First off, gringo is not usually used as an insult in South America. I’ve never been to Brazil, but in Chile gringo is more like a term of endearment. Now that we’ve cleared the air of that one, let’s move on to the topic at hand: Brazilian street food.
This brief video only gives a very cursory introduction to Brazilian street food, but the dishes sampled appear delicious and exotic. Brazilian cuisine, like the people themselves, contains an incredible amount of diversity, and may change depending which part of the country you visit. But in a city like Rio de Janeiro you can find a little bit of everything.
In this installment of Tips 4 Gringos, our hosts introduce us to “pingado” (coffee with milk added) and “pão na chapa,” (French baguette squashed and fried with copious amounts of butter added), açaí (in ice cream form), and tapioca, though probably not the the flavor most North Americans think of when they see tapioca on the menu. And in Brazil, if you want coconut water, expect to drink it from the fruit itself!
While this is likely not the cuisine that the athletes are putting away in the cafeteria in the Olympic village, some of the foods featured here could grab the attention of a tired competitor as they leave their competition venues. How many quarts of açaí ice cream does it take to fulfill the caloric requirements of the fabled “Michael Phelps diet?” More than anyone should ever attempt to eat at one time.