They brushed me off as they loaded surfboards and beach chairs into the trunk—there would be plenty of purveyors at the beach selling food and beer; no need to bring our own. And sure enough, there were nearly as many vendors on the beach as there were sunbathers, selling Budweisers, fresh coconuts, and bags of Globos, the iconic Brazilian crunchy yucca cracker.

Given that grilling is such a prominent part of Brazilian dining culture, it was no real surprise to also spot hawkers milling about with small, portable grills, setting up shop at the feet of their patrons and slinging skewers by the half dozen. The result was a parade of grilled meats—coração de frango (chewy chicken hearts), picanha (super-tender sirloin caps), and linguiça (garlic-and-pepper sausage). My friend waved a vendor over and promptly placed an order for queijo coalho, looking back at me with a toothy grin.

Queijo coalho em espetos, or cheese skewers, is a Brazilian beach staple. They’re made with light, squeaky cow’s-milk cheese, akin to the cheese curds I grew up with in the Midwest. The most commonly used cheese is coalho, made in the country’s northeast. This particular vendor, however, used a version from Minas Gerais, a southeastern state that’s home to some of Brazil’s best coffee, cachaça, and, yes, cheese.

It’s the perfect cheese for grilling, with a mild, slightly acidic flavor and firm texture that holds its shape, so you can eat it right off the skewer.

Ingredients
12 ounces (340g) skewered Brazilian queijo de coalho, separated into individual sticks (see note)
Dried oregano, extra-virgin olive oil mixed with finely minced garlic, and/or aioli, for serving (optional)

Directions
Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, spread coals evenly over coal grate. Alternatively, set the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Queijo coalho em espetos, or grilled skewers of firm and squeaky cheese, is a super-popular Brazilian beachside snack, and for good reason. Making it couldn’t be easier. This spring, I had the good fortune to spend a sunny, sweltering month in Rio de Janeiro. On my first trip to the beach, I asked my Brazilian friends if we should swing by the grocery store to pick up some snacks, envisioning the carioca equivalent of my go-to American beach snacks. (I’m all about the Chex Mix, Smartfood cheddar popcorn, and some ripe, juicy watermelon.)

Arrange skewers on grate over coals and cook until browned on first side, about 3 minutes. (Timing will vary depending on the heat of the grill and the distance of the skewers from the heat source.) Try not to move the skewers too soon, or they can stick and tear; if they remain stuck in spots when you try to move them, slide a thin metal object down between the grill grates and gently lift from below to free them. Once skewers are free, move them around to ensure the cheese doesn’t sink too far between the grill grates.

Turn skewers and repeat on opposite side. Serve while hot, dressing with oregano, olive oil/garlic mixture, and/or aioli as desired.

Special equipment: Grill, chimney starter

Notes
Packaged queijo de coalho skewers are sold at Brazilian markets; you may also find the skewers or block queijo de coalho online. Cut block cheese into 1- by 5-inch lengths and spear each piece with a small bamboo skewer, then follow the recipe as written. If you can’t find queijo de coalho, you may also substitute halloumi or bread cheese.

Using pre-formed cheese skewers ensures the right kind of cheese for the recipe (though you can also make your own skewers using halloumi or bread cheese).
Moving the skewers around once they’re free from the grill grate maximizes browning.
These skewered cheese sticks use a type of cheese that holds its shape even as it softens in the heat of a grill, yielding a golden-brown and crispy exterior and a near-molten interior. Popular as a street-food snack in Brazil, they’re sold in Brazilian markets (and occasionally online) as preassembled cheese skewers. You may also find queijo coalho online in solid-block form, to be cut and skewered at home. If you can’t find the real deal, you can improvise using more commonly available ingredients, such as halloumi or bread cheese. When the skewers are done, you can flavor them as desired, dressing them with dried oregano, an oil-and-garlic mixture, or aioli. (In Brazil, a similar sauce called molho de alho is often used.)

To talk about this cake, we have to look back to Venezuela in the 18th century. Wheat didn’t grow in Caracas and imported flour was very expensive across the country, but the Bejarano sisters crafted a cake to sell that was based on ripe mashed plantains and corn-based breadcrumbs instead of flour. The sisters became an instant success. Today, the base of the batter is made from plantains, sugar cane, breadcrumbs or ground bread, butter, and egg to give it a dense, almost banana bread-like texture, flavored with a light touch of cloves, cinnamon, and allspice and showered with handfuls of sesame seeds. Its sweetness is mild enough to please those who like their desserts on the savory side. These skewers can be cooked using any number of grill setups; we opted for a traditional charcoal grill in this case, but our new-and-improved skewer-grilling setup works just as well. Just make sure to push the cheese further down on the skewer to expose the tip, allowing it to be suspended over the bricks.

Alfajores: Argentina and Uruguay
While Argentines are more vocal about their alfajor love, we have to give Uruguay some credit too: they do hold the Guinness World Record for largest alfajor ever made, weighing in over a thousand pounds. There are many different versions of this popular cookie, sold both fresh in bakeries and packaged at convenience shops, but they generally consist of dulce de leche sandwiched between two soft, thick cookies, then either rolled in coconut shavings or covered in chocolate.

Tawa Tawas: Bolivia
When in Bolivia, beware: consuming tawa tawas may cause an insatiable daily craving. A wise Bolivian baker once told me all you really need for a perfect postre is a piece of deep fried bread. Flour, egg, and baking powder make up a dough that’s rolled out, cut into triangles, and then fried in hot oil to become a miniature pillow. It’s similar to a sopapilla except bite-size, topped with powdered sugar and drizzled with raw honey.