Brazilian Gastronomic Expressions Pt. 1 - O Rei de Cocada Preta

Here at Flavors of Brazil, we've not tracked down examples from all 6000 languages spoken in the world, but we're willing to bet that every one of them has at least one common expression or idiom that comes from the world of food and cooking. The French with their lengthy cultural obsessions with food and language naturally have many such expressions - "crème de la crème" for anything that is the best of its class, or "cracher dans la soupe" - literally "spit in the soup" and bearing the same meaning as the English expression "bite the hand that feeds you." The Italian expression "come rubare le caramelle a un bambino is easily recognizable in its English translation, "like taking candy from a baby." From Yiddish comes the charming and insulting "zol vacksen tsibiles fun dayn pupik" meaning "onions should grow from your navel." And English, of course, if full of such expressions - "too many cooks spoil the broth", "piece of cake", "gravy train", "from the frying pan into the fire" and "sells like hotcakes."


Brazilian Portuguese is no exception when it comes to culinary idioms. We thought it might be fun in this post and in occasional future posts to feature some of these expressions and the foods that inspired them.

The King himself, from the Brazilian website O Rei da Cocada Preta

One of the most commonly-encountered food idioms in Brazil is "o rei da cocada preta." It's used something like this - Ele se acha o rei da cocada preta (in English "he thinks he's the king of dark cocada). The sense of the idiom is that this person has an undeservedly high opinion of himself - he's full of himself. Arrogant, egotistical, egocentric - or simply the king of dark cocada.


Earlier this hear, Flavors of Brazil published a recipe for cocada, a traditional sweet made from grated dry coconut and sugar syrup, sometimes enrichened with cream or condensed milk. It's delicious, no question, but why would someone who's got a big head consider himself the king of dark cocada? Like many food idioms, the origins of this phrase are lost in time, but in Brazilian folklore there is a legendary kingdom called Cocada Preta. It's supposedly located somewhere on a tiny island off the coast of Brazil, and although it is desperately empoverished and has nothing, the inhabitants think it's the best place on earth. It's likely that this island's monarch shares the opinion of his subjects, hence the idiom.


Basic cocada, made from coconut, sugar and condensed milk is bright white, but there does exist a variation called cocada preta. It's made with rapadura, a darkly-colored unrefined sugar. This dark brown sugar gives cocada preta its color, and indirectly gives Brazilians a colorful and flavorful way to express their opinions of the egoists in their midst. Next time on Flavors of Brazil, we'll post a recipe for cocada preta.

Don't Tell Coca-Cola about Cocada Cearense!

When Flavors of Brazil is out shopping for food, whether in a supermarket, a traditional outdoor market, or gourmet shop, we're always on the outlook for interesting, locally-produced artisanal foods. There's a number of reasons for this - first, they are often wonderfully delicious products; second, they're sometimes quirky and unusual, and finally, they just might provide subject matter for a posting here at the blog.

Yesterday, a group of friends had a late lunch at a neighborhood casual dining spot called Budega do Poço, famous for its oil-and-garlic shrimps. Attached to the restaurant is a small shop that sells local food products. Browsing the selection, on the outlook for something new and untried, we spotted a plastic carton containing a dozen round cakes of cocada, a sweet made from a simple mixture of grated fresh coconut, whole milk and sugar. (Click here to read more about cocada.) Plain, natural and traditional, cocada is a Brazilian sweet with a long history and something found all around the country. These were made by a local company, and were branded Cocada Cearense - that is "cocada from Ceará", the state of which Fortaleza is the capital.

What brought a smile to our faces, and what made us buy a carton was the Cocada Cearense label. Here's a photo of it.

Does it remind you of something you've seen before? The colors, the typeface? Perhaps the world's most famous soft drink?

I certainly hope that Coca-Cola's in-house lawyers have better things to do than hassle this obviously miniscule company over trademarked fonts and logos. But I know that multinational giants often go to ridiculous lengths to protect their trademarks. So Flavors of Brazil asks all its readers - Please, don't tell Coca-Cola about Cocada Cearense!

RECIPE - Cocada

Apart from coconut water and coconut milk, which are very different liquids, the main use of Brazil's bounty of coconuts is probably to make the traditional sweet called cocada - in one of its many variations. There are basic version, flavored with nothing but coconut itself, and there are versions that add all sorts of flavors - chocolate, coffee, passion fruit (maracujá), lime, orange, peanuts, cashews and many more.

Cocada is an essential item on the tray from which the women of Bahia sell their acarajé. They are invariably available, as an impulse purchase, at the cash counter at restaurants and self-service buffets. And at the beach, vendors pass by throughout the day offering home-made cocada.

At its most basic, cocada is made with nothing more than grated fresh coconut, sugar and water. Most versions, though, add some sweetened condensed milk for added richness. The recipe that follows included condensed milk, and can be used as is to make a delicious treat, or as a basis for adding additional flavoring elements to spice things up.
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RECIPE - Cocada 1 lb. freshly-grated coconut, or unsweetened prepared grated coconut 2 1/2 cups granulated white sugar 1 1/2 cups water 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk neutral vegetable oil for greasing cookie sheet ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Generously grease a large cookie sheet with the vegetable oil, wiping away excess with paper towel. Reserve. In a large heavy saucepan, dissolve the sugar completely in water. Once the sugar is dissolved, heat the water over medium heat, without stirring. Bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil, use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash down the edges of the pan to prevent build-up of sugar crystals. Let cook until the syrup reaches the soft thread stage (225F-235F on candy thermometer). Once syrup reaches the proper temperature, add the grated coconut and stir well with wooden or silicone spoon. Then add the condensed milk and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to pull away from the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat. Let cool briefly, and then with a tablespoon, drop spoonsful of cocada on the greased cookie sheet, mounding them slightly. Let the cocada cool and harden for an hour or so, and then using a spatula make sure they are not sticking to the cookie sheet. Let cool completely. Can be served immediately, or stored for up to one week in a covered container. Serve at room temperature.