RECIPE - Brigadeiros

In the previous post, we all learned that we can thank the perennially unsuccessful Brazilian presidential candidate, Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, for the sweet chocolate truffle which bears his name, and which has addicted millions of Brazilians, adults and kids alike. It's kind of like having a candy in the USA named the "Adlai" after the similarly unsuccessful Adlai Stevenson.

The candy itself is very simple to make; perhaps part of it's success. Here is the basic recipe, which yields 30 Brigadeiros.
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RECIPE - Brigadeiros
Makes 30

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. powdered chocolate (cocoa powder)
chocolate sprinkles to make balls
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In a deep, heavy non-stick saucepan, heat all the ingredients except the sprinkles, stirring constantly with silicone or wooden spatula or spoon. Continue to heat and stir until everything is well mixed and the mixture begins to come away from the pan. Remove from heat and let cool completely at room temperature.

Place chocolate sprinkles on edged cookie sheet. Greasing hands with softened unsalted butter, roll one Tbsp. of cooled mixture in your hands into a ball, then roll the ball in the sprinkles. Place on wax paper to dry and harden. Repeat procedure until all the mixture has been used up.

Place each brigadeiro in small paper or foil cup and serve as part of a buffet or dessert spread.

SWEETS - Brigadeiro

If feijoada is Brazil's national dish, and the caipirinha is its national cocktail, then there is no question that the Brigadeiro is the country's national sweet. It's impossible to find a buffet table at a birthday party, an anniversary celebration, a wedding reception or any other festive occasion that doesn't include a large number of Brigadeiros. At least at the beginning of the party - at the end, they are usually long since gone from the table.

Besides the sweet itself, Brigadeiro ice cream, candy bars, cookies and other sweet treats are universal in Brazil. If you ask a Brazilian kid what his or her favorite food is "Brigadeiro" is likely to be the answer.

A Brigadeiro is basically a soft sweet, or candy, made from sweetened condensed milk, butter and cocoa powder, with chocolate sprinkles as a topping. They are usually formed into small one-bite balls, but other shapes are possible. They are rich, somewhat like a chocolate truffle in mouth-feel, and incredibly sweet, which makes them perfect for the Brazilian sweet tooth.

The word "Brigadeiro" itself merely means "brigadier", as in the military rank. I've long been curious as to why these chocolate treats are named after a military title, and in researching this posting, I found out. The Brigadeiro was created in the 1940s, and the name is an homage to Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, who ran unsuccessfully for the Presidency of Brazil in 1946 and 1950 (at least his name lives on postumously in the candy!). One version of the story has it that his wife created the treat to serve at campaign fundraisers, another is that some female supporters of Gomes from Rio de Janeiro adapted a local chocolate sweet called "negrinhos" (a diminutive term best translated - and avoided - as "blackies")  to sell to raise funds for his candidacy. In either case, the candies became known as "docinhos do Brigadeiro" (the sweets of the Brigadier) and eventually this name was shortened to "Brigadeiro."

Though Gomes himself is a bit of a footnote in Brazilian political history, he has staked his claim to fame in Brazilian gastronomy. It's probably a good thing he was a Brigadier and not a Private!

FENADOCE - Brazil's National Sweets Fair

Brazilians are notorious for having a sweet tooth, and most Brazilians will unashamedly admit to being addicted to desserts, candies and sweet drinks. There are several possible historical reasons for this including the importance of the cultivation of sugar historically in Brazil, and Brazil's colonial ties to Portugal, which has a rich tradition of its own of sweets, centered around baked goods from that county's convents and monasteries.

Being a nation of 200 million sweet-lovers, it's no surprise that Brazil celebrates this love affair with a national Fair. It's called FENADOCE, which is an abbreviation of its name in Portuguese, A Feira Nacional do Doce. It is held every year in the southern Brazilian town of Pelotas, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In 2010, FENADOCE will be celebrating its 18th annual fair, from the 26th of May to the 13th of June.

It is a bit unusual that a national event like FENADOCE would be held so far away from the population centers of the country, almost on the border with Uruguay and thousands of kilometres away from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. But Pelotas is a natural place for this event to be held according to the official website of FENADOCE:

The culture of sweets and sweet baking in Pelotas was inherited through the recipes brought to this city by the first Portuguese immigrants in the middle of the 18th Century. These immigrants brought with them such marvels as: ninhos, fios-de-ovos, babas-de-moça, camafeus, papos-de-anjo, canudinhos recheados, pastéis de Santa Clara and many more.

Later Italian and German immigrants became of the culture, each group bringing with them recipes for sweets and desserts. At that time, home gatherings and parties were showcases of sweets, since for the immigrant cultures sugar and sweet things were elements of any celebration. Immigrant families had traditions of passing on recipe for the families' favorite sweets from generation to generation.
Today Pelotas has become a place where artesanal production of sweets has combined with industrial production technique to create an ever-growing industry in our city. Because of this, the sweets of Pelotas are not just known locally, but are valued throughout Brazil.

The fair not only has food, but a variety of entertainment, from music, to clowns, to dance and theater. But the traditional sweets of Pelotas are still it's raison d'être. Here is a visual sampling:

In the next few posts, I will translate some of the recipes for traditional sweets that can be found on the website of FENADOCE.