I Brazilian Film Week

Brazilian movie lovers! Get ready for four days of Brazilian Seventh Art! The Embassy of Brazil organized, in collaboration with Ms. Ilda Santiago, the artistic director of Rio International Film Festival, the First Brazilian Film Week. The festival will take place in Washington, DC, at the Greenberg Theater, from November 15th through 18th. Admission will be free, and on a first-come, first-served basis. So, get there early!! Show times can be checked at the site of the Embassy of Brazil.

And for the fans of Brazilian actors and directors, there is an extra reason not to miss this event: most of the films will be presented to the public by some of the Brazilian stars. So, get your camera ready!

I took a look at the movies that will be on the big screen and I am very curious about the short movie "Yansan". It is a Manga cartoon about Yansan, the orixá of the wind and storms, and her love adventures with two other orixás, Xangô and Ogum. Can you imagine an African myth told by Brazilians in a Japanese cartoon? This could only happen in a creative Brazilian mind!!

I hope to be one of many people seating with a popcorn bag in one hand and a can of Guaraná in the other, enjoying the sounds, colors and inventiveness of Brazil! And with luck, you will be there by my side!

Rosa Passos at Blue Note, New York

If you are in NY or in a short distance from the Big Apple, you can't miss Rosa Passos' concert at Blue Note this weekend (Nov 2 - 4). I will certainly be there. Not only to see this wonderful Brazilian singer but also to see my cousin, Paulo Paulelli that plays the bass in her band. You can listen to him by clicking in "I'm all ears" on the bar on the right side. He is playing a song composed by my father, Messias Santos Jr., also a musician and arranger, who played with João Gilberto among other famous Brazilians.

I have been in one of her concerts before and I simply loved her band. They are all very talented musicians. For those who are bossa nova or jazz fans, this is a must see concert! Have I mentioned she also plays beautifully the guitar? So, check this video out!

Rosa Passos

[via FoxyTunes / Rosa Passos]

Brazil on Travel Channel

Samantha Brown, the host of "Passport to Europe", "Great Vacation Homes", and "Great Hotels", on Travel Channel, has a new series: "Passport to Latin America". What a life! Traveling to the most beautiful and interesting places on Earth, staying in the best hotels, eating delicious exotic food! She is a lucky girl! Well, she is more than lucky, she is really talented. I love her shows. She and her crew just won an Emmy for "Outstanding Lifestyle Directing" for "Passport to Europe".

"Passport to Latin America" will show Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Honduras, and Uruguay. Guess what will be on the screen tonight? My hometown, Sao Paulo! She will show that market I told you about in my first post here, the "Mercado Municipal de Sao Paulo" and will eat that yummy bologna sandwich I drooled for while writing about it. So, don't miss it! Tonight at 8:00 PM. Check the schedule for other destinations. Rio de Janeiro will be on the screen on my birthday, July 4. What a present!!

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Image

Samantha Brown - Source: (http://travel.discovery.com/tv/samantha-brown/bios/samantha-brown.html)

Seu Jorge so close to me!!

Seu Jorge

[via FoxyTunes / Seu Jorge]

I am a fan of Seu Jorge. He has a wonderful deep voice that really touches my heart. And I like his lyrics too. First time I noticed him was in the movie "Cidade de Deus" (City of God), directed by the talented director Fernando Meirelles. In "Cidade de Deus", Seu Jorge was Mané Galinha (Knockout Ned), who had his girlfriend raped by the ultra-violent Zé Pequeno (Little Joe), who also massacred Mané Galinha's family. After the episodes, Mané Galinha begins a plan to destroy Zé Pequeno. Yeah, I know, too much violence. But if you have a strong stomach, I recommend the movie to see the social discrepancies that unfortunately we still witness in Brazil. Seu Jorge also had a participation in the movie "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", directed by Wes Anderson, with one of my favorite actors and actresses, Bill Murray and Cate Blanchet, respectively. In "The Life Aquatic", Seu Jorge plays some songs of David Bowie.

