The Rest of Brazil

For me, the rest is only Iguasu Falls and Sao Paolo.  This is such a huge country that I imagine it would take a couple of months to see it properly.  I must say that until my final meal in Rio, I was very unimpressed by Brazilian cuisine, but that's what happens when you eat in or near sporting venues and dining becomes something you do to just keep alive for sports events.  On my final night in Rio, I was able to eat the famous feijado in a good restaurant in Santa Teresa, a lovely hillside community full of old villas.  The picture below does no justice to the quality of the food, but what you see is tapioca flour, collard greens, hot peppers, rice and orange slices with the centerpiece being a stew consisting of two huge chunks of beef, half a pound of sausage and black beans in a very tasty sauce.  It was simply brilliant and the sort of dish that everyone makes and that every makes differently.  This one was very high quality compared to a lower quality version that might be 90% beans and a few tiny chunks of poor quality meat.  As almost always in life, you get what you pay for.