Samba: A Taste of Brazil in Hopkins

“Sake?” questioned one of the passengers on our trek Around the World in the Twin Cities.

“Yes, sake is very common in Brazil,” said Jose Luiz Pantano, owner of Samba Taste of Brazil in Hopkins, “You see, there are many Japanese in Brazil. Many influences in Brazil.”

The variety of influences in Brazil was immediately apparent as the United Foodies of Minnesota sat for drinks and food on stop #3 of our tour. First, we were serenaded by Sergio Rosa, who entertains Samba diners on Friday and Saturday nights with a fusion of both bossa nova and Beatles music. Then we tried caipirinha de sake, or sake with crushed lime and sugar—a delightful blend of Japanese and Brazilian flavors.  

The word “caipirinha” comes from “caipira,” or a person from the country. Thus, caipirinha is a diminutive meaning “little person from the country.” Caipirinhas are believed to have been invented by the indigenous people and slaves of Brazil. Many slaves worked on the sugar cane plantations. The fermented liquid leftover from the sugar cane process was known as “cane wine,” or “cachaza” in Spanish. Jesuits called it “augoa ardente” which means “water that burns.” In Brazil, they simply refer to it as “aguardente.” Cachaza was used to feed animals or given to slaves, who mixed it with fruit juice, usually lime. This mix was used for parties and religious ceremonies--and thus the caipirinha was born. Now, you can find caipirinhas using a variety of different fruits (caipifruta) and made with either cachaça, vodka (caipirosca), or sake.

We kicked off our meal with pastel, or Brazilian empanadas. The origin of pastel is a mystery. Most people think it originated when the Japanese immigrants adapted Chinese fried wontons to sell as snacks at the street markets. Others believe that they came from the fried calzones brought over by Italian-Brazilians, or were adopted when Indian samosas became part of the Portuguese repertoire.

After pastel and pão de queijo, or cheesy bread buns made with starchy cassava root paste, we tucked into my favorite entree, moqueca (pronounced “mo-KEH-kah”). Moqueca is a slow-cooked seafood stew made by Brazilians for at least 300 years. The stew usually consists of fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro. It’s nice and thick because water is normally not added to the stew.

Samba makes its moqueca with coconut milk, which is in the traditional style of Bahia, a northern state in Brazil where African cultural traditions are most prevalent. Moqueca evolved when the Portuguese brought coconut trees to Brazil and planted them along the coast to replace the wood they harvested. The influence of African culture in Bahia is evident by the bright orange palm oil, called dendê, that they also use in their moqueca. In fact, the etymology of the word moqueca dates back to an African word, mu’keka, which means “fish chowder” or “fish stew.”

Dendê and coconut milk are also traditionally used in the other dish we tried and loved, bobó de camarão or shrimp bobó.

“My personal favorite is the bobó,” said Pantano, “It’s a lot of flavors with the shrimp, tomatoes, peppers, and manioc with cream.”

Bobó has a similar flavor to moqueca, but was thicker in consistency because it included the purée of manioc, or cassava. Bobó is almost identical to ipetê, a West African dish made of yam purée instead of manioc. The word, bobó, means “a dish made with beans” and comes from the language of the Ewe people who came to Brazil as slaves from what is current day Ghana, Benin, and Togo.

Samba’s menu features food from all over Brazil, including many pizza and pasta dishes influenced by the Italian-Brazilian population.

“We present the most typical foods of Brazil at Samba,” said Pantano, “Homemade food. Not prepared in advance. It is prepared and made to order. From Portugal, Spain, Germany, Africa, and Japan. Like sake. Why use sake? Is there sake in Brazil? Yes, there’s a lot! Everything contributes to our food. One guy asked why we have pasta. Why not? It’s in Brazil! There are a lot of influences from a lot of countries. We try to pick dishes that are family recipes. And before we put it on the menu, it must pass through me and and my family.”

Samba is truly a family-run business.