As Mané Galinha from Cidade de Deus, Seu Jorge also has a poor origin. But instead of moving into a violent path, he found strength in music to fight against violence and has succeeded. His interesting life history is shown in the documentary "Moro no Brasil", written and directed by Mika Kaurismäki. You should check this documentary out. It shows the great diversity of Brazilian music. Besides Seu Jorge, the documentary shows the "Velha Guarda da Mangueira", a group of older people from one of the most important and traditional groups of Carnival in Rio, and other people of significant importance to the Brazilian music in Pernambuco and Bahia, like Margareth Menezes. If you live in the US, Netflix has this documentary as well as "Cidade de Deus" and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" to rent.

But I'm not here to talk about movies now. I'm here to tell you that Seu Jorge will perform really really close to my home. I can't wait to see him. And as a bonus, I will also listen to the Cape Verdean singer, Cesária Évora. Both will be performing this Friday, June 22, at Wolf Trap, Filene Center, in Vienna, VA, at 8:00 PM.

Cesaria Evora (iii)

[via FoxyTunes / Cesária Évora]

If you live nearby, don't miss this concert! Two great voices singing in Portuguese! If you can't be there, enjoy this video with Seu Jorge and Ana Carolina, two beautiful deep voices together.

ANA CAROLINA E SEU JORGE - É ISSO AI

[via FoxyTunes / Seu Jorge]

Beautiful voices!

Ivete Sangalo e Rosa Passos || Dunas

[via FoxyTunes / Rosa Passos]

I've just found this video in YouTube, with two beautiful voices from Bahia: Rosa Passos and Ivete Sangalo. And the song is gorgeous too! I hope you enjoy it!

And speaking of YouTube, there is a version in Portuguese now! Brazilians will have even more fun with the site now! The link for the Brazilian version is: www.youtube.com.br

Jorge Amado and the food from Bahia

Aí está o prato fino, requintado, da melhor cozinha. Quem o fizer pode gabar-se com razão de ser cozinheira de mão cheia. Mas, se não tiver competência, é melhor não se meter, nem todo mundo nasce artista do fogão. (Era o prato predileto do Vadinho. Nunca mais em minha mesa o servirei. Seus dentes mordiam o siri-mole, seus lábios amarelos do dendê. Ai, nunca mais seu lábios, sua língua, nunca mais sua ardida boca de cebola crua!).

This is an excerpt from the book "Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos" from the Brazilian author, Jorge Amado. For those who appreciate Brazilian culture, this is a must-read book. Jorge Amado was a great storyteller. As a typical baiano, he was sensual and romantic and filled his books with the main dishes of Bahia and other regions from the northeast of Brazil: acarajé, carne-seca, farinha, moqueca, bolo de aipim, pamonha, canjica, and many dishes with dende oil. According to his daughter, Paloma Jorge Amado Costa, when you read the books from Jorge Amado, you learn that food is not only essential to feed your body but also your soul. According to her, food gives you pleasure through your vision, taste, smell, and most of all, it is possible to dream about food.


The book tells the story of Dona Flor, the owner of a culinary school, married to Vadinho, a guy that drinks, cheats and gambles a lot. One day, he finds his destiny: death. Dona Flor marries a more respectable man but for her surprise, one year after Vadinho's death, he returns as a ghost to spice things up. Since Dona Flor owns a culinary school, you find in this book some recipes from Bahia. In the excerpt above, after giving a recipe of "moqueca de siri-mole" (soft shell crab moqueca), Dona Flor says it is a fancy dish and the ones that can make it can be proud of themselves. She also says it was Vadinho's favorite dish. In a very sensual way, she remembers how he appreciated her dish and complains about the fact she will never feel his mouth again.

If you want to know the secrets of Dona Flor's cuisine, what happens when Vadinho comes back to her life and how is the baiano's life style, order this book at Livraria Cultura. Don't be sad, if you cannot read in Portuguese and are curious about the story of Dona Flor and the two men of her life, you can find "Dona Flor and her two husbands" at Amazon.

While you don't have the book in your hands, what about making a "moqueca" with "farofa de dende"? I already posted my recipe of "moqueca" here. So now, get ready for this delicious Brazilian dish: "farofa de dende". Dende oil is a red palm tree oil that is not easy to find in regular supermarkets. But you can find it in some Latin stores, especially the Brazilian ones. You might find dende oil also in African stores but the African dende oil is much stronger than the Brazilian one. For those that are not used to dende oil, I recommend the Brazilian one.

