The Best Things I Ate and Drank During Carnaval in São Paulo
Photo by Ferran Feixas/Unsplash
Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro may be one of the most-hyped parties on the global stage, but Rio is far from the only city in Brazil to experience this wild, sun-drenched summer festival. I spent the week of Carnaval in São Paulo, Brazil’s (and the southern hemisphere’s) largest city, and I can truthfully say that I’ve never experienced a city-wide party so incredibly colorful, friendly, creative and downright fun. We skipped the parades and instead bounced from one bloquinho—a neighborhood block party where partiers walk, dance and drink up and down a central street—to the next.
At the bloquinhos themselves, food mostly seemed to serve a functional purpose to prevent partiers from succumbing to the effects of the scorching hot sun, excess substance consumption and occasionally crushing crowds, although I sipped on several particularly enjoyable drinks during the parties. The best food I tried was in the quieter moments between bloquinhos, where I was graciously invited into people’s homes or visited calm cafés in those sacred moments of party reprieve. The following are the dishes and drinks that particularly stood out to me during this stunning, electrifying whirlwind of a week.
Maracujá
Before I’d ever visited Brazil, I hated passionfruit (maracujá in Portuguese). To me, the fruit mostly seemed to consist of sandy, gritty seeds covered in a particularly thin layer of bitter-tasting fruit. But maracujá, being native to southern Brazil, is obviously much tastier there, and the intensely acidic fruit in its natural habitat is now one of my all-time favorite foods. Before making my way to the city of São Paulo, my friends and I spent a week in the oceanside city of Ubatuba, also located in São Paulo state, where I ate what seemed like pounds of juicy, perfectly ripe maracujá for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and occasionally in caipirinhas, classic Brazilian cocktails made with deceivingly strong cachaça).
Moscato from Era Dos Ventos
Although Brazil’s wine scene may be overshadowed by Chile, Argentina and even Uruguay in South America, I truly believe some of the continent’s most creative winemaking is centered in this country. A great example of this creative winemaking is this truly delicious Moscato from winemakers Luís Henrique and Talise Zanini of Era Dos Ventos. This full-bodied Moscato, despite its notes of honey and peach, is quite a bit drier than you might expect from a Moscato. With striking acidity and a long finish, this white wine stood up well to the thinly sliced, well-salted picanha my friend grilled for us.
Tomato and Onion Spread
At the same barbecue where I sipped the Moscato mentioned above, the hosts broke up rich, juicy cuts of meat with various Middle Eastern-inspired dips and spreads, which are classics, they said, due to the Lebanese influence immigrants have had on São Paulo. This tomato and onion spread, filled with roasted vegetables, garlic and a more-than-generous drizzle of olive oil, was perfect when served on crusty pieces of bread, casually ripped from the loaf and dipped in the succulent tomato juice.
