Brigadeiro
From her Travel Journal:
I arrived in Rio with a sketchbook and a goal: to wear an ice cream-inspired costume at Carnaval.
I had always believed dessert deserved more spectacle, and nowhere did I understand spectacle quite like Rio. I found my way into a workshop where feathers spilled from open boxes, sequins covered every surface, and artists built entire fantasies by hand.
On Sunday, the costume makers set down their needles and led me to a neighborhood restaurant for lunch. Bowls of feijoada filled the table, glasses of caipirinha continued to appear, and two hours passed before anyone considered returning to work.
Just when I thought the meal was over, a tray of brigadeiros arrived.
The little chocolate truffles were soft and glossy, each one rolled in chocolate sprinkles. The first bite was rich and deeply chocolatey, with a playful crunch from the sprinkles. I reached for a second before the first had fully disappeared.
I returned to the workshop thinking about how a scattering of sprinkles could turn something so small into a celebration. Suddenly, the finishing touches for my own creation became clear.
By the time I danced into Carnaval wearing a Neapolitan-colored costume and an ice cream cone crown shimmering beneath the Rio lights, I understood that spectacle did not depend on size. Joy could tower over the city on a parade float, or it could fit between two fingers and be covered in chocolate sprinkles.
Rio's brigadeiro was the kind of celebration traveling for.
Tchau,
