{"time":1786545256344,"blocks":[{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"  Chef Lydia Gonzalez’ eyes light up at the sight of the small Brazilian root vegetable that nearly vanished over time.

Cultivated by Indigenous peoples and once part of Brazil’s colonial cuisine, mangarito returns to Angá Ateliê Culinário (@angaatelieculinario) every winter to celebrate the backyard cooking that defines this Petrópolis restaurant. This is the season when the ingredient reaches its peak, as the cold concentrates the flavors that develop beneath the soil.

In her hands, the revival of this humble rhizome, overshadowed by modern agriculture, becomes pure pleasure on the palate, with a buttery texture and a delicate, earthy sweetness.

Sourced from backyard gardens in Brazil’s countryside, it stars in a dish of pork belly slow-roasted in its own juices, balanced by the tang of tamarind, sautéed jiló, and the delicate contrast of green papaya preserve made from fruit picked in the garden.

These are snapshots of a creative cuisine rooted in organic, seasonal ingredients from the Serra Fluminense, celebrating biodiversity while maintaining a constant dialogue with its surrounding landscape and the Atlantic Forest.  "}}],"version":"2.18.0"}