Colombian gastronomy to Brazilians, its mystique, its flavor,” says Jair, a cook originally from Bogotá. Not surprisingly, he named his cart where he serves the Picada, a mix of typical dishes from his homeland, Macondo. The name is a tribute to the small village…
Salteña by BolivianasSÃO PAULO At the Kantuta Fair, also known as the Bolivian Fair, there are more than 90 stalls run by immigrants selling Bolivian and Peruvian food, handicrafts, and other products. Among them, one of the busiest stalls is owned by Dona Florencia and her daughter, Mirian. Customers are drawn by the enticing aroma…
Varenike by RussiansSão Paulo Russians are not only known for vodka, Dostoevsky’s books, and ballet shows. Varenikes (pronounced varênikes), typical boiled pastries filled with potatoes, are another important source of joy in Yuri Gagarin’s land. Raissa and her mother, Olga, can attest to that. In their family home, whose patriarchs came from Ukraine and Belarus…
Laila’s FalafaelSão Paulo Dona Laila is Lebanese, and the first time she came to Brazil was in 1988. She returned in 2006, with Lebanon at war, after her house was bombed, and she lost everything, including loved ones. The beginning here was very difficult, she says; she even went hungry at times. However, with the…
