Holiday and Religious Food Habits

-Brazilian have special dishes that they eat on holidays, just as Americans typically eat birthday cake on birthdays and turkey on Thanksgiving. On birthday occasions, they eat brigadeiros and beijinhos. The Christmas meal in Brazil is rather large. It has a great variety of dishes that include fresh vegetables such as Couve a Mineira. Along with these vegetables are bowls of zesty, colorful rice and platters filled with ham and Ceia de Natal, which is a Brazilian Christmas turkey.

-Brazilians celebrate the birth of Jesus such as many Americans do. They also celebrate Easter. On Easter they have certain dishes they typically eat. Pacoca, a paste made by mixing crushed nuts and raw ingredients, is a special treat that is offered at Easter time in the Brazilian homes. 

-Another traditional Easter meal there would be Clipfish, a white fish, and a ring cake.

- Festival of St. Benedict is religious day that is celebrated. On this day many foods will be served. Foods such as bolinhos, deep fried cheese or rice, along with manioc (cassava) meal, queijo de sertao (popular hard cheese made mostly of goat milk), and rapadura (hard chunks of raw brown sugar eaten as candy).

-Each holiday will present different foods, as well as the holiday traditions in America.