Brazilians routinely eat some veggies that may be unfamiliar to you: chuchus, maxixe, jiló, fresh hearts of palm (ask for instructions on how to cook them) and mandioca (also called aipim in many places and macaxeira in the Northeast) or manioc root. Be adventurous, ask for some recipes (or print the ones in our website) and don't miss out on some of the most yummy foods in the world!
Brazilian pumpkins (called abóboras in Portuguese) are wonderful. Just look at the photos below and you'll see what I mean. They taste as good as they look, believe me!. They're used as a side dish and also to make a superb dessert called "doce de abóbora," pictured here on the left.
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Spices and Condiments
From the ones you're familiar with like bay leaves to ones you've never seen before, it's a lot of fun to shop at these markets. Try the extremely hot Brazilian peppers called malagueta and pimenta-de-cheiro (left photo below) from the Amazon.
Cookies and Crackers
Depending on where you are you'll see giant bags of cookies that are sold by kilo or grams. For packaged ones, try your supermarket or bakery. I love what Brazilians call "biscoito de polvilho." Savory or sweet, they're light and airy and melt in you mouth.
Chickens, Eggs and Fish
It may surprise you, but these are also sold at street markets, out of refrigerated trucks.
Flowers
Gorgeous and inexpensive (see photo above). Also sold at street corners in Rio and other cities. Not so common in northeastern Brazil. People always take large bouquets home and have them all over the house.
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