Have you ever heard of “Brigadeiros”? Brigadeiro is a chocolate trifle originating in Brazil. It’s a very easy recipe to make, so almost every Brazilian knows how to prepare it, which is why it’s so common at birthday parties. Despite its commonness, almost nobody knows how this candy’s origins, and just a few Brazilians know Brigadeiro is actually a Brazilian candy that is not as common abroad as we might think. Brigadeiro was invented in the 40s, during a presidential campaign in 1946, when a woman named Heloísa Nabuco de Oliveira, a member of a traditional family from Rio de Janeiro, decided to create a candy made out of milk, eggs, butter, sugar and chocolate (quite different from the current recipe). She patented the recipe with the name of the presidential candidate her family and she were supporting: Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes. The candy became so well-known that the candidate started being called just by his first name: Brigadeiro. Despite his strong campaign, Eduardo Gomes was defeated by a candidate called General Eurico Gaspar, another very important man for Brazil’s history. Differing from the rest of the country, in a state called Rio Grande do Sul the candy is known as “Negrinho”. That’s because during Eduardo Gomes’ campaign, a very strong opponent called Getúlio Vargas, from Rio Grande do Sul, stipulated that people from the state should not call the candy by the name of his opponent.

Have you ever heard about “Brigadeiros”? Brigadeiro is a chocolate truffle originated in Brazil. It’s a very easy recipe to make, so almost every Brazilian knows how to prepare it, that’s why it’s so common at birthday parties. Despite its commonness, almost nobody knows how this candy's origin, and just a few Brazilians know Brigadeiro is actually a Brazilian candy that is not as common abroad as we might think. Brigadeiro was created in the 40s, during a presidential campaign in 1946, when a woman named Heloísa Nabuco de Oliveira, member of a traditional family from Rio de Janeiro, decided to create a candy made out of milk, eggs, butter, sugar and chocolate - quite different from the current recipe. She named the recipe after the military title of the presidential candidate her and her family were supporting: Brigadeiro (Brigadier) Eduardo Gomes. The candy became so well-known that the candidate started being called just by his title: Brigadeiro. Despite his strong campaign, Eduardo Gomes was defeated by a candidate named General Eurico Gaspar Dutra, another very important man for Brazil’s history. Differing from the rest of the country, in a state called Rio Grande do Sul the candy is known as “Negrinho”. That’s because during Eduardo Gomes’ campaign, a very strong opponent named Getúlio Vargas, from Rio Grande do Sul, stipulated that people from the state should not call the candy by the name of his opponent.