No Passport Required

-Place is beautiful.

-I grew up with this.

I know the salt flavor.

I didn't know that the Diaspora, or Portuguese, Brazil, and Cape Verde had such a big imprint in Boston.

-We emigrated from the Azores to pursue the American dream.

-Being Cape Verdean is an event.

-Welcome to Brazil.

-Oh, thank you!

And the food really preserves the stories between these three communities.

-You can represent the Portuguese culture in seafood.

-When I eat is just like this, I taste West Africa, but not with the pork.

That's the Portuguese influence.

Ooh!

I love this clay pot.

It's so unique.

-It's an indigenous influence.

-When I look at this food, I see Brazil.

Between the native, between the African slave, between the Europeans... -Right.

-...it's all mixed.

-I will show how to be a gaucho for a day.

-You have sausage, chicken, pineapple.

But this is such a fun way of eating.

What are the things that the Portuguese, Cape Verde, and Brazilian carry.

-Portuguese -- the language brings us together, food bring us together, and the way that we can treat each other also brings us together.

-Always have one extra seat 'cause there might be hungry Swediopian coming by.

-And the Samuelsson.

-I'm Chef Marcus Samuelsson, and as an immigrant born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, food, to me, has always told a deeper, more personal story.

It's a path to culture, identity, and history.

Join me on a new journey across the country to learn more about America's immigrant communities and culinary traditions to see how food connects us all.

-When I think about Boston, I think about sports, education, history.

I also think about it as a port town where seafood is really king.

I think about lobster rolls, oysters, cod, and chowder, and all these different dishes.

Whether it's Portugal itself or Cape Verde or Brazilian culture, it makes sense that the Diaspora of a seafaring country finds its new home in a port town like Boston.

Portuguese is spoken by over a million people in the Massachusetts area, so it makes it the third-biggest language after English and Spanish.

Portugal is not a big country.

It's actually smaller than Indiana.

And during the 1400s and the 1500s, it was one of the first big superpowers, right.

It traveled all over the world, it explored, and it brought traditions, rituals, foods to these places, but also colonization is part of that.

Cape Verdean and Brazilian and Portuguese culture, where does one start?

They're so distinct and different.

I'm super excited to dive in to all three of these rich cultures and countries and see how they have made Boston their new home.

So, to really get the Portuguese of community, you really have to go back to where it starts, which is an hour south of Boston in a community called New Bedford.

New Bedford is this quintessential New England seafood town, right.

It's windy, there are fishing boats everywhere.

I'm excited to go meet Captain Henrique Franco.

He is the captain over a boat called Mary K. -We're good.

-So, how many days were you out?

-We were out for six days.

-And you got about 30,000, 40,000?

-Around 40,000 pounds of fish onboard.

-So, we got cod, haddock, redfish, pollock, gray sole, and this is your father who taught you how to fish from the beginning, right?

-That's true, yeah.

-Yeah.

-So, when you came to America, you came as a fisherman already?

-Yes.

I was in Portugal in school, but I always wanted to be a fisherman.

-I start 14 years old.

-And you always have the same crew or... -Same crew for 18 years.

They're getting old.

-67 years old.

-Yeah.

-It's too much.

-Hey, hey, hey.

-75 -- the oldest one.

So, I want to be fishing for at least 10 more years.

-Yeah.

It's nice to go out, right?

Your office is so beautiful.

-Oh, yeah.

This is my life.

-Yeah.

-This is my life.

We should start cooking.

-You're gonna help us.

-I'm ready.

I'm ready.

Going on the boat was really exciting.

My Swedish grandfather was a fisherman, so it made me reminisce about growing up on the coast of Sweden.

Right away, I went down to the galley.

Oh, wow, you got a real kitchen.

-Yeah.

-You got a good setup.

-You like espresso?

-Yeah, I would love an espresso.

-So, I'm gonna cook with Henrique's father, Alcindo.

Little did I know that he's basically like a master chef.

-What would you call this in Portuguese?

What would you call a chowder in Portuguese?

-Chara.

-Chara, yeah.

-Chara.

-Chara.

-So maybe the word comes from the Portuguese, actually.

-Maybe, maybe.

-This stock smells so good.

-I put the onions... -Yes.

-...olive oil... -Yes.

-...Portuguese olive oil.

-Yes.

-...on there.

-Not Italian olive oil.

-No.

-No.

-The fish is already here, too.

-Oh, this is a beautiful halibut.

I'm gonna flake it up a little bit.

-Yes, we're gonna do exactly.

Exactly, yeah.

-I mean, you can't eat better than this.

This is just... -Fresh.

-...freshest.

Wow.

-That's how we do it.

Now we're gonna pour a handful of rice.

-I have small hands compared to yours, so...

There you go.

-Chef, look what I have here.

-You come in with the secret ingredient.

-Yeah.

-Nice dessert.

-Whoo!

-Oh, oh, oh, oh, Camarones.

-This is almost like a chowder meets a paella, something in between.

-Paella.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Two minutes, it's set.

-Now gonna taste better for sure.

-Wow.

You like it?

-I love it.

-Nice.

-I love it.

It's light, it's fresh.

-Now I put the rest of the rice out there.

Put the monkfish on top.

Something like that.

-Oh, we're gonna eat.

-Joe, sit down my friend.

-All right, for the fish.

-In the middle of cooking with Alcindo, Chef Joe came onboard and he brought these incredible papo secos.

They're the perfect vessel to just scoop up this incredible stew.

They're light, and they're really crusty.

They're absolutely delicious.

-Very good.

-So good.

-Thank you.

-This is fantastic.

-What a way to start the morning.

-The Portuguese tap.

Obrigado.