“The whole family helps out,” said Alessandra Orthey, Pantano’s daughter, “My brother, Gabriel, is one of the owners and chef. Victor, my other brother, works every Friday as a waiter. And I fill in whenever they need. I also helped decorate a bit, and I give suggestions on the menu. My mom takes care of the grocery part and lately has been waitressing too.”

About 21 years ago, Orthey moved from Rio de Janeiro to Minnesota so she could study English in a six-month program at Hamline University. She was only 17 at the time and barely spoke English. Orthey liked the United States so much that she stayed and ended up marrying Chris, a native Minnesotan. Her brothers came two years later and her parents followed so they could be near their kids and grandchildren.

“My parents used to have a store called Brazilian Connection. It started from their basement and soon they moved to Hopkins. After a few years of a successful store, they decided to open the restaurant,” said Orthey, “They love to cook, love food, and by then many Brazilians begged them to open a restaurant with our typical food.”

Pantano estimates that there are about 800 Brazilians spread around the state.

“Every year around Carnival time we have a big party and then we see many Brazilians,” Orthey said.

Pantano also celebrates the holidays by trying out new items on the menu.

“Mother’s Day is coming and I’m thinking of creating a new dish for a special,” Pantano said, “If it goes well then we’ll put it on the menu permanently.”

Yet another reason to return to Samba in Hopkins!

Chimborazo in Northeast Minneapolis: You had me at llapingachos!

Welcome to the second stop on our Around the World in the Twin Cities tour! From Mexico, we head down to Ecuador to try llapingachos, ceviche, and encocado at Chimborazo.

Llapingachos (pronounced ya-ping-ga-chos), or potato pancakes stuffed with cheese, are one of the most famous Ecuadorian dishes and are representative of the highlands region, where Chimborazo owner/chef Marcos Pinguil was born. The llapingachos con chorizo are Pinguil’s personal favorite on the menu. These potato pancakes are served with rice, chorizo, fried egg, and peanut sauce, but you can also get llapingachos as an appetizer or side dish.  

While many people associate potatoes with Irish fare, the first potatoes were actually cultivated by the Inca people in South America. Archaeologists have found potato remains in Peru and Chile that date back to 500 B.C.E. Actually, the word “potato” itself is thought to have been derived from a Spanish blending of the Quechua word “papa” and the Taino (indigenous peoples of the Bahamas, Antilles, and Lesser Antilles) word “batata.”

Quechua is the Inca language, and it’s still spoken by 16 percent of Peru’s population. In fact, Spanish is actually Pinguil’s second language. Pinguil’s restaurant is named after an inactive volcano and the highest mountain in Ecuador, Chimborazo, which some people think means “on the other side” in Quechua. According to local legend, Chimborazo represents Taita (Father) and the neighboring Tungurahua volcano is Mama.

From the highlands of Cañar, Sierra, our meal moved to the tropical coast, where Pinguil learned at a young age to prepare dishes like ceviche and encocado. Ceviche is typically fish or shrimp marinated in a citrus juices and spiced with chili peppers. At Chimborazo, the ceviche de camaron is served with red onion, tomato, lime, tostados, and patacones (fried green plantain patties). The hearty and rich shrimp encocado (“in coconut sauce”) was my favorite part of the meal, and proved perfect for a cold Minnesota day.    

Although Pinguil has a few members of the Ecuadorian community who come in once in awhile to relish authentic food from their homeland, for many of his customers, it’s their first time experiencing Ecuadorian cuisine. Before starting Chimborazo on April 23, 2009, Pinguil worked at a couple of other restaurants.

“I started it because there wasn’t a lot of South American restaurants in Minnesota,” Pinguil said. “I’m from the highlands and I try to make authentic foods from the country. I’m so happy to serve the customers in this neighborhood...It surprised me that Minnesota people love my food.”

On Thursdays, Chimborazo introduces many Minnesotans to Ecuadorian music as well. Pinguil’s friends in the St. Paul band Ecuador Manta add to the atmosphere of the restaurant by blending traditional flute and guitar sounds of the Andes with more contemporary Latin and Caribbean rhythms. The walls are also decorated with traditional Otavaleño textiles from the Otavalo valley in Imbabura province of northern Ecuador.

