Camila Santos – Author at BrazilEats | Brazilian Recipe Writer
Recipe Writer & Food Blogger

Hi, I'm Camila Santos — and I Cook from the Heart

I created BrazilEats to share the authentic flavors of Brazilian home cooking with the world — one recipe, one story at a time.

Camila Santos – Author at BrazilEats
Expertise: Brazilian Cuisine Traditional Recipes Home Cooking Food Writing Recipe Development

A Brazilian Kitchen, a Lifetime of Learning

My name is Camila Santos, and food has been the center of my world for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching my grandmother cook in a small kitchen filled with the smells of toasted garlic, simmering black beans, and fresh cinnamon. She never used a recipe book. Everything she made came from memory — passed down from her mother, and from her mother before that.

That is the kind of cooking I want to share on BrazilEats. Not the kind you find in fancy restaurants or food magazines, but the honest, everyday Brazilian cooking that happens in real homes — the kind that makes you feel full in ways that go beyond food.

I spent years learning these dishes properly, cooking them over and over, failing and adjusting, until I understood not just the "how" but the "why" behind every step. Every recipe I publish on this site has gone through that same process.

Camila Santos Brazilian food writer
Camila Santos
Founder, BrazilEats
  • 🇧🇷 Specializes in authentic Brazilian home cooking
  • 📝 5+ years of recipe research & development
  • 🍳 Every recipe personally tested & verified
  • 🌍 Writing for home cooks around the world
Read About BrazilEats →

How BrazilEats Was Born

"The moment I realized I could not find a single clear English recipe for my grandmother's black bean soup — the way she actually made it — was the moment I decided to start writing these recipes down myself."

I had been cooking Brazilian food for years, mostly for myself and close friends who wanted to try something different. Whenever someone asked me how to make a dish, I would write it out for them — ingredient by ingredient, step by step. After a while, I had a growing collection of recipes that I had carefully tested and refined.

At the same time, I kept noticing a gap online. Most Brazilian recipes in English were either oversimplified to the point of losing their character, or written assuming the reader already had experience with the cuisine. Neither was helpful for someone genuinely trying to discover Brazilian cooking for the first time.

So in 2024, I launched BrazilEats — a space where I could share recipes the right way. Not rushed, not simplified beyond recognition, but properly explained with the context and care that these dishes deserve. Every post I write is an attempt to bring a little piece of a Brazilian kitchen into yours, wherever you are in the world.

Areas of Expertise

My recipe writing focuses on the three pillars of Brazilian home cooking — the dishes that appear on real tables every day across Brazil.

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Main dishes

From the iconic feijoada to everyday rice-and-bean combinations, I focus on the hearty, flavorful mains that are the backbone of Brazilian meals.

🥗

Side dishes

Brazilian side dishes are far more than an afterthought — farofa, vinagrete, couve refogada. I cover the companions that complete a proper Brazilian plate.

🍮

Desserts & sweets

Brigadeiro, beijinho, pudim — Brazilian sweets are rich, indulgent, and deeply loved. I specialize in making these traditional treats accessible for home cooks.

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Food culture

Behind every recipe is a story. I write about the history, traditions, and regional variations that give Brazilian cuisine its extraordinary depth and character.

My Commitment to Quality

01

Every recipe is tested before publishing

I cook each dish multiple times before it goes live on BrazilEats. If a recipe does not produce consistently good results in a home kitchen, it does not get published. There are no shortcuts here.

02

Rooted in traditional Brazilian cooking methods

My recipes are based on how Brazilian dishes are actually made — not adapted versions designed to use trendy ingredients or save five minutes of cooking time. Authenticity always comes first.

03

Written for real home cooks, not professionals

I write with a clear understanding that most people cooking these recipes are not trained chefs. Every instruction is written to be clear, practical, and achievable with standard kitchen equipment.

04

Honest about substitutions and variations

Not every ingredient is easy to find outside Brazil. I am always transparent about what can be substituted, what will change if you do, and which ingredients truly cannot be replaced.

