One of the most exciting aspects of visiting any new country is the opportunity to try the cuisine and the favorite dishes of locals in the country. While Brazil has plenty of places to enjoy fine dining, and the wonderful churrascarias which serve many types of meat, street food in the country is also a wonderful thing to explore, and there are sweet and savory items available from street vendors in every town and city.

While some items can be found across the country, there are also many items that can only be bought in certain regions of Brazil, and these will often reflect the food that is produced there. Here are just a few of the wonderfully tasty and inexpensive treats that visitors to Brazil can try:

Pastel – The pastel was first created by the Japanese community who came to Brazil, and is a deep fried pocket of dough that is either filled with a sweet or savory filling. While they are popular across the country they are particularly common in Sao Paulo, and fillings can include ham and cheese and heart of palm, while those with a sweeter tooth may want to try the guava and cheese or chocolate varieties.

Acaraje – This lovely spicy food is particularly common in the north east of the country, with the Bahia region having plenty of vendors offering this treat that begins with a fritter made with black eyed peas that is then split to make a pocket. This pocket is stuffed with a paste made with shrimp and vegetables, and then served with a good dash of hot sauce, which has its origins in the population that came to the area from Africa.

Empada – This dish is similar to the pastel in terms of its preparation, but is usually much smaller and is made with a crustier pastry giving it a similar texture to the British pork pie. The empada is widely available across Brazil, and has savory fillings including chicken, beef, heart of palm and cream cheese.

Caldo de Cana – While it is not strictly a food, Caldo de Cana is one of the most common items available from street vendors, and is the pulpy juice that is produced when sugar cane is pushed into a juice press. The sweet juice is a common accompaniment to many other street foods, and for those looking to add some zing to their juice, it can also be squeezed with lime.

Biscoitos de Polvilho – This dish traces its heritage back to the farmers in Minas Gerais, and has grown to be a popular snack in Rio as well as in the rural areas. The dough is made using cassava and is then cooked in the oven, where the dough rises to make a light and tasty cookie.

Cocada – Most towns and cities around Brazil will have at least one street vendor offering sweets and other tasty treats for sale, and cocada is a beautifully sweet mix of coconut, milk and sugar that is heated then allowed to cool and solidify. They are available in two varieties, with the standard white cocada being cut from the cooled mixture, while the cocada queimada has seen some of the sugar heated into a caramel.

Pao de Queijo – Particularly popular in the south east of the country and especially in Minas Gerais, these small buns are baked with cheese and have a lovely light dough. These are often eaten for breakfast, and while these buns are very tasty by themselves, it is also common to find varieties of the bun that are served warm and stuffed with cream cheese, or served with goiabada, which is a type of sweet guava preserve.