From cheese bread in the favela to a banquet at the palace, everything is irresistible in BH – 09/06/2023 – Josimar Melo

How to gain two kilos in two days? Very simple: take a trip to Minas Gerais, with its wide tradition of hearty table and hearty food. Hard to escape its effects. And look, last weekend I didn’t even indulge shamelessly in habitual sins – like the liver with scarlet eggplant from the Market Central (always preceded by cachaça, accompanied by a lot of beer, apart from broas or dulce de leche). Nor Market Novo, with its drinks and food that distract our appetite for hours, accompanied by good conversation.

Much of my program was much more polished. Which did not mitigate the caloric effects that every visit to Belo Horizonte produces.

I was, at the invitation of the Secretary of Culture and Tourism of the state, participating in the 1st International Festival of Contemporary Minas Gerais Cuisine. “International” because it wants to show the world the modern local gastronomy – in this first edition, there was an exchange with the Caribbean, through the Dutch island of Curaçao, whose cooperation, by the way, gave rise to the Caipiblue cocktail – cachaça with Curaçao Blue liqueur.

At the same time, as a contemporary appeal, the banquets were the focus of chefs with a Minas Gerais flavor, but an authorial approach – such as Caio Soter (from Pacato de Belo Horizonte) and Felipe Rameh (from Tragaluz de Tiradentes), gastronomic curator of the event.

Contemporaneity, which goes beyond the borders of Minas, was also the theme of the two-day debates of the symposium “Conversas de Cozinha”. In the same place, the Feira de Minas exhibited the work of small producers in the state, who squandered healthy ingredients. No excesses. And yet… two extra pounds.

It turns out that in Minas it is difficult to maintain composure at the table. On Saturday (2), a lunch at Pacato features creative mentions of local products (“oysters” from chicken, “escargots” from duck gizzards) and concludes with a “backyard kitchen” extravaganza – beef ribs, roast chicken, sirloin steak , crackling, farofa, rice… even dulce de leche liqueur.

In the evening, feast at the Palácio da Liberdade, a beautiful building by the architect Ramos de Azevedo, which was the seat of government and is now a cultural space. In the elegant dining room, on the gigantic table with embroidered tablecloths, flanked by columns of soapstone resembling marble, the dinner signed by Rameh brings small and delicate portions – such as the provocative scarlet eggplant with mustard, honey and country pepper; and the pork belly with caramelized banana puree, mini vegetables and pancs.

If that was all it was… but then… “look, only you see”, as they say over there:

The day before, Friday (1), there had already been dinner at the Fasano hotel, with its precise Italian cuisine. Before that, lunch at the Centro de Referência do Queijo Artesanal Mineiro, where instructor chefs from the future cooking school for vulnerable young people served a tasty chicken with okra and angu.

And on Saturday, between lunch and dinner, we visited a beautiful social project in Morro das Pedras, a community that brings together several uphill favelas. We got to know the facilities of the Arautos do Gueto (@arautosdogueto), with their classes for children and young people. But we also threw ourselves into Fred and Gabi’s (@mix_lanchesbh) irresistible cheese breads; and in Ita’s feijoada dumplings (@cozinhadaita). And since the raw material for the dumplings was there giving soup… as an antipasti to the palace banquet, we attacked the smiling Ita’s feijoada.

I don’t need to remind you that between activities we went to the farmers’ market I mentioned. And give him cheese – those from the Ribeiro Fiorentini couple (@ribeirofiorentini) are fantastic), dulce de leche, liqueur, honey… and instant and guaranteed overweight.

_{The journalist traveled at the invitation of the Secretary of Culture and Tourism of the State of Minas Gerais}

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