Brazilian Cashew

The trip that first opened my eyes to culinary curiosity was in 1999 when I was fortunate to travel to Sao Palo, Brazil.   

We were traveling between towns when our bus pulled over so we could eat lunch. The mountainside restaurant was the only place for miles and to say it looked a bit suspect would be a drastic understatement.  The menu highlighted a dish called Feijoada.

I asked the waitress to explain the dish and she told it was a type of stew and was considered the national dish of Brazil. So, I heeded her advice and pointed to it on the menu. Sometime later she returned with my order. With a bit of skepticism, I took my first bite.

To my surprise, I loved it. It was one of the most flavorful dishes I had tasted at the time and I must of ordered it 5 times during my trip.  I didn’t know it at the time but, from that moment, food would have a very important meaning and role in my life.