Campaign for British awareness of Brazilian things - caipirinha

Yesterday I went to Guanabara, and I found out that their menu is the source of some misunderstandings expressed by my British friends. Specially when it comes to drinks, so I think it's my duty to try to explain some stuff. After reading their crazy drinks menu and trying their weird caipirinha, I decided make a brief guide of some caipirinha-esque things everybody should know:

- caipirinha: pieces of lime crushed with sugar, then added cachaça and ice. Attention to the crushed part. Untouched limes in the glass are no caipirinha.

- caipirinhas made of other fruits: they are made of other fruits, sugar, cachaça and ice. No lime in it (where the hell they got the idea of putting lime in it?)

- crazy translations: definitely the funniest part of their menu. Açaí is translated as "berry" which is obviously not correct. I don't have any idea of how the caipirinha de açaí looks like, because I don't know if they use the fruits or the cream. In Brazil, it is easier to find the juice or the cream than the fruit itself.

After eating açaí, everybody gets their mouth, teeth and gums black. Something like drinking a lot of red wine, but much blacker. So, after eating açaí, smile really cautiously.



- another crazy translation: "cupuaçú" as "exotic indigenous". Well, first of all: what the hell does "exotic indigenous" mean? If it means something for you, please tell me, because I didn't understand...

Cupuaçú is a nice fruit from the north of Brazil (açaí is also from the North). It has no translation, of course. It is exotic, tastes good and that's all you need to know. If you not curious enought to try it, why bother explaining?



(I didn't know how it looked like until I looked for some pictures to post here... Well, it's not pretty, but who cares?)

- And the most important mistranslation of all: "caju" as "cashew nut". No wonder a friend asked me how they could possible make a caipirinha out of nuts... No, they can't (I hope). Cashew nut is one thing, and cashew is another thing. The caipirinha is made from the cashew fruit.



The yellow thing is the cashew, and the small black thing in the bottom of the fruit is the nut. After it is roasted and salty it turns into the cashew nut you know.