Food Should Tell a Story

50+

Authentic recipes published

3

Recipe categories covered

100%

Kitchen-tested & verified

I believe that cooking is one of the most meaningful ways we connect with culture, family, and memory. When you cook a traditional Brazilian dish properly — when you take the time to do it right — you are participating in something that goes back generations.

That is what drives everything I do on BrazilEats. I am not just sharing recipes. I am sharing a piece of Brazilian culture, with all the care and respect that deserves. My hope is that every person who cooks from this site feels a genuine connection to the food, the tradition, and the story behind it.

Camila Santos

Let's Cook Something Brazilian

Browse the full recipe collection or get in touch — I love hearing from people who are discovering Brazilian food for the first time.

Brazilian Churrasco Recipe: Fast-Grilled Steak Big Char & Chimichurri

Brazilian Churrasco Recipe: Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri

A good Brazilian churrasco recipe comes down to three things: the right cut, real heat, and cutting it correctly once it’s off the grill. Churrasco — the word simply means “barbecue” across much of South America — is built around fast, high-heat grilling rather than long, slow cooking, which makes it one of the most approachable ways to get real steakhouse flavor at home.

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Brazilian Garlic Steak Recipe: With Garlic Butter Sauce

Brazilian Garlic Steak Recipe: With Garlic Butter Sauce

A good Brazilian garlic steak recipe solves a very specific weeknight problem: you want steak that tastes like a steakhouse, but you don’t want a long marinade, a pile of dishes, or a smoky kitchen for an hour. This method gets you there in about 15 minutes — sear skirt steak hard in a hot skillet, rest it properly, then spoon on a glossy garlic butter sauce that tastes rich and a little addictive.

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Brazilian Beef Ribs Recipe (Churrasco Ribs) Gaucho-Style, Slow-Roasted and Fire-Kissed

Brazilian Beef Ribs Recipe: Gaucho-Style Slow-Roasted Ribs

If you’ve ever cooked ribs that looked great but ate like a workout, you’re not alone. Beef ribs can swing from tender and falling off the bone to tough and chewy with one mistake: heat that’s too hot, too fast. This Brazilian beef rib recipe avoids that by treating the ribs the way South American barbecue traditionally does — slow, steady heat, a salty crust, and real patience.

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Linguica Recipe: Homemade Linguiça Caseira (Plus Grilling, Smoking, and “Bêbada” Sausage Bites)

Linguica Recipe: Homemade Brazilian Sausage

If you’ve ever bought linguica and thought it needed more garlic and more punch, this linguica recipe fixes that. Making it at home means you control the salt, the fat ratio, and the seasoning blend — so it comes out smoky and bold instead of bland.

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Galinhada Mineira (Brazilian Chicken & Rice): Authentic Recipe

Brazilian Chicken and Rice Recipe: Galinhada Mineira

A pot of Brazilian chicken and rice — galinhada, as it’s called at home — fills the kitchen with the smell of sautéed onion, garlic, and warm spices long before it’s ready to eat. It’s a true one-pot meal: chicken and rice cook together in the same broth, so every grain ends up seasoned rather than just sitting next to flavor.

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Easy Brazilian Fish Stew Recipe with Coconut

Brazilian Fish Stew Recipe: Coconut Milk Moqueca

Some fish stews taste fine but forgettable. A good Brazilian fish stew recipe — moqueca, as it’s known in Brazil — does the opposite: it smells like the coast, tastes rich without feeling heavy, and still comes across bright and clean by the last spoonful. The difference isn’t fancy technique. It’s a handful of small choices that protect the fish, build real flavor into the base, and finish with lime at exactly the right moment.

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Gluten Free Cheese Bread Recipe (Crispy Outside, Chewy Inside)

Gluten Free Cheese Bread Recipe: Pão de Queijo Done Right

A good gluten free cheese bread recipe should give you three things every time: a crisp golden crust, a soft chewy center, and bold cheesy flavor in every bite. Pão de queijo — as it’s known in Brazil — happens to be one of the easiest naturally gluten-free breads to get right at home, since it was never built on wheat flour to begin with. It’s made from tapioca starch (extracted from the cassava root), which means there’s no gluten to avoid working around in the first place.

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