-You hear the history, why they say, they call the chara?

-Yeah, I want to know.

-The big ships, when they were fishing -- -That was a lot of years ago.

-Many years ago.

They were eating, and they ask the other guy, "How is the food?"

The other guys says, "This is so good that it makes me cry, it makes me chorar.

So maybe you're right.

The chara come from "chowder" -- that means "cry."

-That's why the guys, for the name, it's chara.

-Chara.

You know what?

I'm gonna tell you that if I lose my job, I know who took it.

I know who took it.

This is so good.

What do you want?

This is it.

-The Portuguese that came to New Bedford were primarily Azoreans.

The Azores are a group of nine islands about 800 miles off the west coast of Portugal, pretty much in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

For economic reasons, for reasons of overpopulation, when whale ships would come to the Azores, it was seen as a very viable alternative to staying on the island and dealing with the conditions there.

During the 19th Century, New Bedford was a very wealthy, cosmopolitan, industrious area.

There were constantly whale ships coming and going, and so, it was a good place to settle.

In 1958, there was a volcanic eruption on the island of Faial.

Many Azoreans were displaced, and so, Azorean immigration very much increased during that time period.

-Chef Joe, him and his buddies, they have this cooking club where they go all out.

They're really into preserving the Portuguese culture, right, so their dishes are mostly rooted in dishes that you would not find in traditional Portuguese restaurants.

There are game meats, there are anchovies, there are offal cut.

There's all this stuff that goes back to their grandparent's days, right.

They're really honoring their grandparents and their heritage by still presenting these dishes.

And most of these dishes, there are no recipes.

Ooh, what is this?

-Octopus.

-Oh, that's a polpo?

-Oh, yeah.

-So, that comes from red wine?

What's the color from here?

-It's really simple ingredients -- red wine, paprika, onion, garlic, a little bit of beer because my grandfather used to put beer in his.

-Yeah.

-He had to have beer.

-And then over there is migas made with chickpeas, one of our most favorite beans in Portugal.

It looks almost sort of Southern.

-This is definitely a Southern dish with the corn and the kale, everything.

-Right!

Exactly, but it's not.

It's Portuguese.

Right here, we're gonna give you the honors right now.

This is called Chourico a Bombeiro, the fireman chourico.

-Okay.

Okay.

-So, light it on fire.

-Oh, okay.

-Joe, you want to show him how to do it?

-Yeah, I almost killed myself.

-No, it's on, it's on, it's on, it's on, it's on.

It's on.

It's on.

It's on.

Hey!

-The dishes just kept coming.

There was this incredible fresh cheese that was so nice and mild, but really distinct in flavor.

-It's good, right?

-Oh, my God.

-Hearty cooked rabbit, Portuguese fritters made with bacalhau.

In general, Portuguese food is a little bit saltier than an average American palate, but that's also what makes them distinct.

-All the food we have on this table is passed down through our grandparents, our parents.

If they didn't pass it down to us, we'd never be able to cook what we have today.

-And it's good that you keep these dishes alive because, you know, they might now be around if -- -Yeah, absolutely.

-My oldest daughter, her favorite food when she was 5 or 6 was raw sardines.

-Yeah.

-I have a 10-year-old and a 6-year-old and a 20-year-old who will eat that octopus all day long.

-Oh, nice!

-No problem at all.

-And the food is delicious.

-Thank you, man.

-You guys have this community.

You should take very much value it because everyone don't have that.

-That's what it's all about.

-Through thick and thin, you can guys have each other, you know.

Thank you so much for inviting me to your amazing community.

Always have one extra seat because there might be a hungry Swediopian coming by.

Obrigado.

Obrigado.

Ob rigado.

-My name is Michael Benevides.

We're at my family business, Portugalia Marketplace, Fall River, Massachusetts.

We immigrated from the Azores to pursue the American Dream.

My parents worked various jobs in textile mills locally, and my father dreamed of owning his own business.

My father started the business in 1988 in a three-car garage in the back of a tenement home that we lived in.

Business kept growing, evolving organically to service the ethnic community that exists here in Fall River.

Beyond the food items, we're focusing on artisan-made goods from Portugal.

There's also some non-traditional -- some more contemporary products that exist in Portugal today.

The country has evolved tremendously since.

With this market, I'm trying to bring what's happening in Portugal currently here locally.

I would say that the market is a cultural experience.

We have people who come in here all the time and tell us they feel like they're being transported to Portugal.

There's a certain amount of responsibility, as well.

A lot of these folks have entrusted us with this role.

This is so much more than this place, this business.

-So, when you walk into this marketplace... How are you?

-I'm good.

And you?

-What a nice place.

-Well, thank you.

-...you see everything from the standard stuff that you might think about -- sardines, olive oil, olives of course.

Then there's also these things that you might not think about -- ceramics, different types of artwork.

It's a really humbling experience because you realize how much Portuguese culture has given to the world.

Tempura that we think about Japan -- that comes from Portugal.

Think about beverages like port wine.

Chilies, right?

Chilies to Africa.

So the Portuguese, as a country, today might not be super big.

But the impact it's had in terms of trading and food is massive.

One of the coolest things it has -- its own bacalhau room, right?

Not just a little bacalhau, it's own room.

I grew up with this!

I know this salt flavor.

I know it!

I know it!

-It's familiar.

These are -- These are shreds, bits -- so trimmings.

That's -- That's a, uh, part.

This is -- This is, uh, the cheeks.

-Yeah?

-So, and then these are the faces.

-Mm-hmm.

-The Portuguese aptly named it the "fiel amigo," meaning the "faithful friend."

-Oh, wow.

-Because they could depen-- You could always depend on salt cod.

