After arriving in the city of Curitiba in southern Brazil, my first order of business was finally trying some Brazilian barbecue! Join me and my friends as we enjoy some authentic Brazilian fogo de chao in Curitiba!
My friends Guilherme and Rafa from Rio4Fun and Rio4Food and I started our Brazilian barbecue adventure at Rosa Brasil, a family-owned restaurant about 20 minutes outside of Curitiba. Fogo de chao is a type of barbecue where the meat is cooked vertically over ashes for eight hours. I was hungry and super excited, even though it was super rainy and wet out!
We could see massive beef ribs cooking over the ashes, as well as chicharrones (pork skin) and more. The meat looked so salty. You can eat it with rice, beans, casava, sausage, mashed potatoes, salad, yucca, watermelon, and more. It’s all traditional Brazilian comfort food!
The restaurant was packed inside, with only a few people outside because of the weather. We decided to eat outside. Outside, I tried some young and fruity Brazilian merlot. Brazil produces a lot of wine, but they just don’t export it. Brazil won a competition for their white wine back in 2016!
I met the owner, Andrew just before our barbecue feast, which would only cost us R$ 64.90, or roughly $12 USD, for unlimited food! Drinks are extra, and everything is basically buffet-style. I got a little bit of rice, black beans, pancetta (pork), and yucca because I wanted a lot of meat!
The pork belly had a lot of meat and fat on it, and the skin was nice and crispy. It was so big, juicy, and chunky and very different from the kind I eat in Miami. It blew my socks off! Then, I tried some grilled pineapple, which was smoky, juicy, and spongy. The bromelain in it aids in the digestion of meat!
The rice contained bits of rib and was super tasty. I also loved the caramelized pumpkins with the ribs and farofa (manioc flour) as well. It was such an incredible combination! It was sweet, crunchy, oily, salty, and juicy. The pumpkin was the best!
I also loved the vaca colada, which is a mixture of beef, yellow peppers, red peppers, and potatoes. It was the best beef I’ve ever had and was so insanely tasty and full of mouthwatering textures!
The ribs were also incredible, with tons of meat and gelatinous fat. I couldn’t believe how good it was! They were some of the best ribs I’ve ever had in my life. They were smoky, salty, and crunchy and were perfect for the cold, rainy weather.
Then, I started mixing the rice, beans, and farofa together before Guilherme and I went for another round of ribs. It was full of different textures—crispy and salty skin, gelatinous fat, and meaty muscle. The meat right next to the bone was the best! I was in Brazilian fogo de chao heaven!
There are huge Argentine and Uruguayan influences in the food in southern Brazil. They have a huge meat culture that is unparalleled! It’s so different from American barbecue, which is all about sauces. In Brazil, it’s just meat and salt!
There’s also a big German influence here, including with their beer. I’d get to experience more of it in Blumenau, which is a very German city in southern Brazil, in a few days. I got a Patagonia Bohemian Pilsner, which is an amazing and crisp craft beer. They also sell local wine here.
Then, I had some smoky and spicy asado eggplant with chilies. I couldn’t get enough of the ribs and pumpkin together, though. The combination of sweet, dense, and salty was unreal!
For dessert, I got some grilled pineapple with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. I needed it since I’d had so much meat. It was a sweet, smoky, juicy, sour, and acidic burst in my mouth!
Best of all, the pineapple was local! It was the perfect way to cap off my authentic Brazilian fogo de chao experience! Huge thanks to the people at Rosa Brasil for having us, and of course, to Guilherme and Rafa for bringing me here. I will never forget this amazing food experience. Eating at Rosa Brasil is something you have to do when you visit Curitiba. Tell them I sent you!
I hope you liked coming with me on my authentic Brazilian fogo de chao experience! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
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