Overall, our stop in Ecuador proved both delicious and educational as we learned about the many indigenous cultures of Ecuador and the Andean highlands. Next stop on our tour? Brazil! If you're interested in joining the tour, please let me know.

[Around the World in the TC] Stop #1: El Taco Riendo!

Since becoming a Minnesotan, I have discovered the winter blahs. They usually set in during the month of February. Fortunately, with the variety of restaurants offered here in Minnesota, a staycation to a warmer place is well within reach: sunny Mexico will be the first stop on our tour around the world. That’s right, this year I'll be taking you on a journey across the globe by featuring an eating establishment representing a different cultural cuisine each month. So, United Foodies of Minnesota—get your passports out and have them ready to be stamped!

First stop: El Taco Riendo

On 24th & Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis sits my little slice of Mexico.El Taco Riendo has become my go-to place for tacos in the Twin Cities. So much so that I find myself there on an almost weekly basis. “We have a lot of regulars,” acknowledged Miguel Gomez, the owner of El Taco Riendo, “About 20 percent of our customers are Latino, and the rest are a mix.

On the day that the United Foodies of Minnesota visited, there was definitely a mix of people—which seemed appropriate considering how the tacos we know today stemmed from their own cultural blending of sorts. Corn itself was developed by people in the Sierra Madre mountains around 3000 BCE. When Hernan Cortes and his conquistadors arrived in the New World on April 22, 1519, they discovered the Aztecs making flat corn bread, or tlaxcalli. The Spanish called them tortillas.

Although the Aztecs had corn tortillas, it was not until Europeans came to Mexico that chicken, beef, and pork livestock were introduced. According to University of Minnesota history professor Jeffrey M. Pilcher, author of Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food, tacos trace back to the silver mines in 18th century Mexico. In those days, the word “taco” referred to these pieces of paper that the silver miners wrapped around gunpowder and inserted into holes that they carved in the rock face. Pilcher points to the fact that taquitos resemble sticks of dynamite.

Pilcher also explained that one of the most popular types of tacos today, tacos al pastor, also stem from a cultural blending. “Lebanese migrants came to Mexico and brought recipes with them, including a vertical rotisserie much like shawarma,” Pilcher remarked, “It was their children who then made these ‘Arab tacos.’ The descendants eventually replaced the lamb with pork and the pita with corn tortillas. The red color of the meat comes from the chili marinade they used. And they would put a pineapple on top so the juices would leak down.”

Although the United Foodies of Minnesota tried a variety of entrees on our first outing, the tacos al pastor and tinga de pollo remained my favorite items on the El Taco Riendo menu.

Gomez’s favorite is the beef vegetable soup because it reminds him of his homeland and his family. “My mother used to make it back in Mexico. It’s also great for the cold weather here in Minnesota.”

Gomez came to Minnesota from Mexico in 1984. He was in the food industry for 24 years before he started El Taco Riendo on April 25, 2009. Through the years, he worked in various Italian, Greek, and American restaurants or catering businesses. Now Gomez has the opportunity to share part of his own heritage through El Taco Riendo.

“The restaurant is decorated with colors inspired by the hacienda,” Gomez remarked as he pointed at the warm yellow tones of the walls adorned with sombreros and paintings, “It represents Mexico.”

Gomez also brought the idea of the big torta sandwich from Mexico City to Minneapolis. Now a couple of other restaurants in the area offer the monster torta.

“95 percent of the items on the menu are homemade and prepared on the spot. The barbacoa is cooked slowly in the oven. The carnitas is homemade as well.” Gomez continued, “The mole on the enchiladas is our strongest selling item. The mole is homemade from Puebla, Mexico. Mole is the most difficult thing to make because it’s made with seeds—peanuts, sesame seeds, chocolate, and chilies—that are roasted until they’re soft and the seeds are then ground.”

