Believe it or not, there are some people who go to Brazil who are not won over by
those famous Brazilian stereotypes. Some people don’t like samba, don’t like Carnival,
find soccer boring and there are even some who don’t like feijoada. However, there is
one thing that unites all visitors to Brazil, a common ground between the human race
as a whole, and that is the love for the country’s most emblematic deep-fried snack: the
coxinha.
Coxinha (pronounced co-sheen-ya) translates from Portuguese as “little thigh”, and is a
breaded and fried dough-based snack filled with chicken, shaped to resemble a
chicken drumstick (coxa in Portuguese). They can be found anywhere, from gas stations
to bakeries and bars to fancy restaurants – and they are really, really good.
How they are made:
The traditional coxinha is made from a dough of wheat flour and chicken stock, though
potatoes, sweet potatoes or cassava can also be used to provide different flavors and
textures. The dough is then filled with shredded chicken which has been lightly
seasoned, and often a little bit of a creamy Brazilian cheese known as catupiry. They are
then shaped into the traditional drumstick/pear/teardrop shape, breaded, and deepfried until golden and crisp.