15 Items You Cannot Find In Brazil
As a country with an expressive upper and middle class willing to acquire imported goods, the Brazilian market offers to its consumers almost every option available for consumers worldwide. Nevertheless, a few items are not available for Brazilian purchasers.
Be it due to lack of demand caused by unfamiliarity of the Brazilian market towards the product or simply because the product is not needed in Brazil, some products were not introduced to the the Brazilian market. Here is a list of a few items that are unable to be found in Brazil.
Egg Boiler
The Egg Boiler allows you to cook one or multiple eggs without the need to boil water. Commonly found worldwide, the product appears to not draw enough attention from Brazilians, as they spend much less money on kitchenware. It is not considered a necessary appliance.
Small-sized Milk Cartons
The traditional small-sized milk cartons can be found mostly in schools in the United States of America and in Europe where kids are fond of them, flavored or not. Its absence in Brazil may be because Brazilians don’t usually drink as much milk as other kids do. Also, the ultra-high-temperature processing makes milk last longer, so milk in Brazil is sold mainly in larger packages.
Butter Oil
Butter oil or high-vitamin butter oil is dairy oil extracted without heat - it is centrifuge extracted - from milk produced by cows fed solely on rapidly growing grass. It is more nutrient dense than standard butter and less processed than ghee. It is customary to find it in the United States of America, although its price is high, compared to other similar products. It has not found its way into Brazil because the Brazilian market is more price-sensitive.
Fresh Cranberries
Cranberries are a major commercial crop in certain American states and Canadian provinces. Most cranberries are processed into products such as juice, sauce, jam, and sweetened dried cranberries, with the remainder sold fresh to consumers. In Brazil, fresh cranberries can not be found, probably due to its higher prices when compared to Brazilian native fruits. Also, Brazilians are not commonly found of berries, as most of them are turned into jam and Brazilians have a low consumption of jam.
Lingonberry Products
Lingonberries, or cowberries, are native to northern forests in Europe, Asia and North America. Very nutritious, they possess a considerable amount of vitamins and other nutrients. They can be transformed into jams, candies and other forms. As with cranberries, lingonberries are mainly sold as jams, which have a limited consumption in Brazil.
Raw Turkey
The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada is a large meal centered around a large roasted turkey. Each American has its own way to season the turkey, often passed from generation to generation. In Brazil, there are raw turkeys, except they are already seasoned, and considered to be very salty by American standards. Also, it is a seasonal food, normally available near Christmas.
Jerked Beef
Jerked beef is lean meat that has been trimmed of fat, cut into strips, and then dried to prevent spoilage. Attempts have been made to introduce the product to the Brazilian market, but those attempts have been unsuccessful. A similar, not industrialized product in Brazil is charque.
Canned Sweet Potatoes
Although the soft, orange sweet potato is often called a yam in parts of North America, the sweet potato is botanically very distinct from a genuine yam. As it is present in many Thanksgiving dinners and used for stuffing of turkeys, sweet potatoes can not be found in cans in Brazil, only fresh.
Mushroom Ketchup
Mushroom ketchup is a sauce made from mushrooms and spices as opposed to tomato ketchup. A condiment generally served with meat and poultry, it is more commonly found in the United Kingdom. In Brazil it is not present because Brazilians do not have a “mushroom eating” culture.
Mac&Cheese
Macaroni and cheese—also called "mac and cheese" is a dish consisting of cooked macaroni pasta and cheese, most commonly Cheddar cheese, though it can also incorporate other ingredients, such as bread crumbs and flavorful enhancements. It is considered an American comfort food and can be found as a frozen product. Its absence in Brazil is attributed to Brazilian market lacking a variety of instant food.
Duvet Cover
In Brazil it is common when buying a duvet, to not buy any cover and just use it directly. It is worse when some washing is necessary but, as duvet covers are not available, duvets come in a variety of colors. It actually should have been a Brazilian invention, as Brazilians are fond of using covers for everything such as keyboards, washing machines, etc.
Equipment For Snow-Related Activities
Snowshoes, snowboards and skis are must-have products for every person living in countries where snow falls regularly. Some snow does fall in the southernmost regions of Brazil, but the demand is not sufficient. Despite that, there are some winter sports articles in Brazil.
Licorice Candies
Licorice is a confectionery flavored with the extract of the roots of the licorice plant. A wide variety of licorice sweets are produced around the world. The essential ingredients of licorice candy are licorice extract, sugar, and a binder. Some licorice candy is flavored with anise oil instead of or in combination with licorice root extract. It is popular in the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Europe. A general disliking of the taste of licorice products by Brazilian is the reason why these are not present in Brazil.
Heating Pads
A heating pad is a pad used for warming of parts of the body in order to struggle against cold. There are two types of heating pads: electrical and chemical. In Brazil, due to lack of demand because of the usually high temperatures, heating pads are not available. Despite that, heating blankets can be found in Brazil.
Root Beer
Root beer is a carbonated, sweetened beverage, originally made using the root of the sassafras plant as the primary flavor. It was popularized in North America as both an alcoholic and a sweet beverage. A general disliking of the taste of root beer by Brazilians is the reason why root beer products are not present in Brazil.