Mole is another traditional Mexican dish with both indigenous and European roots. Although many legends surround the origins of mole poblano, one of the most common stories claims that the nuns at the Convent of Santa Rosa in Puebla de los Angeles created the first mole after learning that the archbishop was coming to visit. They had nothing to serve because they were poor and so they prayed to the angels for inspiration. After chopping, grinding, and roasting a mixture of chilies, spices, nuts, chocolate, and the other ingredients they had on hand for several hours, they served the mole sauce on the only meat they had—an old turkey. The archbishop was pleased with the meal and this national dish was born.

Cultural Blending

Historically, Mexican food has taken inspiration from many cultures, and now it is sparking new culinary fusions today.

“Whenever immigrants go anywhere, the newcomers establish food traditions,” Pilcher said. “In the 1920s, there was an author here in Minnesota who complained that Mexican food was going to the dogs because they were starting to put pickles in the tamales. That was the influence of the German and Polish cultures here. The mixing of ingredients and cultural blending is common. For example, Korean BBQ tacos in L.A. are spreading across the country. These Asian cuisines are using the taco as a vehicle to ‘Americanize’ their food for the American palate. It’s like the hamburger and hotdog. A hundred years ago, these were associated with German culture--which was the enemy. They were an alien food. People didn’t know what kind of meat was in them. And now, these are very ‘American’ dishes. In a similar vein, tacos and tamales have become ‘American’ in their own way.”

Today, you can walk into a market on Lake Street and find all kinds of ingredients that were not available outside of Mexico just a few decades ago.

“Mexican food has become a global food—just as McDonald’s and pizza are everywhere,” Pilcher remarked. “In the last 50 years, Mexican food has become global as well. It started with Tex-Mex. Americans started carrying food around the world, and now taco trucks have appeared and spread around the world.”

Next Stop?

As the United Foodies of Minnesota wrapped up our time at El Taco Riendo, I started to think about the next stop on our journey around the world. If you would like to join our next foodventure, please e-mail me at michelletran@tcdailyplanet.net. Have an idea for a future stop? Feel free to e-mail or post a comment below.

Around the World in the Twin Cities

Hi Everyone!
Although Culture Cart did not win the MN Idea Open last year, we're still keeping the idea alive by taking you on an "Around the World in the Twin Cities" tour this year. 

Each month we'll be stopping at a different restaurant in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. We'll try the food, talk with the owners, and learn a little bit about the culture and origins of the cuisine we try. 

We even made little passports and created stamps for each stop so you can track your progress!

Please follow our foodventures on this blog and let us know if you have any suggestions for future stops. 

If you would like to join us for one of our outings, just like TCFoodies on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @TCFoodies or #tcfoodies.
Cheers,
Michelle

Culture Cart Update

Unfortunately, Culture Cart did not make it to the finalist round of the MN Idea Open. Thank you to everyone for your support though! This is not the end of the Culture Cart idea either! :-)

Diversity Networks Spur Creativity & Innovation

I like this article because it talks about how diversity helps to spur creativity and innovation: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/bmag/sbsm0305/ideas_ruef_networking.shtml

"Diverse networks and sources of information encourage the diffusion of non-redundant information and thus stimulate creativity," says Ruef. In terms of the entrepreneurial team itself, "the more entrepreneurs you have, the more likely you are to have innovation because people come in with different backgrounds and perspectives."

Encouraging people to build bonds across cultures and faiths not only helps to build harmony, cooperation, and collaboration in a community, but it also helps the community to progress and promotes the ability of people to come up with innovative solutions and invent creative new technologies!

Who is behind Culture Cart?

Hi! I thought I should tell you a little bit about the person behind Culture Cart because I know I'm always curious to learn more about people and how they came up with ideas based on their background and experiences. My name is Michelle Tran and one of the reasons I'm so passionate about helping people to build bonds across cultures and faiths is because my parents are refugees from Vietnam. They immigrated to the United States in 1975 and raised my brothers, sisters, and me in Kansas--home of Dorothy, tornadoes, and endless wheat fields that give the state its title of "Breadbasket of America."

