southwestern cuisine has clear spanish and mexican influences, not surprisingly since the entire area was once part of mexico - corn, beans, hot peppers, guacamole, salsa and tortillas are present at every meal.

the presence of american cuisine in the world is decisive, and this influence can also be seen in rio de janeiro - after their defeat in the american civil war, an unknown number of confederate soldiers fled to brazil in an attempt to continue an economy based on slavery.

by 1867, 2070 american soldiers had entered brazil through the port of rio de janeiro, with some migrating to other regions of brazil, but several staying in the city of rio.

centuries later, the american cuisine became a popular demand with much of the advancement in technology and the influence they have on the media through the use of entertainment in television shows and movies - restaurants in rio that can be categorized as american are not that hard to find, from simple diners to cover all craves to more elaborated regional cuisine styles.