brazilian cuisine is often used as a metaphor to describe the origins and natures of other facets of the culture. it is a mixture of varying traditions, a chronicle of an often painful history and a bubbling cauldron of inventiveness, that is much grander than the sum of its parts. the parts are - as they are for all aspects of brazilian culture - the indigenous, the african and the european.

as it stands today, brazilian food manifests itself in three distinct environments: the home, the street and lately, the high end restaurant.