16 January 2010

christmas in brasil


clarissa and i spent the winter holidays in brasil with her family in rio grande do sul, home to the gaucho.  besides solving sudoku on the beach, i ate lots of churrasco; churrasco is a form of BBQ where all sorts of meat can be enjoyed after slow roasting over charcoal.  it serves as the hub for social life in this southern most state.  the meat can take various forms: chicken, steak, sausage to name a few. restaurants will offer other exotic options such as crocodile, ostrich, and buffalo.  this year, i even tried chicken heart (see picture above).

as in the US, most of the gaucho men pride themselves on their BBQ skills.  the meat is carefully seasoned, usually with rock salt, and then skewered.  suffice it to say, i had my fair share of meat to last me several months!  a vegetarian gaucho is a rarity in this part of the country.