Get to know the Vale dos Vinhedos, in the south of the country, and its gastronomic traditions

THE Southern Brazil It is awarded some elements that influence their gastronomic traditions. Here, flavors are directly related to cold winds and slow fire flames. In addition to meat, the region also makes beautiful with seafood and fresh ingredients.

ENTER THIS BALAIO STILL wines you cheese And the action of the field, the forest and the coast, showing that land, sea and tradition result in a combination that gives mouth water – and that is worked with care by local chefs and producers.

I was able to prove all these special aromas and flavors in the season CNN Viagem & Gastronomy: Flavors of Brazil that, after the pleasant journey through all other large regions of the countryfinally culminated in the south.

To kick my expedition, I first landed in Rio Grande do Sul, more precisely in one of the regions that has won travelers from all over Brazil: Vale dos Vinhedos . Known for the production of wines and surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes, the municipality of Bento Gonçalves stands out, being a business card for the delights of Serra Gaucha .

Source kitchen

To show a little of what Rio Grande do Sul offers us at the table, my visit in Bento Gonçalves began with the junction of the best of two worlds: barbecue and wine. In addition to the cups being full with the best grapes and harvests in the state, the ground fire It appeared to throw even more light to the gaucho tradition of preparing meat.

“I say that the biggest ingredient is fire, because it has been with us for a long time. This great source of heat was our instrument for cooking forever, ”says the chef Enio Valli while monitors the flames.

Enio is the name behind the Guri Restaurant an interesting project that rescues recipes, ingredients and traditional techniques of gauchos pampas, with a cuisine that necessarily passes through firewood, fire and embers.

The restaurant is emphatic in stressing that it is not a steakhouse, nor a parrilla, but a gaucho house that promotes a kitchen of origin.

I often say that gaucho cuisine is simple but not simplistic. It is much harder to make a simple food well done than food considered exotic

Enio Valli, Chef of Guri Restaurante

Ground fire

On the outside of the restaurant, Enio showed me the step by step of the ground fire and talked about his passions and studies about gaucho traditions. I found that the ground fire is much more than just a technique for a well done flesh: in fact, practice carries a lot of history and also the strength of past knowledge from father to son.

“Our tradition is very linked to the meat, although Rio Grande do Sul is not summed up only to the meat. But she is one of the great symbols of the state, especially the rib, ”says the chef, pointing to a juicy cut prepared between eight and ten hours of fire.

And how did this type of barbecue come about? “In the past, the term gaucho was pejorative, designating the son of indigenous people with Europeans. These children did not adapt to the tribes and the Europeans abandoned them. To survive in the field, they stole cattle. Thus was born the gaucho, who was once a term to refer to the cattle thief, ”explains the chef.

The cattle then began to reproduce loose in the countryside and also through farmers, resulting in a large supply of meat.

“There was no truck, but the flesh had to be transported in some way. So in these long journeys, either they used beefes and rice, which were not perishable, or sacrificed animals, where they baked large pieces of flesh on the floor, ”the chef finishes.

Barbecue, seafood and wines

With the ground fire ready, it’s time to taste some creations of the restaurant. At the table, I sat with Lucia Porto journalist and sommeliere that helped harmonize some labels with the dishes to come.

“Brazil has been hundreds of years behind old -world cultures. So we are still learning to do a lot. But each year we won more and more national and international awards ”, elucidates the expert.

To start the banquet, Enio made a provocation. “In the girl we started the meal with a Lula from the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul to provoke the client to understand that we also have a large coastline. It passes in Parrilla and on top we bring an indigenous Andean condiment made to pepper, but we soften with tomatoes, ”he explains.

In the house, we have the option to choose two menus: eight -step confidence, and the 14 -step southern, both totally surprised. But here are some spoilers: after Lula and some empanadas, a lamb was served, meat that refers to the pampa, the second smallest biome in the country, behind only the Pantanal.

To harmonize, the chef served his own line wine, made in partnership with local wineries. The label was the “lamb”, which takes the Merlot and Teroldogo grapes, which spends six months in an American oak barrel blend. The crop? “It is 2022, regarded as the ‘crop of the harvests’ by some producers.”

Finally, the Angus costel closed the meal with a golden key. Made on the ground fire, he came with toasted onions and tomatoes, common in the region.

Between so many wines, the lunch balance ended with two special gauchos: the DNA 99 pizzato, a 2021 harvest merlot of the dark red pizzato and red fruits and spices; and the EPIC VIII, label of Guatambu Vinhos, prepared with Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Merlot of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 crops, with a terroir of the Rio Grande do Sul campaign. A toast!

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Source: CNN Brasil