Now that you know what dende oil means, check the recipe for farofa de dende!

Farofa de Dende

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dende oil
• 2 cups manioc flour
  
• 1 large onion, minced
  
• 15 dried shrimps
  
• salt

How to prepare:

1. Soak the dried shrimp in warm water to cover for 15 minutes. Drain and process in a blender or food processor until reduced to small pieces.
   
2. Heat the dende oil in a large skillet over a medium heat.
   
3. Sauté the onion until it is golden.
4. Add the manioc flour and the shrimps, stirring with a wood spoon, to coat completely. Add salt, to taste.
5. Sauté the farofa for 5 minutes until toasted, stirring constantly not to burn.

Tip: Dried shrimp can be found in Asian supermarkets. If you can't find it, you can make the farofa without it. It will still be a delicious side dish for moqueca and other fish and seafood dishes!

Bom apetite!

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Images:
Book: Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (Source: http://www.livrariacultura.com.br/scripts/cultura/resenha/resenha.asp?nitem=1782964)
Farofa de dendê - Picture taken by Cynthia Santos

Fish with farofa

Farofa is lightly toasted manioc flour. Brazilians eat farofa with "churrasco", fish and beans. Manioc is a root present in many dishes of the Brazilian cuisine. I am going to post some recipes with manioc in this blog. Keep checking for them!

For now, just enjoy this video of a very unusual and cute way to give a recipe: singing it! Rita Ribeiro, a Brazilian singer from the State of Maranhão, gives a recipe of fried fish with farofa.

After getting inspired, go find the manioc flour for the recipe of "farofa de dendê" that I will post here soon! You can find manioc flour in the Latin section of super markets or in specialized Latin/Brazilian stores. If there are no Latin stores nearby, you can certainly find it online. When you have your manioc flour, you can make the "farofa de dendê" to serve with the delicious moqueca I posted here! Yummy!

Hélio Oiticica in London

More than 150 works from Hélio Oiticica (1937-1980) will be exhibited at Tate Modern, in London. The exhibition opens tomorrow and will last until September 23. So, if you are going to be in London during this time, don't miss one of the most innovative artists of his generation!

Hélio Oiticica is known from his work "Tropicália", which has inspired the cultural movement called "Tropicalism" that embraces music, plastic arts and cinema. His works have great affinity with modern artists such as Paul Klee and Piet Mondrian.

In the 60's Hélio Oiticica has created "Parangolé", a cape made of a colorful fabric that can have poems written on it or pictures. It can only be revealed through the gestures and movements of the person that wears it. Therefore, the spectator of this work becomes a participant and the "Parangolé" becomes a mobile sculpture!

If you are not in London and can't fly to see the exhibition, get inspired by Oiticica! Give a party where guests can only come if wearing their own "Parangolés"! And since samba was what inspired Oiticica to create the "Parangolé", don't forget to have a good collection of samba music so your guests can dance and show their art!

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Images:
Grande Núcleo (Grand Nucleus) 1960-66, one of a series of dangling mazes through which visitors were meant to wander. (Source: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article1825498.ece)
Singer and composer Caetano Veloso wearing one of Oiticica's capes in 1968 (Source: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article1825498.ece)

A foreign eye on the Northeast coast of Brazil

If you happen to be in the DC area between June 8th-29th, 2007, don't miss the installation of photographic works by award-winning Washington DC-based artist, Anne Pellicciotto, who traveled and lived on the Northeast coast of Brazil for 8 months. There, she captured images of Saudade - reflections of her own longing and that of the people from the Northeast of Brazil, also known as "Nordestinos".

The exhibition will take place at BACI (Brazilian-American Cultural Institute), located at: 4719 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016. The opening reception will happen on Friday, June 8th, between 6:30-8:30 p.m, with live Brazilian music, performed by Gigi Rezende McLaughlin. You can check some of Anne's work on her site, Anne's eye.

Moqueca

The word "moqueca" originates from the Tupi word "moquém", which was a system used by the native Brazilians to cook potatoes and different kinds of meats, especially fish. They wrapped the fish in leaves, put it in a grid made of sticks and grilled it on fire. With time, people stopped grilling the fish on fire and started using the stove. Through the years, moqueca has received contributions from the Portuguese (olive oil) and Africans (dende oil and coconut milk) and has become a typical Brazilian dish.

