Regional Food Consumption in the Northeast of Brazil by the Low-Income Population

ABSTRACTBrazilian foods have been influenced by many cultures, colonizers, slaves, and native indians. Tracing the regional foods is important to analyze diets and discuss food culture. Objective: to evaluate the frequency and variety of regional foods consumed by Brazilians from the Northeast, users of a government program. Methods: This exploratory study analyzed food intake of low-income customers eating in community restaurants. 753 individuals participated, representing a sampling error smaller than 3.5% for national representativeness. The 24HR was used at the restaurants on two weekdays and one weekend day. Results Customers consumed 47 different regional preparations. The prefered ones were cuscuz, baiao dois, and tapioca. Food intake was higher at dinner. An average of 1.3 regional preparations were consumed, for each 10 preparations. Conclusion: The mean consumption of regional foods was low. It may reveal higher intakes of ready-to-eat. Even this population does not take the time to prepare reg...