Posted by Rachel
Brazil has some of the most amazing juices, smoothies, and drinks in the Americas that you can usually get on every street anywhere in the country. By day, there are fresh coconut waters, tropical fruit juices, and açaí smoothies, and by night, the famous caipirinha and hundreds of locally brewed beers.
So for today’s interactive feature, the question is: what is your favorite Brazilian drink?
This is a very difficult question, since there are so many spectacular fruit juices, and I’m always surprised to find ones made from fruits I’ve never even heard of. I’m a big fan of suco de melão (melon juice) and vitaminas (smoothies made with fruit, sugar, and milk). I also like caipifrutas, caiprinhas made with different tropical fruits instead of limes.
What about you?
Posted by Rachel
Cuscuz is a Brazilian dessert that you will find being sold by street vendors, as well as being a popular family dish. Made with coconut, tapioca, sugar, and condensed milk, it has a gooey, jello-like consistency and is served in rectangular hunks. Sometimes, people will pour condensed milk on top before eating it.
Basically, you mix tapioca and sugar in a bowl, and pour hot water or milk on top to form a paste. Then you add shredded coconut and set the mixture to cool.
Check out some recipes to learn how to make cuscuz!
Tudo Gostoso (Portuguese)
Nestle (Portuguese)
Cybercook (Portuguese)
Posted by Rachel
In Brazil, caramel apples are known as “maçãs de amor,” or love apples, which are made by caramelizing sugar and red food dye on apples attached to popsicle sticks. These treats are popular for Brazilian Valentine’s Day (June 12) and at the festa junina celebrations held in the Brazilian winter. 
According to a Globo report, the maçã de amor was originally introduced to Brazil by a family of Spanish immigrants in São Paulo in the 1950s. The family of dessert makers set up a successful business which exists to this day, and even patented the love apple recipe in 1959.
Though the patent has since expired, the love apple has been imitated throughout the country and has become a staple of Brazilian candy shops. The treat is especially popular in June.
The Farre family, which first brought the recipe to Brazil, carefully guards their original recipe. They sell their famous candy at their shop in Tatuapé, on the east side of Sao Paulo.
Posted by Rachel
For today’s interactive feature, we’re going to talk about Brazilian food. The question at hand is: what is your favorite Brazilian dish? 
I have two personal favorites: moqueca de camarão and brigadeiro. Though Brazilian food includes excellent meat, the seafood is also wonderful, especially the shrimp. Brazilian food also includes a range of delicious desserts, and I happen to love brigadeiro, which is basically pure chocolate covered in chocolate sprinkles.
What about you?
Posted by Rachel
This week kicks off Rio de Janeiro’s first Restaurant Week, after the event was held in Sao Paulo. Restaurant Week will be held in Sao Paulo again, starting August 31st, and Recife and Brasilia will have their own editions in the coming months.
Rio’s Restaurant Week began on Monday and runs through May 24th. The sixty participating restaurants will offer R$25 lunches and/or R$39 dinners. Also, Rio’s edition will charge an extra R$1 for dinner, and the proceeds from the extra real will benefit Projeto UERÊ.
The list of restaurants are available here. Make sure you look at the restaurant websites and menus to be sure you’re getting a good deal, since some of the restaurants are fairly low key lunch joints.
Also, Sao Paulo’s Restaurant Week already has a preview of restaurants for their winter edition of the event. Check it out here.
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