Having just arrived in Rio, we decided to spend our first day relaxing like any good carioca would: on the beach! We slept in and spent the second half the day sitting on Copacabana beach in celebration of M’s birthday. Fans of the blog will have already read our previous post on How to Enjoy a Brazilian Beach, and thus be in the know about lounging around in this most relaxing of full-service food establishments. True to form, just after we bought our chairs and umbrella, streams of vendor began sauntering by (though we noted that there is perhaps more bric a brac for sale in Rio, and less food, as seen in Salvador). As always, the beach did not disappoint, and we were offered, ice cream, popsicles, roast peanuts, soda, cangas, and many other offerings. We were waiting, however, for a bag of Biscoitos Globo – a light, doughnut-shaped snack that have become a Brazilian beach icon, especially in Rio de Janeiro.
You can imagine our annoyance when the first biscoitos seller came by and stopped short of our stall before turning around; we had to wait another frustrating 20 minutes (under the sun watching the waves – note the sarcasm) for the second Biscoitos Globo to come by. We ordered a pack of biscoitos doce (“sweet”), for R$3 (about $1.50) which come in a red bag, as opposed to the green-bagged salgado (“salty”) variety. Having never had them before, we think they are a fairly unique treat: a light cookie, ring-shaped, crispy but soft, made from corn flour, and unlike many other Brazilian cookies, they are not overly sweet. The texture is extremely light and airy – almost like an un-cheesy Cheetos. The best part for us: their retro packaging with a distinctive globe mascot. We feel like he could be our mascot as well!
Eating The World 