Passaporte Brasil

Several Central Markets in Texas are hosting a Passaporte Brasil event from 24April-7May.  Fact: I perk up when anything about Brasil is mentioned because my husband is Brasilian.  (FYI I am not spelling Brasil incorrectly, that is the way it is spelled IN Brasil).  Anyways, the event was advertising on the radio and I thought it could be fun to go check it out.  Now I should explain my husband is a broke Brasilian, not in terms of wealth but in embracing Brasilian culture abroad..he is broken.  Not that he doesn't love his motherland, more that he doesn't advertise that he is Brasilian, doesn't wear futbol jerseys, doesn't frequent the ever popular churrascarias, you get the point.  So when I told him that I wanted to go to the Passaporte Brasil event he wasn't excited and it took some arm twisting to get him to agree to drive downtown to go to our Central Market.  When I pulled out the camera at the grocery store, his gray mood turned even darker..."This is embarrassing to me."  I ignored him and kept the pictures flowing.  And as we weaved through the selection of fruits tasting guava, strawberry papaya, star fruit and red banana, perused the coffee, fish, cheeses his mood lifted.  He got excited.  This doesn't happen much.

Great selection of fruits that are common in Brasil

One of my husband's favorites.

Coffee selection.  I love me some Braslian coffee, but we didn't know any of these brands so decided to wait til we go to Brasil to get the brands we like.

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The high point for him was when he was able to find his beloved maneioca flour to make farofa a kind of bread crumb mixture you put over your rice and beans. 


Cheese selection. 

 The cheese selection was small and way over priced.  See the cheese on a stick (left side of the picture).  That's basically all I get to eat at barbecues there since I don't eat meat. (Grilled vegetables you ask? Nooo absolutely not at barbecues)  You just put the cheese stick on the grill over the open fire.  The cheese grills but keeps its structure and doesn't really melt.  It's gooood.

The event was all throughout the store so you have to go through all the aisles to find products...kinda like a treasure hunt!

And volunteers and employees were dressed up.  It was definitely a party atmosphere.

Desserts usually equals carbs so always a favorite in my book.  I ended up buying a honey chocolate cake that I had never had before.

Can't represent Brasil without Havaianas

 

Our haul- Guava, spreadable cheese, maneioca flour, honey cake and strawberry papaya

After making our shopping purchases we went to the outside tent and got a cheese and spinach pastel (like a hotpocket) and fresh sugarcane juice with lime.  The probably was the best thing I tasted that day.  It was like a sonic limeade but way better.  I will demand this the next time we go to Brasil to visit!

Sugarcane juice with lime- AMAZING

 Definitely recommend visiting the event.  Apparently when I read reviews on the internets they host other countries (duh) and I will be look out for those.  Heard the French one is pretty good.  I can just imagine all the cheese and wine...yummmm cheese and wine.

Check it out!