Nowadays, we have many different kinds of moquecas, depending on the meat used: fish, oyster, crab, shrimp, lobster, ray, etc. The moqueca from Espírito Santo State, called "moqueca capixaba" is different from the moqueca from Bahia State, known as "moqueca baiana". While the latter has dende oil and coconut milk, the first lacks those ingredients and has urucum seeds instead.

I am going to give you here my recipe of "moqueca baiana" made with fish:

Moqueca de Peixe (Fish Moqueca)

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fish (any white fleshed fish like red snapper, grouper or red fish)
  
• 1 lime
  
• 1 small tomato roughly chopped, 2 medium tomatoes sliced into thin rounds
  
• 2 bell peppers (1 green and 1 red) sliced into thin rounds
  
• 4 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  
• 1 small onion roughly chopped, 1 large onion sliced into thin rounds
  
• 2 garlic cloves
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup dende oil
• 1 cup coconut milk
• pickled jalapeños thinly chopped, to your taste
• 2 teaspoons salt

How to prepare:

1. Cut the fish into 2-inch pieces.
   
2. Combine 1 small tomato, 1 small onion, 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 garlic cloves in a food processor and process until pieces are very small. Mix it with juice of 1 lime.
   
3. Cover both sides of the fish with this mixture and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. Use the half of the bell peppers, tomatoes and onions cut into round slices and half of the remaining cilantro to make layers on top of each other in a large saute pan.
5. Cover those layers with the fish and the marinade.
6. Make other layers with the remaining bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and cilantro to cover the fish. Add the jalapeños (I use 1 teaspoon for mild flavor).
   
7. Drizzle everything with olive oil and dende oil. Add coconut milk and 1 teaspoon of salt, stir, cover with a lid and cook over low heat, until the flesh starts to flake, about 20 minutes.
   

Serve this dish with white rice and "farofa de dendê" - soon to be posted here.
Serves 4-6 people.

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Image:
Moqueca, white rice and farofa de dendê - Picture taken by Cynthia Santos

A little bit about the origins of Brazilian cuisine

How far would you go for a different spice on your table? Two blocks? Or would you go overseas to have your favorite spice topping your French fries?

In the early 15th century the Portuguese crossed the seas to have pepper and other spices from India on their table and on the European market. A trip like that in that moment of history was possible because Portugal improved the art of making maps and developed the caravel, a sailing ship also used by the rival of Portugal at that time, Spain.

Can you imagine yourself spending many months on a sailing trip? Wouldn’t you take some of your favorite foods with you? That is what the Portuguese did when preparing the caravels for the trip – supplying the ships with salt, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, cows, pigs, chickens, oranges, spinach, wheat, sugar, cookies, wine and water.

In 1500, on their way to India, the Portuguese, under the command of Pedro Álvares Cabral, accidentally reached a new land, Brazil, which was already inhabited by about 5 million natives divided into several different tribes. Pero Vaz de Caminha, the chronicler of the expedition, described in his letter the first contact between the native Brazilians and the Portuguese. According to him it was an awkward moment because of the differences between the two cultures. The native Brazilians were astonished with the chickens since they had never seen the animals before. Native Brazilians domesticated small animals like capybaras and peccaries and also ate other animals they hunted or fished. The vegetables they ate were basically manioc, corn, peanuts, beans and sweet potato. When offered water brought by the Portuguese, the natives spat it out. You can imagine how bad the water must have tasted having been stored in the ship for so long with no refrigeration! It not only tasted horrible but also had a lot of germs! Because of rotten food and old water kept in their ships many Portuguese got sick or even died during the trip.

In 1510, Portugal conquered Goa, a city in India, and established itself as the main country responsible for trading spices with Europe. At that time Portugal did not have much interest in Brazil since it was making money with the spices from India. But when the competition with rivals from Spain, France and England for the same market increased, Portugal turned its eyes to Brazil. It started exploring a tree called “pau-brasil”, from which a substance was extracted to stain fabrics. In 1516 Portugal initiated the European colonization of Brazil and with that started spicing up the food and culture of that country.