You look at Portugal in the country or in the interior.

-Yeah.

-It's a good friend.

-They didn't have access to fresh products.

-Yeah.

-You're talking years ago.

So -- So you could always have sheets of this in your pantry.

-How long can this hold?

-A very long time.

There's no -- I mean, honestly -- -The codfish in the fridge, you can hold for two years, no problem.

-Yeah.

Bacalhau -- probably the dish that has sort of the biggest impact on Portuguese food, right?

So the Portuguese come up with this technique that is you hang it, and then you salt-cure it.

And then kind of a mix between air-drying it and salt-curing it creates its super strong flavor.

So when you get it, you gotta soak it maybe for a day.

You just rinse the water.

And then it comes back up alive in a different way.

The texture gets almost bouncy.

Bacalhau is a flavor-enhancer.

You can put it into stock and all of a sudden, you get the salty, fishy flavor.

People all over the world are using bacalhau.

All the way up into northern, northern Norway to the Azores, Brazil, Cape Verde... You know what I think is amazing?

You know, the world goes so much faster, right?

But something like this -- a tradition that is like, 1,000 years old, people are still using.

I love that, you know what I mean?

Like -- -This is very old-world here.

-Yeah.

-How have you seen the Portuguese community change over the years.

-There was a time, you know, there was an assimilation time.

There was -- And there was this sort of, you know, uh, you know, identity crisis.

-Yeah.

-Am I Portuguese?

Am I not?

-Don't speak with an accent.

-There was generations before us who the parents insisted that their kids only speak English, you know?

In the house-- a household, they spoke Portuguese amongst themselves.

But I would -- let's just say that that's gone.

-Yeah.

-I mean, it was a -- a proud moment for us to open this market.

When we have customers walking in for the first time, some of them would choke up even or give us a hug.

And feel like that they were responsible in some way to -- for this -- -Contribute to the culture.

-I mean, people are very, very proud.

You know, Ronaldo... -Yeah.

-Porto Vinho, uh, Portugal.

You know, there's a lot of different reasons to be proud.

And -- And this market is part of that story.

-New Bedford is considered the Ellis Island of Cape Verdeans, because for over 100 years -- between the years 1800 and 1921 -- 70% of Cape Verdeans came to the U.S. through New Bedford and many stayed.

Cape Verde is about 400 miles off the west coast of Africa.

Cape Verde was the first subtropical colony.

It was primarily occupied because it was a great place to engage in the transatlantic slave trade, and so the Portuguese settled there in 1462.

The issue with Cape Verde is their frequent droughts and famines.

What we see time and time again in whaling journals and throughout the 20th century is that it was decaying and -- and very much mismanaged.

In 1975, Cape Verde got its independence from Portugal.

So what often happens when a colony gets its independence, the country that was colonizing it also takes its infrastructure and its leadership with it.

So there are some growing pains.

So in the 1980s, there was another influx of Cape Verdeans to the U.S. -Sometimes the history's tough.

You think about haves and don't-haves, about slavery.

And it's not easy.

But Cape Verdeans and Portuguese come together here through food, language, and culture.

I'm gonna deep-dive and learn, what does it mean to be Cape Verdean-American?

So I'm meeting Candida Rose.

She's a amazing American-Cape Verdean singer at Izzy's, which is this cool little diner.

-Welcome to New Bedford!

-How are you?

What a nice, cozy place.

-This place, we're just sort of right in the heart where everything is happening.

-Mm-hmm.

What's good today?

What should we be having?

-I know they have jag.

-Wait.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

What is that?

-It's different configurations of rice and beans.

I think here they do, um, rice with kidney beans.

And, uh, that's -- that's what I grew up with.

But there's also types of jagacida that is not rice, like, um, some kind of milled corn.

-I think where you can taste both Portugal and West Africa the best, is really is jagacida.

It has fried rice and beans.

It has Portuguese sausages.

This is hearty food, but it's also delicious.

-This is jag, for me.

-You know, I grew up in Gothenburg, which is a poor town.

So I grew up with some Cape Verdean, so I know about the culture a little bit.

It's not a country that you hear that much about.

What should we know about it?

-It's really a mixture of all of the influences from Portugal, from Africa.

I mean, it's right in the shipping route in the Atlantic Ocean where the early explorers were coming from.

Then you had folks sort of stopping for fuel, and sometimes staying.

And so because we have all of this mixture, we all look different.

-I mean, the slave trade went through Cape Verde.

-So actually, there's a city in Cape Verde called Cidade Velha.

-Mm-hmm.

-And it's the first trading post of slaves.

Cape Verde was used almost as a teaching place... -Oh, wow.

-...for slaves before they ended up going to places like Brazil or wherever routes they went from there.

-Yeah.

-So Cape Verde was definitely a huge piece.

-Yeah.

-And I don't think people really know and understand how huge of a piece it was.

-Yeah.

When did you know that, "I'm gonna be a singer.

I'm gonna be a performer.

I'm actually going back and singing my culture."

-Hmm.

I've been singing for as long as I can remember.

-Mm-hmm.

-And my music comes from this mixture of who I am -- of my Cape Verdean and my American influences.

There's unana, and the patou, which are more from our African side.

-Sure.

-And those were the music that were sort of sent underground during the colonial time.

-Yeah.

-And there's Morna like Cesria.

It's almost like a blues-y kind of a -- not necessarily in the feel of the music, but just in what is being brought forth.

-Sure.

-And through her voice and, you know, what we've been through.

-The biggest star to ever come from Cape Verde is Cesria Evora.

Her voice cut through everything.

You hear about hardship.

You hear about people, labor.

And all these songs, almost like a blues song, is just done through very, very beautiful melody.

