Regional Cuisines
There isn't exactly one "national Brazilian cuisine", but an assortment of various regional traditions and typical dishes. This diversity is linked to the origins of the people inhabiting each state.
For instance, the culinary in Bahia is heavily ifluenced by a mix of African, Indigenous and Portuguese cuisine. Chili sauces and palm oil are very common. But in the Northern states, due to the abundance of forest and freshwater rivers, fish and cassava are staple food. In the deep south like Rio Grande do Sul, the influence shifts more towards German cuisine, with many meat based products, due to this region livestock based economy - the churrasco, a kind of barbecue, is a local tradition.
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