Before I left for Brazil, one of my friends (an international student from Sao Paulo) said that “Brazil can do any food in the world better.” I did not try every culture’s cuisine to fully vet that, but the cuisines I did try were quite excellent.

Breakfast

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day (I’m a self-proclaimed brunch connoisseur), so I was really banking on hotel breakfast to carry its weight. I am thrilled to report that Brazilian breakfast does not disappoint. The epicenter of the Brazilian breakfast is a quality cup of coffee. Hot, iced, black, sugary–Brazilian coffee is excellent prepared any way. Pictured above is a cold brew with milk and a croissant with Nutella. Baked goods are also very common for breakfast in Brazil. My go-to hotel breakfast at both the Work Hotel in Sao Leopoldo and the Wyndham in Foz do Iguaçu was a couple mini mugs of black coffee, scrambled eggs, and a few mini pao de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). Although overwhelmingly yellow and brown, this breakfast was still overwhelmingly tasty.

Lunch/Dinner

Because of the rich diversity in Brazil, the food is a really interesting medley of flavors and styles. The first plate pictured is a filet mignon cheesy risotto, and the second plate is Brazilian take on Chinese spicy sweet and sour chicken (was not very spicy, though). My friend’s words were true in the respect that there is really food for everyone in Brazil, and it is all excellent. From pizzas and pastas to steaks and burgers to sushi and poke, there is range at every restaurant.

Dessert

Much like the savory plates, dessert in Brazil also has range. The fruit is Brazil is some of the freshest I have ever tasted. The lemon meringue square pictured on the left and the açaí bowl on the right were easily better than any lemon meringue pie and açaí bowl I have had in the States.

Drinks

As mentioned earlier, the fruit in Brazil is some of the freshest in the world. With this, the fresh pressed juices in Brazil are also some of the freshest juices I have ever had. On the left is abacaxi com hortela (pineapple with mint) juice, and on the right is me sipping on grape juice. In addition to these, the melon, orange, and passionfruit juices are some of the most refreshing and delightful fruit juices as well.

Verdict

Yeah, every cuisine really has a place in Brazil. And yes, it’s all absolutely delicious.