There’s space for two things in a Brazilian’s heart: Churrasco and Cachaça. For those who still hadn’t heard of Cachaca, it’s the national liquour of Brazil, being made of sugar cane. Well, what do they have in common? Actually, a lot. It’s almost a tradition to drink Cachaça while eating churrasco in Brazil. In this post I’ll give some hints on how to savor this delicious drink in your churrasco.
Between the churrasco connoisseurs, the consensus is that Cachaça should be served in the beginning of the meal, following fatty meats like Picanha. This is due to the chemical composition of the Cachaça. Matching Cachaça with lean meats is usually not a good idea since the strong and spicy flavour of the liquor tends to neutralize the taste of these foods, making the meal less tasty overall.
You’re best off serving it with pork meats like ribs, bacon, sausage, or even loin. Actually, this makes a lot of sense for those who have eaten the appetizer Feijoada. Feijoada is prepared solely with pork meat. So it is a common recommendation to drink Cachaça while eating Feijoada.
For desert, Batidas is a fruit smoothies which contain cachaça. The simplest one is the Batida de Limão. Simply put, squeeze 10 limes into a blender, pour 1.5 liters of Cachaça and one entire can of condensed milk. Blend it, and it’s done. A very mild drink which tastes very sweet.
Churrasco and Cachaça Brands Now Available In America
Be aware that finding Cachaça outside Brazil is not typical. It is certainly not impossible anymore. The most famous Cachaça brands are 51 and Velho Barreiro. When you ever find a Brazilian shop you are going to definitely find one of those two brands. Sometimes you will find them both in the same store since they are more commonly exported products in 2016. Each serves different purposes. 51 is better to make drinks out of it. It has a strong flavor and scent that are not for the faint of heart. While Velho Barreiro is much sweeter and great for drinking it pure.
All in all, Cachaça is definitely my choice of beverage when I choose to drink in a churrasco. It’s sweet albeit strong flavor matches perfectly with fatty meats and it helps with digestion.