Overview

From fish soup to caipirinha, the culinary traditions of Rio de Janeiro come alive in this rich and sumptuous tour of its people and the foods they cook, eat, love, and enjoy. In the last four centuries of its history, the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro created a lifestyle that is unique and has been much admired since the very first travelers published their impressions in the sixteenth century. Indeed, this international hot spot welcomes approximately 1.8 million tourists every year who come to the city to visit, to work, to study, and to eat. It was and it is a place of cultural and artistic creativity, and it has largely kept concealed one of its most interesting cultural traits: its food. Rio de Janeiro: A Food Biography unveils the high quality and variety of Rio’s fresh produce, the special dishes served in parties or at home, and the very traditional ones inherited from the immigrants who made the culture of the city as varied as its food. Starting with a history of the city and its native plants and animals, Marcia Zoladz offers a rich and sumptuous tour of the culture, the people, and the foods they cook, dine on, love, and enjoy. From fish soup to caipirinha, the culinary traditions come alive through an exploration of the festivals, the people, the places, and the hot-spots that continue to draw people from around the world to this world-class destination.

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9781442252318

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Reading Rio de Janeiro: A Food Biography is a delightful discovery of the ways in which immigration and geography have influenced the food culture of the city from the colonial era to the present. Written for a lay audience, Zoladz mixes explanations of culinary influences with favorite Brazilian recipes such as moqueca, feijoada, and bobo de camarao. Readers will also discover lesser-known specialties like kibbeh, an adaptation of a Middle Eastern recipe, and herrings with cream, a dish brought by the Jewish immigrants who relocated to Rio post-World War II. The book is a solid contribution to understanding the ways that patterns of food production, preparation, and consumption come to define place and tie us to our environments. -- Annie McNeill Gibson, Administrative Assistant Professor, Center for Global Education at Tulane University Rio de Janeiro: A Food Biography is a sweeping and engaging history recounting how indigenous and imported food items have shaped what we call Brazilian food. Particularly interesting is how Zoladz examines the different waves of immigration as well as how Portuguese, Middle Eastern, Italian and Jewish cultures influenced the use of now traditional ingredients in Brazilian classics, for which the author also provides recipes. Notably, Zoladz also accounts for the critical impact of slavery and the many Afro-Brazilian culinary traditions that are so foundational for Rio's food culture. -- Elena Shtromberg, University of Utah

Author Information

Marcia Zoladz is a cookbook author and journalist. Her books include Brigadeiros e Bolinhas –and Sobremesas e Doces Brasileiros about Brazilian desserts and sweets, winner of the World Cookbooks Award in the Patisserie and Sweets category, Brazil, 2013. Marcia also writes regularly for magazines in Brazil, Europe, and Angola, Africa. As a food historian, Marcia is an active member of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery in England. Her website is Cozinha da Marcia at www.cozinhadamarcia.com.br.

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