Foods
The foods eaten in Brazil are very diverse. Some of the popular foods eaten in Brazil include pine nuts, yams, acai, cassava, hog plum, okra, peanuts, cheese bread, tapioca, and chourico, which is essentially a spicy sausage. The national dish of Brazil is called feijoada. It is a hearty meat stew made from pork and black beans. Traditional side dishes served with feijoada are kale, ground manioc, orange salad, and arroz.
Language
Portuguese is the official language in Brazil and spoken by almost 100% of all Brazilians.
Ways of behavior
Greetings: Men greet each other with hand shakes, while maintaining steady eye contact. Women customarily kiss each other on both cheeks ( actually just touch cheeks and kiss air). When leaving a small group it is customary to shake hands with all who are present. Hugging and backslapping are common greetings of Brazilian friends. If a woman wishes to shake hands with a man, she should extend her hand first.
Gift giving: If invited to a Brazilian’s house, bring the hostess flowers or a small gift. Orchids are considered a very nice gift, except purple. Avoid giving anything purple or black because those are considered mourning colors. Also, handkerchiefs are not considered good gifts because they are associated with funerals.
Holidays
The foods eaten in Brazil are very diverse. Some of the popular foods eaten in Brazil include pine nuts, yams, acai, cassava, hog plum, okra, peanuts, cheese bread, tapioca, and chourico, which is essentially a spicy sausage. The national dish of Brazil is called feijoada. It is a hearty meat stew made from pork and black beans. Traditional side dishes served with feijoada are kale, ground manioc, orange salad, and arroz.
Language
Portuguese is the official language in Brazil and spoken by almost 100% of all Brazilians.
Ways of behavior
Greetings: Men greet each other with hand shakes, while maintaining steady eye contact. Women customarily kiss each other on both cheeks ( actually just touch cheeks and kiss air). When leaving a small group it is customary to shake hands with all who are present. Hugging and backslapping are common greetings of Brazilian friends. If a woman wishes to shake hands with a man, she should extend her hand first.
Gift giving: If invited to a Brazilian’s house, bring the hostess flowers or a small gift. Orchids are considered a very nice gift, except purple. Avoid giving anything purple or black because those are considered mourning colors. Also, handkerchiefs are not considered good gifts because they are associated with funerals.
Holidays