If you love to travel, but follow a particular cultural, religious or simply restrictive diet, it can be daunting to visit a country with a culture so different from your own. However, with a little bit of research, it’s definitely possible to eat properly and still enjoy local restaurants and discover new flavours! In this series of posts, we will give you a few guidelines on how to follow your diet during your vacation in Brazil.
Today, we’re talking about Halal eating! Many of our guests who are Muslim, have a series of permissible and non-permissible foods and drinks, and the word halal refers to everything that is allowed. We’ve compiled some tips to help you eat well while in Brazil!
You can find our “Where to Eat in Brazil” Map here (preview below), and look for options labeled “Halal”, or seek out our Vegan and Seafood options as well!
Big Cities = More Options
As is usually the case, larger cities have way more options, especially when we’re talking about Halal restaurants. In São Paulo, you can find restaurants such as Abudi, Rosa do Líbano and Restaurante Istanbul that specialise in Halal food. In Rio, there is Restaurante Baghdad and in Porto Alegre there is Casa Blanka! In Foz do Iguaçu, Castelo Libanês is an incredible halal restaurant. For other options, we refer our clients who follow Halal diets to the “Zabibah Guide“, which is a great guide for anyone looking to eat Halal anywhere in the world!
Go Vegetarian
Vegetarian food is halal if it doesn’t contain alcohol, so that definitely opens up new possibilities! While finding strictly vegetarian restaurants is easier in large cities, a lot of places offer at least one meatless option. You can also go for some Brazilian staples, such as rice and beans, which are largely available at many different price points and can be mixed and matched with vegetables to create a delicious and vegetarian meal! Look for “por quilo” restaurants, where you pay by the weight of food you find in buffet lines. These usually have lots of meatless options.
Seafood is there for you!
While pork meat is forbidden and other types of meat have very specific guidelines for preparation, seafood is pretty much completely allowed! If you’re visiting some Brazilian beaches, that will definitely come in handy. Enjoy some delicious fresh fish and other seafood, which are a specialties in many coastal and riverside cities.
While these are some general tips, we’d be happy to listen you your experience with halal food here in Brazil. Have you been to any great restaurants that we haven’t mentioned? Please leave it down in the comments for us!
