Biscoito Globo is a polvilho (manioc starch) biscuit made in Rio and sold by vendors on the beaches and streets, paired with iced mate, the drink the city has sold on the sand since about 1950.
The story of Biscoito Globo com mate gelado
Diário do Rio traces Biscoito Globo to 1953, when the brothers Milton, Jaime and João Ponce learned to make polvilho biscuits from a cousin in São Paulo. They sold them in Rio from 1954 and in 1955 named them for the Globo bakery in Botafogo that hired them; in 1963 they partnered with Francisco Nunes Torrão. Iced mate followed around 1950: vendors already sold a home-made iced infusion from drums on Rio's beaches, and Matte Leão then launched its own iced version.
How to make Biscoito Globo com mate gelado
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons toasted mate leaves (erva-mate tostada)
- 1 litre boiling water
- Ice
- 2 lemons, sliced
- Sugar, optional
- Salted polvilho biscuits, to serve
Method
- Put the mate leaves in a heatproof jug and pour over the boiling water.
- Steep for 5 minutes, then strain.
- Cool, then chill the mate for at least 2 hours.
- Pour over ice with lemon slices, and sugar if you like.
- Serve with polvilho biscuits.
Editor tip. Steep, never boil the leaves; boiling makes the mate bitter. The chill is what makes it a beach drink.
The editor picks for Biscoito Globo com mate gelado in Rio de Janeiro are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Rio de Janeiro signature-dishes index or the Rio de Janeiro food guide.