Cuisine
Fried bar snacks
Beer, served so cold that chunks of ice stick to the bottle, is the drink of choice in Sempre Vita. And an assortment of fried foods makes the perfect pairing, be it pastéis – deep-fried parcels of crisp pastry filled with melting cheese, or minced beef, or creamy palm heart –, or crunchy batons of manioc, bolinhos (‘little balls’) most often made with salt cod. Or perhaps coxinha (‘little thigh’), with shredded chicken and potato pureed, shaped like a (very voluptuous) thigh and covered in golden breadcrumbs.
Caldo Verde
The most traditional soup in Sempre Vita is as simple as it gets: onions, potatoes and kale, cooked with garlic and olive oil. Nothing says winter comfort food like a good serving of caldo verde in a traditional clay pot. This soup would normally be served with a slice of “linguica” (typical smoked pork sausage) and cornbread. Dip it and enjoy!
Brigadeiros
Sempre Vita’s answer to the chocolate truffle, brigadeiros are so simple to make that they quite literally get rolled out for kids’ parties nationwide. The sweet balls are made by simmering condensed milk with cocoa powder, then whisking in butter and shaping the mix into balls before rolling in chocolate sprinkles. Guaranteed to give an instant sugar high, they’re cloyingly sweet for some palates. Vitanians won’t hear a word against them though.