Food, music -- It's such an incredible way to experience a new place.

It gives sort of these images.

-There are songs with the mandolin that will definitely sort of pull at your heartstrings.

Immigration is -- is not -- is not an easy thing -- that transitioning from, you know, Cape Verde to wherever in the diaspora.

-Yeah.

-So all of that comes in through our music.

-Back in Boston, I'm excited to see Candida perform at Restaurante Cesaria.

One of the biggest things that we got from Cesria Evora was to explain Cape Verde to the world, and that's also something that Candida Rose is doing in Boston.

-All right, come on!

Cape Verde!

-Cape Verde!

-[ Singing ] -I'm gonna meet Tony and Jose, the co-owners.

They've done such a good job curating the best of comfort.

The minute you enter, it feels like home right away, and it just gives you this, like, warmth and sense of community.

-Whoo!

-Thank you!

-You own the stage.

You own this moment.

-Thank you.

-Come on.

Can we do a big -- -Okay.

Here we go.

-Yeah.

Obrigado.

Salut.

-Cheers.

-So, you guys have had the restaurant now since 2002, which makes you an institution.

Tell me a little bit how the restaurant evolved.

Was it music always?

Because music seems to always be part of Cape Verdean heritage.

-To be honest, the first thing we ever put in this restaurant before even the furniture was the piano.

We felt we can't do food without music.

Food connects us, and music unites us.

We have to give our people the full experience of Cape Verde.

-I love these dumplings, though.

-This is pastel di midju.

The dough is made with sweet potatoes.

-Oh, that's why it's orange.

-That's our secret.

-That's really good.

So, when did you come to America?

-I came in '77.

We -- Majority of Cape Verdeans used to come and settle either in Roxbury or Dorchester.

-Yeah.

Did you relate to the African-American community?

Were you part of the Cape Verdean community?

-I grew up with Cape Verdean friends.

You know, I had friends who were from other races.

But we stuck together.

I came during the busing era.

-When Tony arrived to Boston in the early '70s, Boston is in the middle of what is known as the busing crisis.

In 1974, a federal judge tried to integrate Boston's highly segregated schools by ordering 18,000 black and white students to take buses to schools outside of their neighborhoods.

The process was met with massive protests and violence.

-So, I went to school at South Boston.

-Yeah.

-And it was scary.

But we got through it.

Even to this day, when I walk through there, I kind of feel weird about it.

But the city's come a long way.

-Yeah, I mean, it made you who you are, right?

-Yes, yes, it did.

-Oh, that's beautiful.

-Cabritada's a stewed goat with yuca.

-This is stunning.

So, when you came here as an adult, how did you respond to the American food?

Was that different?

Or did you eat Cape Verdean food the whole time or... -Cape Verdeans -- when you come here, you cook your own food.

-You cooked your own food.

-Cape Verdean has this thing that where you go you bring Cape Verde with you.

We're very strong on that.

-Cachupa.

-There we go.

-This is stunning.

-It's cachupa.

-Growing up, this was munchable for me.

-Why?

-It was just a different word.

-Cape Verde -- each island is completely different.

The culture changes from one island to the other.

-From one island to the other.

-And even this -- different islands make different versions.

It's a very hearty dish.

-So, this is the cassava flour?

-It's corn.

-Corn?

-Majority of our traditional dishes are made from corn.

Because it's a dry climate, we harvest the corn.

We dry it to save it.

We throw in pinto beans, baby lima beans, collared greens, linguia, pork, beef.

-When you eat cachupa, you sustain the whole day.

-The whole day.

-When -- When I eat a dish like this, I taste West Africa.

In Senegal, you could get a similar dish, but not with the pork.

I think that that's the Portuguese influence.

-No, no, no.

I don't know if the pork was influenced by the Portuguese.

-There is some little touch.

-Influenced by the Portuguese?

-Uh-huh.

Portuguese people eat a lot of pork.

-Yeah.

-So -- -It's okay.

It's okay.

-Little touch.

-I love that, though.

But you held up the flag very good.

I'm proud of you.

"My Cape Verde --" It's okay, buddy.

[ Laughter ] -So, we're in the heart of Roxbury.

This is Dudley Street.

-Yeah.

-A lot of people like to call it "Cape Verde Ville," though I feel like other Cape Verdeans who live in, like, Dorchester, would argue that... this is not the heart, but it is.

-But it is.

-Yes.

-Shauna Barbosa is an amazing poet, goes between L.A. and Boston.

-I'm Roxbury ride or die, born and raised.

So, this is my stomping ground.

-Growing up, like, your grandmother, your mom -- like, what did you speak in the home?

-Crioulo.

-Yeah.

So, I learned Crioulo from my grandmother and my stepmother.

So, it's a dialect of Portuguese.

-Yeah.

-And in Cape Verde, like, all the different islands have, like, you know, different accents and different dialects.

-Shauna writes from this sort of Cape Verdean but also very much modern point of view.

This double, dual identity -- it's part of her narrative.

Shauna grew up in a classic row house, which on every floor had family members, both on her African-American side and on her Cape Verdean side.

She's invited me home to cook Sunday dinner with her stepmother, Luisa.

We're gonna cook together?

-Yes, we are.

-Good.

I'm excited.

-You guys are gonna make magic.

-Cape Verde is a home-cooking culture, so I have to come to her house if I'm gonna get a real Cape Verdean meal.

What are we making?

-So, we're making bacalhau gratinado.

-Bacalhau!

Nice!

-Yeah.

-How long did you soak it for?

-Four days.

-Four days.

You rinsed it?

-Yes.

-It's great.

-And I cleaned it.

-Mm-hmm.

-It's ready to go.

