Brazil's culinary capital

Article by: Gregor Clark, May 2008

The Brazilian state of Minas Gerais (Minas for short) is famous throughout the country for its unique cuisine. Here in Brazil's agricultural heartland, savoury favorites like feijão tropeiro and tutu emphasise ingredients like beans, meat and kale, rather than the coconut milk and seafood more prevalent along the coast. Minas is also famous for its cheese, tropical sweets and cachaça (the sugar cane alcohol commonly considered Brazil's national drink).

Picture-perfect Tiradentes is one of Minas' cultural gems. A compact cluster of baroque churches, cobbled streets, flowery gardens and artists' studios, this tiny town of 6,000 inhabitants is small enough to walk around and much less challenging to the lungs and legs than its internationally famous neighbour, Ouro Prêto.

Conveniently located at the centre of a triangle formed by Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte - Brazil's three most populous cities - Tiradentes has long been popular with weekenders lured by the town's gorgeous 18th-century architecture and serene mountain backdrop. In recent years, Tiradentes has also begun staking its claim as one of Brazil's rising culinary stars.

Tiradentes has long been popular with weekenders lured by the town's gorgeous 18th-century architecture and serene mountain backdrop.

Every other doorway in the town's historic centre seems to lead to a restaurant, bar or café, and after sunset visitors throng to the town's many atmospheric eateries. Foreigners who associate Brazil with steamy jungle and tropical beaches may be surprised to learn that it can get quite cold at night; luckily, mineiros (residents of Minas) have the perfect antidote - the fogão à lenha, a wood-burning stove that doubles as cooking device and family hearth. On a chilly night it's especially fun to frequent homey local holes-in-the-wall like the Bar do Feiura (tel: 8854 3674; Rua da Cadeia 262; 7-11:30pm Mon-Thu, 12:30pm-late Fri-Sat, & 12pm-7pm Sun) , where people warm their hands by the fogão while sharing gossip over plates of traditional mineiro food. At Aluerte (tel: 3355 1608; Largo do Ó 1; 8:30pm-late Thu-Sun), a more fashionable nightspot, the wood stove likewise holds centre stage. Chef Pedro often invites patrons to sit on the couch, drink wine and chat with him as he cooks home-made pizza over the roaring fire. (Romantics may prefer to skip dinner and retire instead to Aluarte's private bamboo-screened ofuro, or Japanese hot tub, under the trees and stars out back.) A few doors down you'll find Tragaluz (tel: 3355 1424; Rua Direita 52; 7-10:30pm Sun-Mon & Wed-Thu, to 12:30am Fri-Sat), founded by members of the renowned Brazilian dance troupe Grupo Corpo. The close-knit community of artists-turned-chefs serves fine food with a special emphasis on inventive desserts like goaiabada frita Tragaluz (guava paste mixed with crushed cashews, fried and served on a bed of creamy catupiry cheese with guava ice cream).

Alcohol fiends won't want to miss cosy, candlelit Confidências Mineiras (tel: 3355 2770; Rua Ministro Gabriel Passos 26; 6pm-late Wed-Thu, noon-late Fri-Sat, 12pm-8pm Sun), the newest of Tiradentes' nocturnal draws. Where else can you compare notes on over 500 brands of artisanal cachaça, most of them locally produced in Minas Gerais? For the uninitiated, cachaça is fire-water, a throat-scorching distillation of sugar cane, usually toned down for foreigners with sugar, ice, and lime. Brazilians drink the stuff straight; in recent years cachaça has acquired a more highbrow following, similar to that afforded fine wines in France or California. Tasting rooms known as cachaçarias are increasingly popular in the country's tonier tourist destinations - here at Confidências Mineiras you can sample a leisurely series of shots or demi-shots, savouring the unique flavor and qualities of each, with time out for tasty bar snacks in between.

Where else can you compare notes on over 500 brands of artisanal cachaça, most of them locally produced in Minas Gerais?

Tiradentes' gastronomic prestige was recently reinforced in the Brazilian national imagination when television star Ana Maria Braga hosted her morning show here. Braga - together with the talking parrot that accompanies her everywhere - meandered through Tiradentes' streets, chowing down on everything from cheese to desserts. Her tour culminated in an end-of-show extravaganza in the town's main square, with local chefs lugging wood stoves, cauldrons, tables and chairs out under the trees for the benefit of Braga and her national TV audience. Among the treats Braga sampled was Tiradentes' famous doce de leite (better known to English-speakers as caramel or dulce de leche), made by local confectioner Chico Doceiro, who still does things the old-fashioned way, stirring milk and sugar together in steaming copper pots with a giant wooden paddle.

If you just can't get enough of this sweet (and savoury) stuff, you may want to indulge in a full-scale Tiradentian smorgasbord by visiting in late August during the annual Festival Internacional de Cultura e Gastronomia. Now celebrating its 11th anniversary, the festival brings in famous chefs from around the world. There are free open-air cooking classes, live musical events, and special dinners featuring fresh local produce. Top draws include local hotelier Luiz Ney's (of Villa Paolucci: tel: 3355 1350; Rua do Chafariz) leitão à pururuca - suckling pig soaked for six days in an 18-spice marinade, then roasted till the skin turns crispy.

Whatever time of year you visit, Tiradentes is not to be missed. This tiny corner of Brazil is a feast for both the eyes and the taste buds.