One of the best things about Carnival is the food. You don't have to go to a fancy restaurant and spend tons of money because you can get some mouthwatering snacks directly on the street. Among the most popular there include the pastel, coxinha, bolinho de bacalhau, aipim frito, and espetinhos. The pastel is a deep fried pastry with different fillings like chicken, cheese, ground beef, hearts of palm, vegetables, or shrimp. It is tasty, very cheap, and quickly made. You can find it at street fairs, in pastelarias, or bars as a beer snack. Coxinha is another beer snack enjoyed by Brazilians. It's chopped or shredded chicken meat, covered in dough, molded into a shape resembling a chicken leg, battered and fried—sometimes even with cheese in it. It tastes best with ketchup and a cold beer on a hot afternoon. Bolinho de bacalhau or cod fish balls are the Brazilians' absolute favourite. It's even said that they judge the quality of a bar by the quality of these snacks. They had to be crispy on the outside and creamy inside and served with lime and a dip. Usually, the cooking process takes a lot of time, so the locals prefer to enjoy them with a cold beer in a bar. Aipim frito or cassava chips are the Brazilian version of french fries. The cassava plant was used in different dishes by the indigenous people long before the Europeans arrived for its nutritional value. Today the aipim frito which is a fried cassava and is one of the most popular and widely consumed Brazilian snacks. The espetinhos is the Brazilian equivalent of a hot dog. It is a salty barbecued sausage, covered in cassava flour and served with tomato salsa and hot sauce. Even though it might look strange, it's very tasty and a Carnival favourite.
