BRAZIL

Chapter 7

The South Region Having

Delicious Barbecue

Hmmm!! The aroma of Brazilian barbecue in the

south region is so mouthwatering that one

could not resist having this scrumptious food

while in this region of the country. One of the

cities of this region, Nova Bréscia is known for

offering the world best barbecue. The city is

also known as the Barbecue capital of Brazil

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which has a statue of a man cooking barbecue in

the central plaza. This fame of the inhabitants

is yielding to a very great tribute to the

barbecue in the city center with this kind of

monument. Barbecue is part of the Brazil's

culture and this is reflected in South of Brazil

with ambiance and savory. Brazilians love to

gather around the grill area and wait for the

perfect meat to get ready. South of Brazil has

a great love for meet and there is history

behind this.

More than 400 years ago cattle ranching was

introduced to Rio Grande do Sul, in the South

region of Brazil. Due to abundance of the

cattles and meat in this area, much of the

cooking was done to barbecue meat on grills.

They called it “Churrasco”, which is Brazilian

Barbecue. Churrasco has a history that began

in the 16th and 17th centuries and spread

throughout all of Brazil in the 1940's as the

Gaúchos spread across the country.

In Brazilian style of barbecue the meat is

coated with salt. Then after around 30 minutes

while meat becomes salty, it is placed over fire.

Later a salt-water baste was used to keep meat

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moist during the cooking. Beef was typically

never seasoned. Poultry and lamb, however are

spiced with a rich marinated for the whole

night before cooking. The meat pieces are

often placed on long barbecue skewers and

cooked in open fire.

Due to this many of the people from this region

have opened restaurants around the world. If

you ever get a chance then we recommend to

try a new style of Barbecue to dine with your

friends and family. You can even experience

this at home as well, while trying all the

recipes.

How interesting!!! Lets move on to know more

about the region as a whole, its culture,

lifestyles, cities, states and much more.

The Region: The South Region of Brazil is one of the five

administrative regions of Brazil. Being the

smallest portion of the country, it occupies

only about 5 per cent of the territory of

Brazil. It is a great tourist, economic and

cultural pole. It borders Uruguay, Argentina,

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and Paraguay as well as the Center-West

Region, the Southeast Region and the Atlantic

Ocean. The region received many immigrants

of Europe during the 19th century, who largely

influenced the demography and cultural

aspects of it. The main ethnic groups of

Southern Brazil are Brazilians of Portuguese,

German and Italian descent.

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Its whole area is smaller than that of the state

of Minas Gerais, in the Southeast Brazil, for

example. It is, however, the Brazilian region

with better quality of life, with the highest

Human Development Index (HDI), with a

largest literate population, with the best

public education and health and lowest crime

rates.

States and Cities:It includes the states of Paraná, Santa

Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

State of Rio Grande do Sul:Rio Grande do Sul or "Great Southern River" is

the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state

with the fifth highest Human Development

Index (HDI) in the country. In this state there

is a city called Bento Gonçalves, which is also

known as the 'wine capital of Brazil', due to its

vineyards and wine production. While there is

another city of Caxias do Sul which is also the

largest wine producing center in Brazil and

these cities provide finest Italian food and

dinning also. Besides the European influence,

the gaúchos, or inhabitants of Rio Grande do

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Sul, strongly cultivate the traditions of the

Pampas — region of the border with Uruguay

and Argentina — such as drinking mate (known

as chimarrão, drunk in special gourd cups),

eating the typical barbecue, known as

churrasco, and the traditional clothes are the

bombachas (baggy trousers), boots and large

hats. Although the majority of the population

dresses non-traditionally, there is a

widespread value for

tradition and culture,

which renders the

image of "cultural

z e a l o t s " . T h e

southernmost state

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of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, shares a cattle

ranch tradition, along with the traditional

gaucho tradition, with neighboring Argentina

and Uruguay. You might visit cattle ranches,

eat barbeque called churrasco and drink

chimarrão, a strong herbal tea, or wine from

one of the local wineries. Besides cattle, the

state is also a great producer of soy, rice,

wheat, and has a very developed industrial pole,

that produces very fine funrnitures, shoes,

chemicals, cars and trucks, and steel.

The capital, Porto Alegre, is a good jumping off

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spot for the state's attractions. For instance,

you can hike, trek and bike on Serra Gaúcha

mountains. Parque Estadual de Caracol has a

splendid waterfall which is easily accessible.

Parque Nacional de Aparados da Serra boasts

great scenery in Itaimbézinho's narrow canyon

and the Canyon da Fortaleza. The park also

preserves one of the last forests of Auracária

trees, something like a very tall pine tree.

State of Paraná:Paraná is a state in Southern Brazil, bounded

from the north by São Paulo, on the east by the

Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina

and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on

the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the

republic of Paraguay, with the Paraná River as

its western boundary line.

Cut by the Tropic of Capricorn, Paraná has

what is left of the araucaria forest, one of the

most important subtropical forests in the

world. At the border with Argentina is the

National Park of Iguaçu, considered by

UNESCO as a World Heritage site and the

spectacle of the Cataratas do Iguaçu attracts

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about 700 thousand tourists per year. At only

40 km (25 mi) from there, at the border with

Paraguay, the largest dam in the world was

built, the Hidroelétrica de Itaipu. Its capital is

Curitiba and it is a famous state because of

Itaipu Dam and the Iguaçu Falls.

