Coxinhas and pastries take on the shape of a capybara in Curitiba – 03/24/2024 – Food

After walking past fruit and vegetable stalls on Rua Professora Ephigenia do Rego Barroso, in the Mercês neighborhood, in Curitiba, two mascots catch the attention of customers in the middle of the organic market in Praça da Ukraine: people dress up in capybara costumes and guarana soda.

The characters dance and interact with the public, inviting them to try the new flavors of Curitiba’s gastronomy: the capixinha and the capistel – coxinha and pastel molded in the shape of a capybara, an animal symbol of the city and much sought after by tourists in Barigui Park, a of the main postcards of the South region.

In the capital of Paraná, the fair traditionally takes place on Saturdays, between 7am and 12pm. Located on the corner of Rua Padre Anchieta is the snack stall owned by the Yamashiro family, who came from post-war Japan and have been present with their products in Paraná since 1973. In the back, in the kitchen, is Mity, 43, who makes up the third generation and owns the creations that went viral on social media.

“The idea of ​​making the pastry and coxinha in the shape of a capybara came about during the pandemic. We were off work for three weeks and it was a blow for the family. When we returned, customers couldn’t sit here, as they needed to pay and go though”, says the stallholder.

During the period of social isolation, Mity started testing new ways in an attempt to gain more customers. “I liked drawing in the masses and, at that time, no one was leaving the house. One day, a customer took a photo of the window and posted it on Twitter. It went viral,” she says.

The capistel can be made of meat or cheese and costs R$18. There is also a sweet, chocolate version, sold for R$15. The capixinha is made with potato and chicken dough, a recipe kept by the family for years, and It is sold for R$ 15. For every two units, the customer receives a mini guaraná soft drink.

The surprise happens when the customer decides to taste the delicacies on site and chooses a table to sit on the sidewalk. The order, fried to order, is delivered directly by the mascots, who go by Capi and Refriko and celebrate each achievement by bringing the orders without tripping over the curb.

Production takes place the day before and is completely handcrafted. The process takes longer than making common snacks, explains Mity. Traditional pastries, for example, are already cut into rectangular shapes on the machine. “There is no mold. I make them one by one. I’ve already tried to teach some people in the family, but it didn’t work and no one succeeded. The sales numbers for the capistel and capixinha end up being limited”, comments the stallholder.

Mity also produces different capistel and capixinha units based on commemorative or themed dates. In 2023, at the launch of “Barbie”, the long-running winner of the best original song category at the last edition of the Oscars, the food took on shades of pink. In December, the Yamashiro family launched capinoel.

At the tent, employees also wear themed uniforms. The t-shirt designs, hand-painted by Mity, represent capybaras holding capitals. At the checkout, it is also possible to purchase souvenirs of the animal, an icon of Curitiba: the keychains and bracelets with capybara pendants (R$ 15, each) are also made by Mity.

“The public likes what’s different, right? We’re connecting with other people and that’s been really cool. Today, we welcome young people and families who, in the past, didn’t come”, he concludes.

The Yamashiro family also participates in more fairs in Curitiba. It is possible to try capixinha and capistel at other addresses in the capital. Check it out below:

Civic Center Fair
R. Ernâni Santiago de Oliveira, in the Court of Justice parking lot. Wed., from 3pm to 8pm

Green Water Fair
R. Brasílio Ovidio da Costa, in front of Shopping Água Verde. Thurs., from 3pm to 9:30pm

Daytime Organic Fair
R. Professor Ephigenia do Rego Barros, near Praça da Ukraine. Sat, from 7am to 12pm