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Brazil’s Classic Sweets!! | H&A Portuguese Language School
- atsukohoshi
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Oi gente!!!! Tudo bem?
My name is Atsuko Hoshi Natalia.
I am a Board Member of the Japan–Brazil Central Association, a Brazilian dentist, and the owner and instructor of H&A Consulting and its Portuguese language school.
I am a second-generation Japanese Brazilian, born and raised in Santos, Brazil, and I currently live in Tokyo Japan.
Every country has its own classic sweets, right?
When I came to Japan, I was amazed by how many kinds of sweets there are—and how delicious they all are.Because Japan has four distinct seasons, many new sweets are released to match each season. In Brazil, where the seasons are not so clearly defined, we don’t see new seasonal sweets as often.
When I was an exchange student, I told myself, “I’m going to try every Japanese sweet!” So after every meal, I always ate some kind of dessert.
Thanks to that habit, I gained 8 kilograms in just one year 😅😅. People even gave me the nickname “Anpanman” — a popular Japanese cartoon character with a round face, similar to Mr. Potato Head or the Pillsbury Doughboy 😓
And after I returned from my exchange program, I will never forget the first words my mother said when she came to pick me up at São Paulo’s GRU Airport.
Mom: “Oh… you look kind of puffy…”
Me: “Yeah, yeah, it’s from the long flight 😅,” I replied.
My mother has always been a bit naturally funny, but I still can’t forget that moment. In reality, I had simply gained weight 😅.
Even in Brazil, people who are health-conscious don’t eat many sweets… right? But I have always loved sweets. Even though I know I shouldn’t, I still eat them! I just can’t resist 😓😥. As I’ve gotten older, the amount I eat has decreased—well, to be honest, I just can’t eat as much as I used to—but sweets are still something I can’t go without every day.
Now then, enough of the introduction.Let me start introducing some Brazilian sweets!
First up:
・Biscoito de polvilho
In Brazil, you can find this snack anywhere—at supermarkets and even on the beach! It is truly one of Brazil’s most classic and well-known snacks.
However, I remember that during the Rio Olympics, many tourists didn’t like it very much. Not only Japanese people, but most foreigners don’t seem to enjoy this snack.
It is made from cassava (manioc) starch, and the classic flavor is salty. In Brazil, everyone eats it—from small children to adults—so we don’t think much about it. But its dry, crumbly texture might be the problem. If you don’t have a drink nearby, your mouth gets very dry!
Even my children don’t eat it. Lucky for me 🌟🌟
Traditionally, the classic flavors were salty and sweet, but these days you can also find cheese, parsley, and other flavors.
👉👉One-Point Portuguese Tip!
Too salty: muito salgado(muito = very / salgado = salty)
Too sweet: muito doce(muito = very / doce = sweet)
The next one is:
• Paçoca – a peanut sweet
This sweet is very popular with many Japanese people. It is made from peanuts and sugar, and its texture is similar to kinako (roasted soybean powder). I sometimes bring it as a small treat for my students, and everyone is always happy 😊. However, if you have a peanut allergy, please be careful!!
When I was a child, a vendor used to come to our neighborhood blowing a small whistle-like horn. Back then, they used a machine to grind the peanuts right in front of us. The freshly made paçoca was warm, and the rich peanut aroma was simply irresistible.
Unfortunately, you don’t see vendors like that anymore 😭. I’ve heard that in Japan, there used to be street vendors who sold tofu or roasted sweet potatoes door to door, so it’s probably a similar feeling.
These days, since many people are more health-conscious, some paçoca is made with brown sugar instead of regular white sugar.The photo above shows one made with brown sugar. Also, recently, there is even Paçoca candy available.
👉👉One-Point Portuguese Tip!
I am allergic to peanuts: Eu sou alérgico(a) a amendoim.(Eu = I / sou = am / alérgico(a) = allergic / a amendoim = to peanuts)
• Doce de leite (a caramel-like milk sweet)
This sweet is basically what you would call caramel. For a while, fresh caramel candies were very popular in Japan, and this sweet is quite similar to those. However, Brazilians prefer the type that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. When you put it in your mouth, the inside slowly melts and becomes creamy. There is also a tube-style version, where you squeeze it out and lick the caramel directly from the tube. When I need a quick sugar boost at school, I often use my break time to enjoy this sweet.
👉👉One-Point Portuguese Tip!
Melts in your mouth:Derrete na boca(derrete = melts / na = in the / boca = mouth)
Desmancha na boca(desmancha = melts / na = in the / boca = mouth)
・Chocolate (chocolate sweets)
Chocolate that everyone loves!!
You can find chocolate at any regular supermarket, but the brands I especially recommend are CACAU SHOW, OFNER, KOPENHAGEN, and DENGO.
Many chocolates are made using fruits from different regions of Brazil or superfoods from the Amazon. Recently, more and more chocolates also contain cacao nibs.
👉👉One-Point Portuguese Tip!
My recommendation is ~ / I recommend ~ : Eu recomendo ~(Eu = I / recomendo = recommend)
・Pé de moleque
This is also a sweet made with sugar and peanuts.However, unlike paçoca, the peanuts are not ground, and the sugar is caramelized, so it is fairly hard. When I once brought this as a treat for my students, they said there are similar sweets in Japan as well.
👉👉One-Point Portuguese Tip!
Pé = footmoleque = mischievous boy / lively boy
In the past, many children in Brazil used to walk barefoot, and the soles of their feet would become brown. It is said that this is where the name of this sweet comes from.
・Bananada（a banana sweet）
As the name suggests, this sweet is made from bananas. It is similar to banana yokan (a Japanese jellied dessert), and the outside is coated with sugar. I think it’s definitely worth trying at least once.
👉👉One-Point Portuguese Tip!
“Banana” in Portuguese is also banana. The difference from Japanese is the stress (accent). In Portuguese, the stress is on the second-to-last syllable, so it is pronounced:
ba-NA-na
Next is the sweet I absolutely love: “Ovinho.” Unfortunately, it is only sold in Brazil.😭
So when I go to brazil, I always buy a lot of them 🇧🇷😁😁. The outside is thinly coated with cassava starch, and inside is—once again—peanuts. I especially love the outer layer because it’s salty. It’s also great as a snack to go with beer!!
👉👉One-Point Portuguese Tip!
Ovinho comes from ovo (egg). It means “little egg.” The name comes from its egg-like shape.
If you are looking for souvenirs to bring back to Japan, I recommend BIS next. You can easily buy it at supermarkets, it’s inexpensive, and it’s delicious. It is sweeter than KitKat, but it suits the Japanese palate very well.
👉👉One-Point Portuguese Tip!
Bis means “again,” “more,” or “encore.”It suggests something you want to repeat or can’t stop eating.
That’s true—you can’t be satisfied with just one 😅
Lately, both in Japan and in Brazil, I’ve noticed that sweets seem to be getting smaller compared to before. The moment I open a package, I think, “Huh?” “Really?”
As someone who loves sweets, I can’t help but notice these things. With inflation and rising costs, companies have probably worked hard to keep prices down, but it still feels a little sad.
■ For Readers Who Would Like to Explore Brazil More Deeply
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