There are some traditional dishes that are part of Rio de Janeiro’s culture, known worldwide, that you simply have to eat here at least once.

When we think of “traditional dish from Rio de Janeiro”, the first that comes to mind is undoubtedly the feijoada. It basically consists of a stew made with black beans and pork, accompanied by rice, farofa, cabbage and orange rodelinhas. Orange, because it contains vitamin C, helps our body to absorb the large amount of iron contained in beans and cabbage. It’s a heavy and quite greasy dish, but it gives plenty of energy for the rest of the day and ensures you won’t feel hungry anytime soon after delighting in this beloved dish. It is so much part of the culture, that it is not uncommon to have special events to eat feijoada, especially in places where you listen to samba.

Being a dish of strong African influence, born, as well as samba, black culture, the two marry very well – and combine even better with our traditional caipirinha, cachaça and lemon. The farofa is a spectacle apart in this dish: fried flour and seasoned with ingredients of the most diverse, unique in international cuisine, since it is difficult to find some similar dish in the gastronomy of other countries. One of the most famous and tasty farofas is the egg farofa, a crispy and wet mixture, to fall in love. You can also find other farofas, such as bacon, banana or garlic, magnificent accompaniments for your feijoada, or for several other dishes you will find here.

Another very common traditional dish to find in Rio de Janeiro is The Filé à Oswaldo Aranha. This dish, consisting of a large and juicy piece of filet mignon or contrafilé well seasoned in garlic, accompanied usually by white rice and egg farofa, is named after a Brazilian diplomat of the twentieth century, who always asked for this dish to eat. It’s delicious and worth a try!

It is also very common to find anywhere in Rio de Janeiro the dear galeto, a grilled chicken sold from bakeries to more sophisticated restaurants. Juicy, it is usually also accompanied by farofa and rice.

If you like eating seafood, you need to know about shrimp bobó! With a very creamy consistency, this dish is a well-seasoned shrimp stew mixed with a cassava cream and palm oil and is usually accompanied bypalm oil farofa (see how farofa is in everything?). Although not born in Rio, this dish has been incorporated into the culture of the city, and deserves your attention!