Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Flavors from
Minas Gerais
80 Texts from Brazil . Nº 13
Brazilian dried meat production – J.B. Debret (1829). Source: Castro Maya Museums – IPHAN/MinC – MEA 0113
T o trail the routes and paths crossed by the Mineiros, and arrive at
their current customs and habits, we must begin at the crossways and
sidetracks of Minas Gerais. This takes us, invariably, to the end of the 17th
Century and beginning of the 18th Century.
The Portuguese Crown had never lost hope in finding precious metals
in their lands in America. Such hope was motivated by seductive legends of
the city of Manôa, the Emerald Mountains and Sabarabuçu. The discovery
of gold in the Colony’s interior, even if its small details was due to chance, in
its accomplishment it was, above all, due to historic persistency.
“Memória Histórica da Capitania das Minas Gerais”(Historic
João Camilo de Oliveira Torres, “História de Minas Gerais”
memories of the Capitania of Minas Gerais), Revista do Ar-
(History of Minas Gerais), vol. I, B.Hte, p. 161. quivo Público Mineiro, vol. II, p. 425.
fuming with the smells, colors and varied flavors tions of tastes, within the few and limited prod-
of our cuisine. ucts available.
The answers and solutions to basic food John Mawe, the first foreign traveler who
needs given by the Mineiros developed personal was able to enter the mining territory, authorized
and family uses that, slowly, in double boiler, by the Regent Prince in 1809, stated: “As long as
were transformed into local habits which, sim- there are corn and water, the Mineiros will not
mered, were generalized into regional customs starve”.
until they started to pop like torresmos in hot fat Saint-Hilaire observed the Mineiros’ taste
forming our cultural traditions. for sweets and marmalades, and their inclina-
Thus, following these procedures, the Mi- tion to make them. However, he criticized the
neiro surpassed the hunger crisis to consolidate a abusive use of sugar that disguises the flavor
rich, varied and traditional cuisine, based on the of the fruits. This censure is still made today by
best use of the elementary ingredients – beans,
corn, manioc, meat – found or available in the
“Viagem ao interior do Brasil, particularmente aos distritos
region. The lack of variety in resources during do ouro e do diamante, em 1809/1810”(Travels in the interior
the colonial period was the condition for the de- of Brazil, particularly in the gold and diamond districts of that
country, in 1809/1810).
velopment of a creative and innovative cuisine,
“Viagem pelas Províncias do Rio de Janeiro e Minas Gerais”
marked by the search for flavors and combina- (Travels in the provinces of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais).
foreigners who taste our sweets. Some French these products. The women of Ouro Preto were
travelers were surprised to see that we ate cheese famous for being excellent producers of sweets
with our sweets, a culinary heresy in the opinion and delicacies.
of the masters in this subject. They do not know The African and mulatto women who
what they are missing: guava sweet with Minas’ cooked could not, no matter how hard they
cheese, yummy! worked, produce enough to satisfy the gluttony
Meanwhile, families who prepared sweets of the mine workers. True multitudes of African
would send (and still do) trays with coconut and mulatto women, slave or freed, paraded
sweets, cheese rolls, brevidades and pés-de- with their trays through the hills and riverbanks,
moleque on the streets. Other families would provoking the Africans to spend, on delicacies,
earn a little money with spicy bean cake, and oth- the gold that did not belong to them.
ers would prepare almonds in copper pans for One of the first governors of the region was
the Holy Week cornets. already on top of the problem:
Quitanda, let us not forget, is the home
... It is forbidden: for women to
pastry shop, with cookies, cornbread, twisted
take trays with pastries, cakes, sweets, honey,
bread, biscuits and cakes displayed on a tray.
spirits and other beverages to the gold mines
Quitandeira is the woman who produces or sells
because some people send them to the mines