Brazil and Indonesia: Fun Finds in Similarities

Brazil has won my heart twice. I first went there to train Jiu Jitsu because, well… Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Plus, my former coach lives there, on a charming little island called Florianopolis, just an hour’s flight from São Paulo. So, yes, imagine the journey from Bali! But it was totally worth it. 

Anyway, Kata Bella not here to write about my Jiu Jitsu trip, but what really fascinated me was how similar Brazil is to Indonesia. Here are a few interesting things I noticed. Can’t wait to go back soon!

The Language

I know it’s obvious – because Brazilians speak Portuguese, and Indonesia was colonised by the Portuguese (among others). So, when I first landed at the airport, many words already felt familiar to me. I could pretty much guess their meanings. As I started learning Portuguese, I found it surprisingly easy to memorise the vocabulary because of the similarities. Some words are even the same in Indonesian, just pronounced differently. Here are a few for fun:

• Mesa (Indonesian: Meja) – Table
• Manteiga (Indonesian: Mentega) – Butter
• Festa (Indonesian: Pesta) – Party
• Janela (Indonesian: Jendela) – Window
• Sapato (Indonesian: Sepatu) – Shoes
• Igreja (Indonesian: Gereja) – Church
• Escola (Indonesian: Sekolah) – School 

The Snacks

I have this habit of exploring supermarkets when I travel overseas because I love discovering products we don’t have back home. And there was one aisle in Hyperbom that instantly took me back to my childhood days in Java – basically, it was filled with traditional snacks from Java, but in Brazilian versions.

Paçoca vs Enting Enting

(Caramelised peanuts pressed into bite-sized bars)

Flocos de Arroz vs Jipang

(Puffed rice coated in sweet syrup)

Pé de Moleque vs Ampyang

(Roasted peanuts in caramelised sugar)

Cocada com Açúcar Mascavo vs Kembang Gula Kelapa

(Candied shredded coconut)

Geladinho vs Es Lilin

(Ice lollies)

Speaking of childhood snacks, I also found Trakinas, those chocolate sandwich snacks I haven’t seen in Indonesia since the 90s! That was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

Alright, that’s all for now about Brazil! I’ve got more to share from another trip, but I’ll save it maybe for Part 2. Tchau tchau!