Growing up, my education did not begin in kindergarten. My first classes never even took place at a school--they were at home, around the family dinner table. After respectfully asking Dad for a bowl of rice, the conversation would quickly turn to current events--everything from politics to religion was on the menu--and the discussion only commenced once the mango slices had been doled out and the jasmine tea drained.

Much of what I have learned in life and the relationships that I have formed started out around a similar table, a shared meal, and the breaking of bread. In fact, I have always found it appropriate that the words "company" and "companion" stem from the Latin roots of "com" and "panis," or "with bread."

As first generation Vietnamese-American, I always felt like I was on threshold between two different worlds and it has given me a unique perspective on the importance of building bonds across people of different ethnic backgrounds and faiths. When I was 14, I auditioned to be a host for a television program about cultural diversity, called "zygo." I know what you're thinking--Kansas is diverse? To many people's surprise, Kansas is actually very diverse, and becoming more so every day. My parents were part of the first wave of Vietnamese refugees to arrive in the state, but there are now immigrant communities from all over Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. When I hosted "zygo" I interviewed families from all over the map--Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Samoa etc. Hosting this show was truly a joy because I had the opportunity to learn more about the rich diversity in Kansas and help bring that knowledge to the rest of the state.

After graduating from college and completing my Master's degree in Public Policy, I joined the Foreign Service because of my keen interest in international relations. It was a great job and career because I learned a lot about working with people from different cultures and backgrounds, but personal reasons eventually brought me back to the Midwest--this time to Minnesota. I felt like Laura Ingalls Wilder from "Little House on the Prairie" because I was a Kansas girl who made her way up north to Minnesota! I have fallen in love with Minnesota because of its beautiful lakes, parks, and community spirit. People in Minnesota are more civically engaged than anywhere else I have ever been and the community is rich with diversity.

When I saw Challenge III of the MN Idea Open, I was so excited that I sent it out to all the young people that I work with in the community. What a neat contest and way to engage the community in finding solutions to critical issues! Then I started to think about what I wanted to enter as my best idea. At first I thought that a show like "zygo" would be great for Minnesota. But then, I wanted to think of something more creative and more innovative--something that would draw in a broad array of people, even people who might not normally participate in community events or initiatives because of time constraints or other committments. That's when it dawned on me--food trucks! I love food trucks. Every state I go to, I'm always looking for the local food trucks. When I was in Austin, Texas it was Chilantro and in DC my favorite was the Fojol Bros. But I didn't want Culture Cart to be just any old food truck. I wanted it to be more interactive and engage people in an educational opportunity as they wait for their food.

I thought about a sushi making class that I took once where the chef not only showed us how to roll sushi, but also taught us about the origins of sushi. Apparently, a giant earthquake completely demolished the major city in Japan. Construction workers were brought in to help rebuild the city and they needed something quick and easy to eat on their short lunch breaks. Thus, roadside vendors started making sushi. It became pretty popular among the non-working class and they would put various fish in it, like tuna. When sushi was brought over to California, tuna was too expensive so people looked around for something that had a similar texture--thus avocado was added to sushi rolls! Now, avocado is such a popular ingredient in sushi that you can find it all over the world, including in Japan.

I love learning the history of how food has come about and how it has been influenced by different cultures. Food is an integral part of all cultures and faith traditions. I think it is the perfect entry way for people to start a conversation and to learn more about each other. When I hosted "zygo," I had the opportunity to taste Lebanese food for the first time and learn more about where the food originates--and it was amazing! I hope to help provide that same experience for people who go to Culture Cart. Perhaps a lunch at Culture Cart will inspire someone to volunteer for other community events that encourages us to work together across cultures and faiths.

I'm excited to be a semi-finalist in the MN Idea Open and hope to make it to the finalist round so that you can have the opportunity to vote on my idea and help make it a reality. Thanks for joining me on this journey to the creation of Culture Cart, an interactive food truck for everyone!