Pantanal Cuisine

I think one of the best ways to genuinely experience a culture is to eat its food. So for those interested in visiting the area, and for those us of on our way there in the coming months, here are three items you should be sure to taste: quebra torto, tererè, and churrasco.

Cowboy’s breakfast, known as quebra torto, packs in a lot of calories to start the day off with an energetic punch. Ranching can be strenuous and Pantanal cowboys never quite know when the day will end, so they enjoy a satisfyingly large meal of arroz carreteiro (rice with dried meat), bread, and a mug of coffee with the morning’s dawn. To get the true quebra torto experience, wake up in the wee hours of the morning and have yourself a food fest.

Tererè is another Pantanal treat. An iced tea made from the green leaves of the regional erva-mate tree, tererè is typically enjoyed out of a cuia, a tall drinking gourd fabricated from a cattle horn. Though this cool beverage is enjoyed throughout the day, it is especially prominent during evening gatherings when cowboys and their loved ones come together.

If you want a little more meat in your life, definitely attend a churasco (barbecue). Local barbecues are traditional and also offer you a chance to sample various cuts of local beef cooked with wooden skewers on a charcoal grill. Local fish varieties such as pintado and pacu occasionally make appearances as well.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and eat!

-Christina Morrisett