Brazilians bring in their historical and cultural background a world of knowledge and possibilities – in this context, we can insert national confectionery and preparation methods. Being one of the five most diverse in the world, it is known both for the variety of ingredients and for the creativity in the recipes. Who has never felt the taste of belonging to this country when tasting a Romeo and Juliet, or a cornmeal cake?
These culinary traits developed from locally available condiments. According to anthropologist Raul Lody, the main reason why Brazilians have a strong relationship with sweets was the intense production of cane sugar throughout history: “From the economy organized around sugarcane, the regions created their own recipes: peeling, grating, sieving, squeezing and sucking. It was a process of alchemy, ways of taking advantage of what nature had to offer”.
In the beginning, sugar, as well as pepper and salt, was used as seasoning even in the main dishes – that’s why we have sweets with ingredients that would be part of the savory meal, such as corn and cassava. As the coast of the country was full of native fruits, such as pitanga, jackfruit and cashew, different processes were created to take advantage of them and, consequently, the emergence and expansion of flavors was observed. “Cane sugar also has the function of preserving food. Past generations realized this and took advantage of the benefit to preserve native roots and fruits, which resulted in jams and compotes, for example.”adds nutritionist Marcia Daskal.
The preparation is also considered a cultural heritage for the specialist. First, there was a structural and social issue of gathering, hunting, preparing and eating only what was necessary for the community; so everything was done in a group. “With the development of new techniques, eating takes on a new meaning: consuming what gives pleasure instead of just opting for what is available. The preparation becomes a moment of socialization and meeting”.
Another notable phenomenon was the organized migratory currents that brought innovation and new products from Asian, Arab and European peoples. “They brought gastronomic universes, which were amplified by the introduction of sugar in recipes – an introduction that is a Brazilian brand. Cane sugar, from an anthropological point of view, was civilizing and integrating all these cultures”, comments Raul. Fruits, roots, leaves and various flours were added with sugar, forming veritable food systems. Today, we have hundreds of cakes, pies, cookies, breads and creams – each region of the country with its typicality, varying in sweetness and incidence.
When did we start controlling sweets?
Currently, nutrition is more linked to scientific issues and, consequently, away from cultural and affective eating – which involves taste, preparation, sharing and the experience as a whole. That is, we think about the functionality of food in the body and forget about our preferences: “Candy is not useful for subsistence, it is not the basis for food. No attention is paid to quantity or frequency, and you end up mistaking a dessert made to eat on special occasions as permission to eat at all times. ‘Being able to eat’ doesn’t mean ‘free pass to overindulge’”says Marcia.
If consumed in a balanced way, Brazilian sweets bring us benefits from a nutritional point of view, since they stimulate the palate in different ways and promote satiety. “Unlike foreign recipes, which we insistently try to adapt and copy – such as petit gateau, donuts and mousses-, some of the Brazilian sweets have the property of fruits and are often accompanied by other proteins, such as cheese. The sugar in that portion is absorbed more interestingly”.
The ideal is to realize that it is not necessary to cut sweets from your diet – culturally and nutritionally speaking, the restriction is not healthy for the lifestyle. It all comes down to quantity, frequency and mode of consumption. Liking the country’s typical sweets a lot is not a problem: it’s a matter of preference for the tasty mixtures of cultures, emotional traits, history and a lot of identity.
Brazilians bring in their historical and cultural background a world of knowledge and possibilities – in this context, we can insert national confectionery and preparation methods. Being one of the five most diverse in the world, it is known both for the variety of ingredients and for the creativity in the recipes. Who has never felt the taste of belonging to this country when tasting a Romeo and Juliet, or a cornmeal cake?
These culinary traits developed from locally available condiments. According to anthropologist Raul Lody, the main reason why Brazilians have a strong relationship with sweets was the intense production of cane sugar throughout history: “From the economy organized around sugarcane, the regions created their own recipes: peeling, grating, sieving, squeezing and sucking. It was a process of alchemy, ways of taking advantage of what nature had to offer”.
In the beginning, sugar, as well as pepper and salt, was used as seasoning even in the main dishes – that’s why we have sweets with ingredients that would be part of the savory meal, such as corn and cassava. As the coast of the country was full of native fruits, such as pitanga, jackfruit and cashew, different processes were created to take advantage of them and, consequently, the emergence and expansion of flavors was observed. “Cane sugar also has the function of preserving food. Past generations realized this and took advantage of the benefit to preserve native roots and fruits, which resulted in jams and compotes, for example.”adds nutritionist Marcia Daskal.
The preparation is also considered a cultural heritage for the specialist. First, there was a structural and social issue of gathering, hunting, preparing and eating only what was necessary for the community; so everything was done in a group. “With the development of new techniques, eating takes on a new meaning: consuming what gives pleasure instead of just opting for what is available. The preparation becomes a moment of socialization and meeting”.
Another notable phenomenon was the organized migratory currents that brought innovation and new products from Asian, Arab and European peoples. “They brought gastronomic universes, which were amplified by the introduction of sugar in recipes – an introduction that is a Brazilian brand. Cane sugar, from an anthropological point of view, was civilizing and integrating all these cultures”, comments Raul. Fruits, roots, leaves and various flours were added with sugar, forming veritable food systems. Today, we have hundreds of cakes, pies, cookies, breads and creams – each region of the country with its typicality, varying in sweetness and incidence.
When did we start controlling sweets?
Currently, nutrition is more linked to scientific issues and, consequently, away from cultural and affective eating – which involves taste, preparation, sharing and the experience as a whole. That is, we think about the functionality of food in the body and forget about our preferences: “Candy is not useful for subsistence, it is not the basis for food. No attention is paid to quantity or frequency, and you end up mistaking a dessert made to eat on special occasions as permission to eat at all times. ‘Being able to eat’ doesn’t mean ‘free pass to overindulge’”says Marcia.
If consumed in a balanced way, Brazilian sweets bring us benefits from a nutritional point of view, since they stimulate the palate in different ways and promote satiety. “Unlike foreign recipes, which we insistently try to adapt and copy – such as petit gateau, donuts and mousses-, some of the Brazilian sweets have the property of fruits and are often accompanied by other proteins, such as cheese. The sugar in that portion is absorbed more interestingly”.
The ideal is to realize that it is not necessary to cut sweets from your diet – culturally and nutritionally speaking, the restriction is not healthy for the lifestyle. It all comes down to quantity, frequency and mode of consumption. Liking the country’s typical sweets a lot is not a problem: it’s a matter of preference for the tasty mixtures of cultures, emotional traits, history and a lot of identity.
