In Brazil, lunch is the largest meal of the day. Meat is always present and is usually paired with white rice, beans, and fried manioc or cassava, the Brazilian version of a potato.
Churrascarias (restaurants specializing in grilled and spit-roasted meats) are extremely popular in Brazil. Rice is brought to the table. Waiters come around carrying a wide variety of meats on large metal skewers. If you would like a slice of the meat the waiter has you simply say "sim," or “yes” in Portuguese. The waiter then cuts a slice off and places it on your plate. You can eat a little or as much as you like at one of these restaurants.
Another option for lunch is to grab a quick bite to eat at a place such as Bob’s Burgers, Brazil’s version of McDonalds. Even at sit-down restaurants, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and chicken burgers are available.
During the lunch hours, a typical drink could range anywhere from an icy cold Skol beer to a Coca- Cola. Brazilians are extremely laid back as is evident in the leisurely way they eat their meals. You could sit at lunch with a Brazilian for hours!
My favorite part of lunch was definitely the chicken burger sandwich I had one day. It was delicious!
The chicken was chopped up and mixed with cheese and served on a bun!
Ed - "I have to admit that being in a place where lunch is the most important meal of the day was different. At the churrascarias waiters came out with a variety of different meats cooked to perfection. I always left with my appetite no longer in existence."
Darius - "Lunch is a huge deal in Brazil. During the lunch hour, I remember seeing hundreds of people at different restaurants eating. At many of the places we went to for lunch, the servers brought us rice, fries, bread and sauces all before we received our actual meal. The meals that I had in Brazil were very good. The speed in which they brought us our food was something that I had to get used to. From order time to the time we actually received our food took as long as 35 minutes. As an American, this was something that was new to me. I experienced the same type of service while in Ghana. But like in Ghana, once I received my food I was happy."
Ben - "Brazilians love beef. We ate at several different churrascarias that could defeat any eater. Skewer after skewer laden with different cuts of meat and styles of preparation comes out until you had to throw in the towel. I also enjoyed Brazilian fast food a lot, but it is more expensive than in the States."
Jesse - "Still quite full from breakfast, I often ate fairly light for lunch. On every occasion I tried to eat something I had never had before, hoping that I might find something that tickled my fancy. Often times I was successful and now, thanks to Brazil, I feel I have acquired a cultured palate. On the days we had to eat lunch on our own I found myself standing at a lanchonete (snack bar) enjoying a delicious pastel (meat and cheese baked into a buttery dough) with a glass of freshly squeezed mango juice. Man! I really miss that."