Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Brazilian Cookies

      Let's head down to South America for a venue change.  These were found in the alternate Shop-Rite once again.  I tried three varieties from the Vitarella wafer line--their vanilla, their orange, and their pineapple flavors.

     Vitarella is a moderately old brand, having started in 1993.  Persons unidentified began the operation in Pernambuco, and it was then known as Industrie de Alimentos Bomgosto Ltda.  At first it just made pasta, and originally the workforce was only 34 people.  Sometime along the line the company started making other baked goods, or products associated with baking, such as different kinds of cookies/biscuits, toast, and margarine.  In 1998 the Treloso brand began, which was various kinds of crackers.  In 2008 the business was acquired by M. Dias Branco S/A.  Which made sense, since the new owner, M. Dias Branco, was the leading pasta and biscuit producer in Brazil.  To illustrate this, M. Dias Branco makes 26.1% of the country's biscuits, and 25.4% of its pasta.  M. Dias Branco originated in 1936, and it was named after its founder, Manuel Dias Branco.  I'd like to go into more detail about the two companies that have been involved with the Vitarella brand, but as usual I'm hampered by a dearth of online information.  I can tell you aside from wafers, Vitarella also manufactures stuffed, sweet, and cake-like varieties of cookies.

Vitarella wafers, orange flavor:  These measured about 8 cm. by 2 cm. (or about 3.25 inches by .75 inch), with the traditional cross-hatched outer design/embossment.  Also, like a typical wafer it was a series of layers, of cream filling layers encased in cookie ones.  There was also a very slight orangish tinge to the yellowish cookie layers, while the filling was white.  The taste was pretty mediocre.  The cream was alright, and the cookie layers were slightly crunchy, and had a slight orange-y flavor.  I would have liked a stronger orange and cream taste.  So not bad at all, but not my favorite wafer.  Just kind of average.

Vitarella wafers, vanilla flavor:  Same size, shape, and layering as previous.  Slightly paler yellow cookie color, with a white cream filling.  Texture was the same as the orange kind.  Taste was a bit better--maybe vanilla makes for a better wafer.  Still about average for a wafer cookie.  But it was the best of the three.

Vitatrella wafers, pineapple flavor:  The size, shape, layering arrangement, and texture was identical to others.  Paler yellow color for the outer cookie layers than the orange ones, or about the same as the vanilla.  (I don't know that I could tell the vanilla and pineapple wafers apart from jus their color.)  And once again the taste was okay, but not great.  The pineapple taste could have been stronger.   Probably the weakest of the three.

     So overall, if you enjoy wafers in general, you'll probably think these are mediocre examples of the style.  Not terrible or anything, but not the best, either.  Pretty much "meh."

     Brief update--I'm in the process of signing the contract for my latest anthology addition, which I spoke of previously.  Many more details to follow soon.