Last month Alex Atala was named one in all Time magazine's one hundred most powerful folks within the world for absorbing "the huge task of shaping a higher food culture for geographical region. His philosophy of victimisation native Brazilian ingredients in culinary art has enchanted the continent." on, DOM, his São Paulo eating house, was voted the sixth-best within the world (down from fourth last year) and therefore the best in South America.
So however did a former punk, DJ and acknowledged party animal WHO became a cook virtually by chance (while bumming around Europe he applied to try and do a cookery course in Kingdom of Belgium therefore he may get a visa), and from a rustic with very little name on the planet food scene, modification the approach folks believe Brazilian food?
Atala says his bulb moment came once he accomplished that, despite coaching in France and European country, he would ne'er, as a Brazilian, be ready to cook those countries' cuisines (which dominate the fine-dining scene in São Paulo) additionally as a native cook. however perhaps he may cook Brazilian food higher than anyone ever had. additionally as having the cheekiness and self-belief, he was blessed by the country's abundance of distinctive natural ingredients.
Here's the issue regarding Brazilian food. whereas the raw materials – meat, fish, fruit, veg – are often nearly as good and as varied as anyplace within the world, most the factory-made foods on supply square measure industrial and bland – cured meats, dairy, oils, brew … even occasional. they will have AN awful ton of occasional in Brazil, however it always tastes bloody awful, too.
So Atala stopped aping culinary art that depends on imports or poor substitutes, and turned for inspiration to his country's natural resources, specifically to the Amazon. The world's greatest system is home to a copiousness of ingredients (and several species of plant still undiscovered), and this is often wherever he stocks his stowage. therefore on the menu at DOM square measure some weird and howling Amazonian foods. Tucupi may be a yellow sauce extracted from a manioc root that has got to 1st be cooked to get rid of the toxins; jambu leaf numbs the lips and tongue and, says Atala, "makes everything style bigger". There are a number of the world's largest seafood, and a tremendous honey that, in keeping with the Brazilian food standards agency a minimum of, is not honey the least bit.