The native Brazilians learned from the Portuguese a taste for salt. The natives started eating more salt not only because it was tasty but also for its quality as a preservative for meats. On the other hand, the Portuguese had to learn from native Brazilians the use of manioc since European wheat did not adapt in Brazilian lands. The manioc flour became part of recipes for cakes and other dishes of Portuguese cuisine.

Another curiosity of the relationship between native Brazilians and Portuguese is that the Portuguese themselves became the food of some native Brazilians. Some of the Brazilian tribes were anthropophagic, which means they ate human flesh. But the natives did not eat human flesh for gluttony. They ate human flesh to obtain the qualities of their enemies. Thus, the native Brazilians never ate cowards. Only brave Portuguese prisoners ended up eaten.

The history of coexistence between Portuguese and native Brazilians is full of conflicts and some collaboration. The natives collaborated in the exploitation of pau-brasil in exchange for cheap European products. When the Portuguese began to learn the anthropophagic habits of native Brazilians, they started distrusting the natives and collaboration between the two people stopped. The Portuguese made the natives their slaves. But the natives fought against their colonizers to the death or ran away to distant locations.

Because it was so difficult to make the natives slaves, Portugal decided to look for slaves in another continent, Africa. African slaves became very important for the economy in Brazil due to the production of sugar cane, a plant introduced to Brazil by Portugal. Sugar was called “white gold” at that time. Unfortunately, African slavery lasted a long period in Brazil, from 1550 to 1888.

Ships coming to Brazil from Africa brought not only slaves but also new food, like: sesame, different varieties of coconut, okra, and different varieties of banana. The Portuguese ships transported some Brazilian food to Africa, like manioc and peanuts.

Despite all the pain caused by Portugal to native Brazilians and Africans they contributed to the transformation of their food habits and development of a beautiful culture, the Brazilian culture, so rich because of its mixture of ethnicities.

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Images
Cloves - Picture taken by Cynthia Santos
Manioc - Picture taken by Valentina (Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/trembom/335580385/)

The beauty of colors and words

One thing that is unforgettable for those that had the opportunity to visit Brazil is the beauty of its colors. They are everywhere: flowers, fruits, birds, butterflies, mountains, sky, sea, people.

For those that have never been there, I have a question for you: what are you waiting for? If you are afraid because of the violence you see sometimes in the media, I need to tell you something: Brazil is much more than violence. And if we think a little bit, violence is everywhere today. Unfortunately there is no more safe place in our planet. So, plan your trip, be cautious as you would be in any big city and have one of the most fantastic experiences of your life. I am sure you will make some Brazilian friends since you will be surrounded by very fun and friendly people.

If you happen to be in São Paulo, don't miss the "Mercado Municipal de São Paulo". It is a market located downtown, founded in 1933. The building is majestic, with 72 colored glass panels showing peasants working on the farms. Your eyes will be constantly stimulated with beauty. The "Mercado Municipal de São Paulo" is well known for exciting not only the eyes but also the tongue of visitors. There you will find fruits from all over the country (and Brazil has lots of different fruits) and from other countries too. You will also find spices, all kinds of meats, seafood, ground coffee, dairy products, breads, tobacco and ice cream. Plan to visit around lunch time, so you can try some specialties. In this huge market, you will find stands that serve bacalao cakes, bologna sandwiches, fresh fruit juices and more. You definitely need to visit if you're in the most cosmopolitan and busiest city of Brazil.

Now, if you happen to be in a more tranquil place, enjoy the colors of nature, get your mp3 player and listen to one of my favorite songs of Caetano Veloso, called "Trem das Cores" and found in his album "Cores, Nomes". I practically see the colors when I listen to it. For those who enjoy Brazilian music, the sound of Brazilian Portuguese and poems, I strongly recommend it. Every time I listen to it, I feel like I am inside Caetano's silver train, taking a trip through the green mountains of Brazil, watching the colorful houses passing by my eyes. I love the way Caetano describes the color of children boarding the train: pomegranate. Isn't it beautiful?

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Images
Toucan - Picture taken by Paulo Albuquerque Filho (Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pantaneiro/424437267/)
Colored glass panel at "Mercado Municipal de São Paulo - Picture taken by Massao (Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/massao/97107410/)