-So, it's cod, sauce -- potatoes?

-Potatoes.

-Mm-hmm.

-I have my potatoes ready right here to go.

-Oh, like French fries.

-Yes.

I'd like to use those.

-I love that.

So, besides this, what is the staple in Cape Verde?

Is it rice?

Or what do you -- what do you eat, like, on everyday, like -- -Rice every day.

-Every day.

-You got to have rice... -Every single day.

-...every single day.

-Okay.

-Look, can you go without rice?

-Yes.

Now I can.

-Now.

But it used to be hard.

It used to be really difficult.

-Yeah, it used to.

It used to.

-You live in L A. now.

You don't -- You don't miss it?

Like, you don't miss the food?

-I miss it a lot, so every time I come home, I made my rounds.

-It's a big deal.

Yeah, yeah.

Of course.

-Yeah, like, it's a -- it's a big deal.

Like, everyone makes dinner.

Like, everyone cooks for me, and it's, like, relaxed.

But having Cape Verdean is just -- like, there's nothing like it.

-That smells good now.

So, we have what?

On the end, we have our garlic.

We don't need any more salt in there 'cause you have all the salt in the world in there.

-No.

All the salt.

Correct.

-And then here you have milk?

-I have milk.

-A little butter and spices.

-You taking notes?

-I am.

I really am.

-So, I'm cooking a bacalhau gratinado with Luisa, and it reminds me kind of like the Swedish cod that I grew up with.

Sometimes we had leftover cod, and we put in the sauce and baked it up.

But it's done a little bit different.

And then you come in with the cheese after.

-Correct.

-She's got to have cheese!

-Yes.

The cheese goes on top.

-Yes.

What makes this specific Portuguese/Cape Verdean is that the fish is bacalhau, but also we top it off with black olives, and then putting it in the oven.

Yeah.

-Guess what.

We're also gonna have cus cus.

Auntie!

-Oh, you're bringing the next expert in now.

I see that.

-Yes!

-Ooh!

So, this project done.

So, we call it cus cus.

So, you -- you grate yuca.

-Yes.

-And then what type of flour is this?

This -- This is corn flour.

Okay.

-Mix it all in.

-Yeah.

So, we're gonna add a little sugar.

-Some sugar.

-Sugar and cinnamon.

-Cinnamon, too.

-Mm-hmm.

-I don't like cinnamon... -No, no, no.

This is all the sugar -- all the sugar in the world.

-Got to add a lot of sugar.

-Wow!

What texture are we looking for?

-Like, when you hold it, it's not -- if it doesn't feel too dry.

Right here is too dry.

-More water?

-Just a little bit.

-Okay.

-That -- -That's a little bit too much.

-Please.

You know what?

There's a chair there.

Great.

Like, Luisa, we got it.

-Thanks for your assistance.

-Yeah.

-It can be rectified.

-Okay.

Do the check.

-Okay, that's good.

-That's good.

-Auntie, did you make cus cus, like, back in Fogo, when you were -- for your brothers?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

Really?

-When I hear the word "couscous," it makes me think about Morocco and Northern African food, right?

But this was something else.

This was kind of like steamed, almost bread-y like.

It's hearty and firm.

Beautiful.

And I can see why people that work really, really hard, long hours, labor, with their hands -- this is a really good dish for that because you're not gonna go hungry.

Oh, wow.

-Then we give you a butter.

-That's good.

And that -- that will hold you.

If you're a kid, you go to school, and -- -Oh, it fills you up all day, and that's -- that's gonna hold you until you get home.

-It's not like you have lunch at school like here.

-Yeah.

No.

Wow.

-Are you gonna need your -- -Mmm.

No, I eat with my hand.

-Okay.

-See, how many people in Cape Verde eat this with a fork?

I would love to see that.

-No.

You use it with your hands.

-Exactly.

Right?

Yeah.

-You use it with your hands.

-Now it should be time to take out the gratinado, right?

-Sure.

Yes.

-Yeah.

Of course, when the food is ready, people are starting to come out of the woodwork.

People just kept, like, drip, drip, drip, coming in.

How many are there?

I'm trying to figure out how many there are.

So, we got cousins, uncles, aunts.

You can definitely tell on Sundays this is the spot for Shauna's family to come together.

And we have to have rice, right?

-Of course.

Thank you.

-Mmm.

This is really good.

You did a very good job.

-Thank you.

-That's nice.

-You too.

-Kevin, what do you think about the Cape Verdean culture?

Like, did you know people from Cape Verde growing up here or... -When I was in college, one of my friends -- he was Cape Verdean.

-Mm-hmm.

-So, I asked him, "Where you come from?"

He said, "Oh, I come from Cape Verde."

Me, not knowing anything about Cape Verde -- -No, just being like -- Kevin from the state.

-I said, "Cape Cod?

I go there every summer."

He said, "No."

[ Laughter ] -You know, a lot of Americans probably would think that, yeah.

-A lot of years later, that's when I met my wife.

Just around that whole area where she lived was all Cape Verdean.

-So, Boston is an interesting place, and Boston is super segregated.

Black people live here.

White folks live here.

And it was always like that.

However, because it is segregated, I was around my people all the time.

-Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

-It's really, like, how we keep the sense of community and keep the culture together.

-But also, within the cultural block, you really represent, you know, "We're not monolithic."

We come from many different places.

-I am in the middle, between both of these cultures that I -- I feel like I have the best of both worlds.

-Sure.

Absolutely.

-Marcus, you've had bacalhau from Portugal... -Yeah.

-...and Brazil... -Mm-hmm.

-...and now Cape Verde.

-Yeah.

No -- -All right.

You already know what I'm gonna ask you.

