From the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia comes this delightful spice blend Brazilian Seasoning. Used by Brazilian chefs this blend is complex, distinctive and versatile and is used to season broth, chicken, fish, soups, stews and vegetables. I’ve even used it in my scrambled eggs. It can instantly transform a boring dish into a wonderful flavor experience that you would expect to find in Rio de Janeiro.
Many food trend researchers consider South American cuisine to be “the next frontier” in the constantly evolving palette of American foodies. It makes sense when you look at previous food trends. Americans started with Chinese and before long their tastes buds ventured toward Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. We’ve also watched a natural evolution on this same type of trend from Tex-Mex to authentic Mexican and now even farther south into the largest country in South America - Brazil
There is not an exact single "national Brazilian cuisine", as it varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's mix of native and immigrant populations, and its continental size as well (it’s the 5th largest country in the world). Through the years Brazilian cuisine has been influenced by African and European (especially Portuguese) settlers. This diversity has created a national cuisine that is best known for embracing the preservation of regional differences.
The cuisine of Bahia has been influenced by native Brazilians as well as by African slaves that were brought to the region to work the many sugarcane plantations dating back to the 1500s. African traditions became imbedded in the culture and the food. Some of the more popular ingredients in this northeastern region of Brazil include beans, corn, fish, legumes, manioc (a native tuberous root) and potatoes.
Like many spice blends in various worldwide cuisines they are many versions of Brazilian Blend and these can vary from family to family and chef to chef. Some versions may be a bit tame and others with a spicier kick. Common ingredients include several kinds of pepper, oregano and parsley with some versions having as many as a dozen ingredients.
Our version of Tempero Baiano has a bit of a spicy peppery kick to it and is hand blended from marjoram, Mexican oregano, white pepper, black pepper, nutmeg, basil, red pepper flakes, parsley and bay leaf.
