​ Primarily, people in Brazil have three main origins: Europeans (mainly Portuguese), Africans and the native inhabitants (Indians). As the Portuguese immigrants settled and colonized Brazil, they began to intermarry with the indigenous people. This was the first of many integrations that would create the culture that is Brazil today.
Later on, Africans were brought to Brazil to work as slaves in the sugarcane industry. The integration process that had begun between the Europeans and the Indians rapidly spread to include the black slaves.
​ In order to fully appreciate Brazil’s diverse cuisine, one needs to fully understand and appreciate the colorful past of this melting pot nation. Because of its size and diversity, Brazil is one of the nation’s most deserving of the name "land of contrasts. Each one of Brazil’s five regions has a distinct culinary history that embraces the culture of the people that migrated to the area and the available resources in that region that made these dishes possible.​
This ethnic mixing continued as Brazil began to receive increasing numbers of immigrants from all over the world. Each immigrant group brought along with them its own customs and traditions and style of cooking. These immigrants settled in specific parts of the country. This distribution is what called the country to be divided into five regions: north, northeast, central-west, southeast and south. This ethnic diversity of Brazil was also manifested in its cuisine; since African, Portuguese and Indian recipes often combined flavors and shared ingredients. The cuisine of Brazil can also be subdivided regionally.
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