-Cape Verde is winning, clearly.

-Okay.

Okay.

-We'll see.

-Otherwise, I'd, like, figure out how to walk out the back door.

Kev-- Kevin is with it.

He knows.

-Brazilians have been coming to the U.S. since the 1960s, trickling in.

Boston was a prime place for Brazilians to migrate to because you had an existing Lusophone community, which simple means Portuguese-speaking.

Brazil was a South American colony of the Portuguese.

The intention was to extract resources, and so what we have in Brazil is a history of slaves being brought over to provide free labor, indigenous people being displaced, and Portuguese people managing it.

What has come of that is this very mixed culture.

-I think Brazilian food is a house that's been layered with a bunch of bricks, right?

So, Bahia in the north is more African.

In the coast, down to Sao Paulo and Rio, you have more European influences.

When you go further into the Amazon, it's more indigenous culture.

All of that is Brazilian cuisine, and it's very unique.

I'm excited to go and learn from them, to eat with them, to drink with them, to celebrate Brazilian culture.

When most people think about Cambridge, maybe they think about world-class universities.

But for me, as a chef, I think about this little restaurant called Muqueca.

So, today I'm meeting Chef Fafa.

Just like a big Brazilian soccer star, she has a cool name, right?

There's Ronaldo, and there's Fafa.

So, what is this?

-Those are clay pots.

It's all handmade from my town in Brazil.

-Wow.

What's your town?

-My town called Vitria.

It's an island in Esprito Santo state.

-Mm.

This reminds me, actually, of clay pots in Africa.

-We have a lot of, you know, influence from Africa also.

But those mostly made by the Indians.

It's an indigenous influence.

Today we're gonna make moqueca.

-Moqueca.

-This is very important in our moqueca cooking.

This is urucum.

-Urucum.

-The Indian way.

-Yeah.

-So, we take the color from the seeds.

-Mm.

-I already have prepared with olive oil.

We can put a little bit more.

-Little bit more.

-Uh-huh.

-Mm-hmm.

Beautiful.

So, we're starting with onion and garlic.

-Yeah.

Just a little bit of garlic.

-I can put the tomato in now?

-Yeah.

And the cilantro.

-And the cilantro.

-Put this layer in here.

Just use the fish.

-It's like a cod or... -This is haddock.

-Haddock.

Okay.

Got it.

-Yeah.

Now we're gonna cover it to finish.

-I love this clay pot.

-This pot keeps the heat and the flavor.

-So, if someone that have never had Brazilian food, the dishes like moqueca is definitely one that we should make, right?

-Right.

-I've heard about this dish called feijoada.

-Everyone knows feijoada because feijoada we have all over Brazil.

Feijoada is different from moqueca that comes from the Indians.

-Yeah.

-Feijoada's from Africa.

-Yes.

-The slaves brought the feijoada to our, you know, culinary things.

-So, these are beautiful sort of like black beans, right?

-Yeah.

So, here we're gonna put the -- all the meat.

-It's -- It's beef, right?

-Beef.

We have pork.

-Mmm.

And sausage.

-Sausage.

In Brazil, they used to put the pieces of the meat the senor, the owners, doesn't eat, they throw it away.

-Throw it away.

-The slaves get that, mix with the beans, and cook for themselves.

-Oh.

So, it's all the leftovers goes in, simmer together.

-The moqueca is ready.

So -- -Ooh, this is gonna be beautiful.

-Should we add in some shrimp or no?

-Yeah.

I like everything well-decorate.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-The color on top.

Oh, my God, it smells good!

Should I take this out?

-Yeah, let's, 'cause everything is done.

Yeah.

-Ooh!

Wow.

When it boils like that, whew!

-The orange helps to digest the feijoada 'cause it is heavier.

-This, for me, is absolutely gorgeous.

And I love the flour on top.

-The farofa.

Farofa's everything.

-Beautiful.

When did you come to America?

-I come when I was 33 years old.

-Mm-hmm.

-And one day one friend decided to come to U.S. for good.

He said, "I want to go there 'cause it's very hard to make a life in Brazil.

But I'd never been in the plane."

-Yeah.

-"So I'm afraid to go by myself."

-Yeah.

-"So, you want to go with me?

We can go together."

-That's amazing.

-Since I was like 5, I was inside the kitchen.

I want to work in a restaurant.

-Yeah.

-But it was very hard to find a spot.

Nobody wants to give me a chance 'cause I didn't have any experience.

-Yeah.

-And one day I was so mad, and I told to myself, "You know, I -- I'm gonna have my own restaurant to get experience."

-Yeah.

-So, I work hard... -Yeah.

-...'cause I believe in myself.

-You're here between MIT and Harvard and run a successful restaurant for 19 years.

You made a life for yourself, and it's meaningful.

You bring the community together.

-Yeah.

-What an inspiration you are.

-Thank you for coming.

Thank you.

-I'm very happy to have you here.

-There are 312 fruits in Brazil, and I would say that most of them aren't here.

The whole idea of Zing Bowl was bringing healthy Brazilian food to the U.S. and make a difference.

Aa comes from Amazon.

-It grows in very tall palm trees, and the way they harvest the aa, it's the same they used to do years and years ago.

Aa has everything in it -- good carbo, good fat, minerals, nutrients, and protein.

-Tapioca -- indigenous, as well.

It was before colonization that the Indians were using it.

And it kept up north for years and years, and recently -- I would say last 15 years -- it started get popular down in Rio de Janeiro, down in Sao Paulo.

Put in a pan.

It sticks together with the heat.

And then we fold it exactly as a taco.

-It's always summer here, you know?

So, a happy vibe, a -- a good vibe, a very energetic vibe.