Taller than Niagara Falls, twice as wide with

275 cascades spread in a horsehoe shape over

nearly two miles of the Iguaçu River, Iguaçú

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Falls are the result of a volcanic eruption which

left yet another large crack in the earth. The

name of the falls comes from the Guaraní word

for "great water." The first Spanish explorer

to see the falls was Álvar Núñez Cabeza de

Vaca in 1541.

Four times the width of Niagara Falls, Iguaçu

Falls are divided by various islands into

separate waterfalls. One of the best known is

Devil's Throat, or Garganta de Diabo with its

perpetual spray high over the falls. Iguaçu

Falls, called Foz do Iguaçu in Portuguese, and

Cataratas del Iguazú in Spanish, lie on the

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Argentina - Brazil border and are a UNESCO

World Natural Heritage Site.

The best times to see Iguaçu Falls are in the

spring and fall. Summer is intensely tropically

hot and humid, and in winter the water level is

considerably lower. Downstream from the

falls where the Paraná and Iguaçu rivers meet,

so do the borders of Argentina, Brazil and

Paraguay. Each country has created a landmark

in their national colors on a spot in each of their

countries where you can see all three.

The vast power of the falls was not fully

utilized until the construction of the huge

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Itaipu hydroelectric power plant built jointly

by Paraguay and Brazil. Completed in 1991 the

dam is open to tours and provides 12,600,000

KW of power. The dam one of the largest in the

world is touted by both countries as a

masterpiece of technology.

The State Park of Vila Velha near the city of

Ponta Grossa, is another attraction, with great

rocky formations sculpted by the erosion of

rain and wind. Curitiba, the capital, is famous

for its high quality of life, compared to the

Brazilian average, and the Ilha do Mel, next to

the historical Paranaguá, is another

destination for eco-tourists.

Paraná is one of the Brazilian states that show

the most signs of recent European

colonization. Most of the population are

descendants of European settlers, and is one

of the most ethnically diverse. Waves of

European immigrants started arriving after

1850, mainly Germans, Italians, Polish and

Ukrainians. The development of the state is

closely linked to the arrival of the immigrants.

Nowadays, migrants from other Brazilian

states (especially from the São Paulo, Santa

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Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and the Northeast

Region) come to Paraná in search of a better

life.

People of Polish descent predominate in the

central and south regions, mainly around

Curitiba. Italians predominate in the capital,

Curitiba, and in the coast. People of Ukrainian

descent predominate in a few cities, such as

Prudentópolis; many Ukrainians are found

throughout the state. Germans predominate in

a few cities, such as Rolândia. The Portuguese

and their descendants are present in large

numbers in almost all towns.

People of mixed-race ancestry predominate in

a few towns in the north. There is a important

Muslim Lebanese and Syrian community around

Foz do Iguaçu. In the north, Japanese people

are very numerous.

State of Santa Catarina:The state of Santa Catarina in the south region

of Brazil has one of the highest standards of

living in Latin America. Its capital is

Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa

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Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio

Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the

north. It is bounded on the east by the Atlantic

Ocean, and to the west it borders the province

of Misiones, Argentina. Most of its inhabitants

are descendants of Portuguese, German, and

Italian immigrants.

The beaches along the coast of 561 kilometres

(349 mi) are a great attraction for tourists

visiting the smallest state of the South Region.

Florianópolis, the capital, is on an island and is

one of the Brazilian cities that receive the

most foreign tourists.

To the south, Garopaba is the preferred

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destination of surfers looking for good waves.

In the mountain region, São Joaquim is an

attraction during winter because of its low

temperatures. Blumenau, in the interior of

Santa Catarina, is the stage for one of the

biggest events of the country: the

Oktoberfest, a traditional beer party

originated from Germany, that happens in

October. The heritage of the Italian, German

and Portuguese immigrants can be seen in the

architecture and the customs of the state.

Joinville is Santa Catarina's largest city.

Barbecue Food…Many of the People of Italian and German

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descent who immigrated to Brazil inhabit the

South of Brazil. They brought the knowledge

of how to make wine and grow leafy vegetables

with them and those foods are found in this

region's dishes. Another famous food item is

the Barbecue food known as Churrasco.

Churrasco is the Brazilian way to prepare

barbecue; churrasco and churrascarias

(restaurants dedicated to churrasco) can be

found everywhere in Brazil today, but the

tradition is original from the southern States,

notably Rio Grande do Sul; which still

concentrates the best churrascarias in Brazil.

A large part of Rio Grande do Sul is covered by

the pampas, flat lands with a vegetation which

favours the farming of cattle; the gauchos

(designation of the Brazilian cowboys)

developed a particular way to prepare

churrasco: plenty of meat (farmers were more

interested in the skin and the fat from the

animals; there was plenty of meat left to eat),

little condiment (usually only salt, which was -

and still is - important component in feeding

animals), coal oven (wood was found

everywhere, but gas wasn´t), slow cooking

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(gauchos spent long periods away from home,

they were no rushed); to top all this, a fabulous

skill with knives.

Important events (weddings, anniversaries,

football victories) are often celebrated with a

churrasco, which start in the morning and goes

into the night. Popular Foods in this region also

include Arroz Carreteiro - the literal

translation is "Rice Wagoner" or "Cart Riders",

and it is a mixture of meat, rice, tomato, onions

and spices. Others are Barreado - is a very

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popular meat stew that is simmered with spices

for up to 18 hours and then served with rice,

mandioca flour and fried bananas. There are

many pasta dishes as well eaten by the

Brazilians in the South region of the country.

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