By Charlotte Markham, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – As the temperatures drop in Rio de Janeiro to 20°C (or 69°F) low averages in May for the winter season of the southern hemisphere, many are breaking out their ‘cold’ weather wardrobes and expanding their menus to include soups and stews. This week the Mangue Seco’s Festival de Caldos da Cachaçaria (Cachaça house Soup Festival) has launched in Centro, to help heat up the cooler days.
Mangue Seco offers steamy culinary treats including caldo verde (green soup), caldo de camarão (shrimp soup), caldo de siri (crab soup) and caldo de canjiquinha com costelinha (corn soup with pork ribs), each offering a little taste of the diverse Brazilian regions.
Hailing from the countryside caldo verde, a potato based soup takes its green tint from the couve (Brazilian kale), with diced sausages to top it off. Caldo de canjiquinha com costelinha is a thick white or yellow corn soup served with pork ribs inside the broth.
Caldo de camarão and caldo de siri are both found along the Brazilian coast, and are an infusion of seafood, coconut milk and vegetables to warm the soul. Caldo de camarão is made of with pureed mandioca (cassava), a popular Latin American root vegetable and principal ingredient of Brazilian indigenous cuisine, with shrimp. Caldo de siri blends crab meat, tomatoes and sometimes carrot or pumpkin.
Also this week, Birinight is at Mangue Seco which is located beside the popular samba club Rio Scenarium in Lapa, Centro. The performance will feature singer and songwriter Heitor Caselli, with a guitar and singing a repertoire of MPB (Popular Brazilian Music), beginning at 7PM accompanied with double caipirinha promotions.
What: Soup Festival and Birinight (live music)
Where: Mangue Seco, Rua do Lavradio, 23, Centro Antigo, Rio de Janeiro.
When: Soups Monday to Friday, from 5PM and Saturday from 2:30 PM. Live music every Tuesday and Wednesday beginning 7PM.