It may be that on different occasions you have heard talk of “brigadeiro”, whether you found it browsing the internet, or someone told you to try it, you found it on your trip or they told you that you need to look for it in your next trip, but what is it?
The brigadeiro is a sweet, in fact it is one of the most popular, if not the most popular , in all of Brazil. Although defining it like this is somewhat simplistic, not only because of the flavor feast that is every time you eat one, and more so if you are a fan of sweets and chocolate, but because it has a history that defines it. The brigadeiro is a sweet, yes, but it is also an important part of the culture of the Latin American country.
The origin of the brigadeiro dates back to the 1940s . Although an exact date cannot be established, it is believed that he was after the Second World War , that is, from 1945.
Before going completely into the history of this delicious Brazilian sweet, it is necessary to clarify the following: in Portuguese, the word “ brigadeiro ” refers to a brigadier, that is, to a military officer . Now let’s continue.
When does the brigadeiro appear?
After World War II, one of the most popular candidates for the presidency in Brazil was Brigadier Eduardo Gomes . These were not elections like the previous ones, but were the first elections in which women could vote, so they were also involved in the propaganda of the politician they supported . Mainly in Rio de Janeiro, women were key to his campaign.
What was done in the elections was to sell some condensed milk with chocolate sandwiches to which they decided to call brigadeiro , in honor of the candidate. It is believed that one of the women responsible for the creation of these sweets that became so popular was Heloisa Nabuco de Oliveira , from Rio de Janeiro .
The slogan of Eduardo Gomes’ campaign was: “Vote no brigadeiro, que é bonito e solteiro“. This means “vote for the brigadier, who is pretty and single.”
Brigadeiro, from Rio de Janeiro to all of Brazil
Although the sweets were not enough to guarantee the arrival to the presidency of Eduardo Gomes, the brigadeiros did manage to win, little by little, the hearts of the citizens of Brazil as well as those of their visitors. Today, they are part of Brazilian culture and have become a national icon.
Similar in appearance to a truffle, it is consumed by people of all regions and of all ages. It is not uncommon to meet brigadeiros on birthdays, family gatherings, luxury events , and it is because it is not only a sweet that is very rich, but it is typical of the culture, anonym of meeting and sharing.
There are different ways to do it, since over time the recipe was perfected and variations were also emerging that incorporated new flavors to this typical sweet. The traditional brigadeiro recipe consists of mixing three main ingredients: condensed milk, chocolate and butter.
Currently it is possible to find brigadeiro not only made of chocolate, but also of fruits, nuts, liqueurs, coconut and cashew nuts , to name a few. The latter are usually known as “gourmet brigadeiros“.
How to make a brigadeiro?
The recipe to make this typical and iconic Brazilian sweet has changed over time, as we already told you. At first it was made with condensed milk, eggs, butter, sugar and chocolate, but now some things have been removed and others have been included.
There is something that is important to take into account, and that is that at the time when this truffle-like sweet appeared, it was quite difficult to get fresh milk and sugar to create the sweets that I was used to. That is why the traditional recipe, and the current one, uses condensed milk.
Fortunately, it is a recipe that is f easy to make, even for those people who are not very fond of cooking or baking, and with ingredients that we can even find in the supermarket. if we live outside of Brazil. So there are no more excuses .
What you will need to be able to make this delicacy at home is condensed milk, butter, cocoa powder and chocolate noodles (also known as chocolate grana). It will also be necessary to have a casserole, in which the ingredients will be mixed over medium heat, except for the scarlet, and another container where you will have to let the mixture rest before to give it the typical spherical shape.
To serve it, although you can choose the form that you like the most, it is customary to put it in small paper capsules, as truffles are usually presented.
You can check a step by step of this recipe on our Instagram account, tell us what you thought and if this sweet enchanted you as much as we did. Have you already tried them? ????