-We truly felt a connection between Rio de Janeiro and Boston, and we can make it a bit different with our culture, with our music, the food.

I think that's really the mission that we have -- really show what Brazil has and -- and really bring something different the country.

-So, Mestre Chuvisquinho is capoeira master that grew up in Brazil.

We decided to go and watch a class.

[ Students chanting ] Capoeira is this incredible art form.

There's a mix between dance, music, spirituality, and history.

It's all in Portuguese.

What a cool way to learn about Brazilian culture, but also about Portuguese as a language.

[ Singing in Portuguese ] Mestre Chuvisquinho -- he has invited me to a pastelaria.

The food normally in a pastelaria is really street food.

It's snacky.

It's something you eat on the go.

And it's a really important connector to the community.

Ooh, this looks good.

-Huh?

-This looks just -- -Welcome to Brazil.

-Exactly.

This just looks like a caf in Rio or Sao Paulo, anywhere.

-This is the beauty of Brazil.

-Yeah.

-This is called salgada.

If you walk around the streets of Brazil, like Salvador, Sao Paulo, Rio, especially Bahia... -Especially Bahia.

-You know... all of that.

Here we have empada.

Also you're gonna have different types of coxinhas.

There's one with cream cheese, which is called catupiry.

You have bolinho de bacalhau.

-Oh, with the cod, with the salted fish?

Nice.

-Exactly.

-When I look at this food, I see Brazil, right?

Because Brazil is also a country -- between the native, between the African slaves, between the Europeans... -Right.

-...it's all mixed.

This looks like a pierogi.

This looks like empanada.

The bacalhau comes from the Portuguese.

-Right.

-Like, you feel -- -The influences, right?

-You see the influences, right?

-Absolutely.

-Okay.

But you're gonna order.

You're gonna order everything, right?

-I'm gonna go light.

-So, aa for the coach.

-Exactly.

-And the fat things for me, okay?

-Okay.

-All right.

-Ahh, aa.

-Aa.

That beauty.

-Beautiful.

Full of energy.

-Obrigado.

Right there.

Obrigado.

Obrigado.

That's pastel.

-Pastel.

What's inside?

-Cheese.

-Cheese.

-Queijo.

-Queijo.

-Queijo.

Ooh!

-And there's different kinds.

You'll find meat.

-Yeah.

-You'll find bananas.

-Oh, it's delicious.

This is like a perfect snack.

-Exactly.

-Where did you grow up?

-I grew up in the streets of Brazil.

I was born in Cabana do Pai Toms.

It's a favela in Minas Gerais.

-Minas Gerais.

-Yes.

-Is "favela" a good word or a bad word?

Can we -- -Well, to me, it depends how you see it, how you look at it.

-Yeah.

-We lived in this neighborhood where poverty was present.

-Yeah.

-A lot of happens -- good stuff, some not-so-good stuff... in Brazil, you know?

-I've been to the favelas and also seen a lot of beauty in the favelas.

Tell me some of the beautiful things that we don't know.

-Sense of community is unbelievable, sense of -- -You're never alone.

-You're never alone.

Sense of community is strong.

-Tell me about capoeira.

It's a passion.

It's also your job.

But it's also something that's been passed down to you... -Right.

-...through generations.

Explain a little bit to me about this.

-I'm the third generation in my family.

Capoeira was created by African slaves... -Yeah.

-...in Brazilian territories.

-It was a way to communicate, not to tell the master.

-Exactly.

-I mean, you can't think about Brazil in any facets of its culture without linking it to slave culture.

Slavery came to Brazil through the Portuguese.

Brazil was actually the biggest port in terms of the slave trade.

Over 70% of the slaves came to Brazil.

And it was also the last country to oppose slavery.

It's a very complex, dark part of Brazilian history, something that has had a huge imprint, whether it's through music, food, capoeira, culture in general.

This thing that was created by slaves that was passed over in generation, it has now become a major sort of ambassador for the country in a way.

-It's amazing.

-And as a young boy coming up, it must have been good for you to have capoeira through your father, through your neighborhood, on your side.

-Capoeira was always a channel for me to focus in my life.

You know, it was literally a -- a channel.

If you go to different parts of Brazil, you're gonna see capoeiristas active, trying to help communities... -Yeah.

-...trying to help families to raise their kids using capoeira as a tool.

-Beautiful.

And I do think that the combination between spirituality, martial arts, and music and community brings people together.

-Absolutely.

What motivates me the most is I'm able to connect people.

-Yeah.

-You know?

Families were built in my school.

Mister capoeirista, obrigado.

-[ Speaking Portuguese ] I hope you enjoyed the food.

-Of course.

It's -- It's just great talking to you.

Churrascaria is probably the most popular food outside Brazil.

Imagine, like, a Brazilian barbecue, right?

Today I'm meeting Bruno from Oliveira's Steak House, and he's gonna teach me everything about the gaucho culture.

"Gaucho" means "cowboy."

It's gonna be really cool.

I'm excited.

-We are doing a picanha.

-Okay.

-Picanha is the most popular steak we have in Brazil.

-Okay.

-And I will show how to be gaucho for a day.

-So, this is like being a butcher back here, right?

-Yes.

We are gaucho chefs.

-Cool.

-This is yours.

-Nice.

-Then skewer the first part.

-What region of Brazil does this tradition come from?

-The tradition comes from south of Brazil.

The gauchos -- they are from Argentina, Uruguay... -Ahh!

-...and part of Brazil.

Beautiful.

Uh-huh.

-Nice.

-Almost gaucho now.

-Yeah, sure.

-Wow.

Looks better than ours.

-Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

-My man.

-And then we just season it with sea salt.

That's it.

-Yes.

