Cooking the Globe: BRAZIL-Next Stop Beautiful Brazil!!!!!

When I think of Brazil the first things that come to mind are amazing Futbol(Soccer), Carnival, beautiful music, majestic beaches, and an unparalleled national spirit that makes you want to visit!

Although Portuguese culture is at the core of Brazilian culture because of its strong colonial ties with the Portuguese Empire there are many other influences as well. The strongest being African, Indigenous(Tupis, Guaranis, Ges and Arawaks), and to a lesser extent Italian and German. The diversity of Brazil can be seen in its music, cuisine, and cultural traditions.

Brazilian music was formed mainly from the fusion of European and African elements. Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre with roots in Rio de Janeiro and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. Samba is considered around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival.
The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival which marks the beginning of Lent, the 40 Day period before Easter. The name carnival originates from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstaining from the consumption of meat and poultry on certain days of Lent, hence the term Carnival translates into carnelevare which literally means to "Remove or literally "raise" the meat." Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil and is filled with street parades full of colorful costumes, dances, and music.
One of my favorite musicians of all time is the great Antonio Carlos Jobim. Jobim, Joao Gilberto, and Johnny Alf are considered the founders of Bossa Nova music which literally means "New Jazz". Bossa Nova music is a fusion of Samba and Jazz that became very popular in the late 1950's.
The National dish of Brazil is Feijoada. It is said that Feijoada was invented in the slave quarters of Brazil. The slaves, in the brief breaks from the crops would bake beans, and ingredient set aside only for them, and would add the leftover scraps of meat the manor house did not use. Most often it was pork parts that were not suited to the master's palate. This dish created by the African slaves migrated into all social levels reaching the tables of very expensive restaurants in the 20th century.
Caipirinha is considered the national drink of Brazil. It roughly translates to "country bumpkin". It is made with cachaça, an intensely sweet Brazilian style of rum made from sugarcane juice. The Caipirinha is a common Carnival drink.