Brazilian Food

A beautifully photographed cookbook by acclaimed chef Thiago Castanho and food writer Luciana Bianchi, featuring more than 100 recipes that span the enormous breadth of Brazilian cuisine. The book includes contributions from guest chefs across the country, giving it a depth and regional range that few single-author books can match.

Why Start Here

This is Castanho’s only English-language cookbook, and it represents the best entry point into his cooking philosophy. Growing up in Para state in the Amazon, Castanho inherited a deep connection to ingredients and traditions that most Brazilian cookbooks overlook entirely. The result is a book that goes far beyond the usual Rio and Sao Paulo focus.

The chapters cover small bites, street food, fish and seafood, meat and poultry, and a dedicated section on fire and grill cooking. You get recipes for moqueca de peixe, vatapa, acaraje, picanha on the grill, and a range of Amazonian dishes that rarely appear in English. Guest chefs contribute recipes from their own regions, broadening the scope even further.

What to Expect

A substantial hardcover at 256 pages with full-color photography shot on location across Brazil. The recipes are more ambitious than a typical beginner book, with some requiring specialty ingredients and multi-step preparation. This is a book for cooks who want to understand the full regional diversity of Brazilian cuisine, from the seafood traditions of the northeast to the churrasco culture of the south.