What is churrasco? Real Brazil in Taunton cooks up mouthwatering BBQ

TAUNTON — The barbecue is spinning at Real Brazil Restaurant and Market on Tremont Street in Taunton.

Two weeks ago, the new rotisserie barbecue grill arrived at Real Brazil, and chef Andreia Mourao was ready and waiting to add real Brazilian barbecue, also called churrasco in Portuguese, to the menu.

“Right now, the barbecue, it’s new to the store. When I first opened we didn’t have the machine, but that’s iconic in Brazil,” said Real Brazil owner Alan Martins, pointing out the new piece of equipment slow roasting a variety of meats on rotating skewers.

“Brazilian restaurants are all about barbecue, which we didn’t have before. So, two weeks ago I started serving the Brazilian barbecue. So, that’s what’s new, and seems to be making people excited about the food we have here.”

Stop in, fix a plate

The Brazilian barbecue is offered as part of a buffet which includes a wide variety of side dishes, including rice, red and black beans, fruits and vegetables and other Brazilian specialties and mainstays.

“It’s got Brazil written all over it,” Martins said. “The rice and beans are the foundations of our plates, and then we add the meats, which are very special recipes from Brazil. Every Brazilian place has gotta have rice and beans. That’s the basic foundation of a real Brazilian plate.

“And then we add the Brazilian barbecue, which you can see right here,” pointing to the barbecue, always spinning at a steady pace, juices bubbling. “Steak, chicken, pork, linguica… those are the basic meats that we have on the Brazilian barbecue cooking on the rotating skewer.”

Brazilian barbecue, appetizers, desserts and groceries in one stop

While the barbecue offering is new in recent weeks, the store has been in operation since May of last year. In addition to the home cooked meals and barbecue, Real Brazil has a stash of Brazilian appetizers, pastries, desserts and Brazilian rolls baked fresh every day. And the market side of Real Brazil also carries a stock of grocery items Martins says are familiar to native Brazilians, almost all of it imported from Brazil.

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Martins says he moved to the United States 21 years ago, then to Taunton three years ago, relocating from Brockton. He worked as a project manager for a commercial flooring company prior to opening the store.

”I’d been contemplating opening my business for a few years and finally the time came. And we started with this Brazilian store, market, restaurant idea.”

He says it’s a lot of work, with the shop open six days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. But he hopes to open on Sundays, too, once he can get the staffing right.

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He says the local, growing Brazilian population in the Taunton area has been supportive since opening.

“The Brazilian community here, it’s growing. I’ve been in Taunton for about three years, coming from Brockton. I got to know the Brazilian community here for a few years, and it’s tripled since I’ve lived here.”

And word about the new barbecue offering is spreading beyond the Brazilian community and new customers seem to be coming in all the time.

“Well, people are liking it so much,” Martins said of the barbecue and buffet. “They say it’s a huge step up for the restaurant. It’s been two weeks since we implemented the Brazilian barbecue and people are liking it.

“It is the homemade aspect of the food. The way she cooks the food is the way we cook at home. Don’t take it from me, take it from the customers. Everybody who tries the food says ‘I taste home in it’. That’s what’s unique about it, it’s real Brazilian food.”

Real Brazil Restaurant and Market is located at 17 Tremont St. in Taunton, and easy to spot with the exterior decorated in blue, green and yellow, the colors of Brazil.

Taunton Daily Gazette staff writer Jon Haglof can be reached at jhaglof@tauntongazette.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton: Real Brazil restaurant and market cooks up churrasco barbecue