Are you sure you're not from Rio Grande do Sul?

-Ah, I wish.

I wish.

-This is the trick.

As we can see here, this one can come down.

-Yeah.

-It's cooked already.

This one here is too cooked.

Then we switch with this one.

-Wow.

-This way, we will have rare meat and well done, and we can take care of everybody on the floor.

-Yeah.

-A real gaucho chef's not only to butcher and cook the meat, but also to make sure we'll have enough, but we'll not have too much to waste.

-To waste.

You have sausage, chicken, pineapples... -Oh, yeah, we have -- -...everything.

-We have 18 varieties that we offer for our guests on the floor.

-So, in Brazil you would do this over open fire?

-Yes, an open fire pit.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

This is such a fun way of eating.

It's social.

It's fun.

And then for the leftover we make feijoada.

[ Both laugh ] This restaurant is packed.

Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-How long have you been here?

-Since 2015.

-What I love about the meat, first of all, is its simplicity, right?

Just that beautiful sea salt, and it's so moist and rich.

-Yeah.

And the nice thing about the Brazilian concept -- it's because you can control the service.

-Yeah.

I love this.

-And if you put on the green, they come and they bring for you the small pieces.

-It's a lighter way of eating meat, too, actually.

-It is, and give the guests time to talk.

-Yeah.

-They come here because this is about share our culture.

-Yeah.

But -- But meat is expensive.

This is on a special occasion.

If I'm in Brazil, mostly I eat beans, cassava.

-Chicken.

Brazilian people -- the way that we -- we do, we save some money, and we like to have a barbecue... -Yeah.

-...in our backyard on Sunday.

Then we invite friends and family.

Someone will bring beef.

The other one will bring the chicken.

The other one will bring the sausage.

-So, it's like the potluck.

Nice.

-Then we're all together.

You didn't have the pork.

You want to try the pork?

-Bruno, I'm giving up, okay?

Enough.

That's it.

I can't eat any more.

So, I'm in Somerville, and I see the sports bar of Sportinguista, this incredible soccer club in Portugal.

It looks like a normal sports bar, but it's not.

It's also a great place for food.

And I'm talking food from Cape Verde, Brazil, and Portugal.

And I'm eating with Paulo that is the sporting president and Milena and Robson.

And both Milena and Robson works for MAPS.

"MAPS" stands for Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers that help guide Portuguese and extended Portuguese diaspora into this new world.

Wow.

What are we having here?

-Oh, my God, that's delicious.

-Portugal is very famous for the codfish.

-Yeah.

-So, we have the codfish cakes and the shrimp cakes.

-That's a special for you.

-Oh, just amazing.

-Oh!

-Wow.

-Mmm.

That's delicious.

-Amazing.

-Nice.

It smells good.

What are the things that the Portuguese, Cape Verdean, Brazilian -- I know you share the language, but also culturally where -- where do they overlap?

What do they share?

-We share the p-- the passion for soccer definitely.

-Yes, of course.

Music, right?

-Music.

-Yeah.

-I think it's the food.

Portugal conquers the world by the ocean.

And because of this, if you represent the Portuguese culture, it's seafood.

-Yeah.

-Shrimp, codfish.

Everything about seafood... -Yeah.

-...is Portuguese.

-Is from the Portuguese, as well.

Nice.

The clams are great, no?

-Amazing.

-Really, really delicious.

What is this?

-Chicken and...

It's Brazilian.

-Yeah.

-But it's another famous plate, which is the Brazilian tradition.

-Yes.

-It's called carne de sol, but with yuca.

-So, it's a -- You -- You have the meats, and you kind of dry out the meat in the sun.

-They're preserving the meat.

-Yeah.

It's delicious.

And one thing that I like here is, like, the restaurant business brings people together.

And this place is special because it brings Brazilian, Portuguese, Cape Verdean, everybody together.

-Yes.

-I do think the migration will always change.

-Yeah.

-But the fact that America is still the land of opportunity... -Yeah.

-...is also amazing because only in America would you have Ethiopian next to Portuguese... -Yeah.

-...next to two Brazilians.

-Yes.

-And we -- you know, we can share our experience.

-And we respect each other.

-Yeah, and we share our experience.

That's beautiful.

-I've learned in this life that if you move, you need to find another way.

-Find your community... -Find your community.

-...which you guys are bridging here.

-Yes.

-It's all about communities.

-And find what makes you belong to someplace.

Portuguese, the language, brings us together.

Food kind of brings us together.

Some costumes and the way that we can treat each other also brings us together.

-Well, it's been -- it's a great evening.

-Thank you.

And very nice meeting you.

-Amazing.

-Thank you.

-I will never see Boston the same again.

It's a different lens.

It's much warmer.

It's something that really surprised me and makes me want to go back.

It's been fascinating to taste the similarities, but also to find the nuanced differences.

This trip really reminds me that food is such a unique window in to history.

These three communities are forever linked by a super complicated past, and the food really preserves the stories of loss, but it also tells the story of resourcefulness, perseverance, and resilience.

It's incredible to see in Boston these three distinct cultures have forged strong, enduring communities while remaining connected and celebrating their past.

-Next time on "No Passport Required"... -Vegas is nightlife, gambling, but I now realize there's also extremely diversity.

That's authentic regional Chinese cooking.

Aah!

-We really showcase the history of our culture.

We have pride in what we're doing.

-That's an art, and that's an ancient tradition.

-We got the choice to do what we wanted, and we still chose a restaurant.

-It's older than Peking duck?

-Older than Peking duck?

-Wow!

But it's younger than me.

-To order "No Passport Required" on DVD, visit ShopPBS or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

This program is also available on Amazon Prime Video.