Rio de Janeiro, Feb 20 (IANS/EFE): Those seeking good food in Rio de Janeiro can explore the numerous street stands that offer some of Brazilian cuisine's most traditional dishes.

From the traditional "feijoada" (rice and beans with pork) to "salgadinhos" (salty aperitifs) and cod fritters, the streets of Rio offer delicious and very economical meals that have the added plus of coming with the friendliness and good humor of the vendors.

The delicacies have been collected in the "Guia carioca da gastronomia de rua" (Rio Guide to Street Cuisine) and on a web site, both the work of documentary filmmaker Sergio Bloch.

He told EFE that the idea for the project arose while he was directing the short film "Na boca do povo" devoted to the food prepared, sold and enjoyed in public locations.

Out of that three-minute documentary in early 2012 came the idea for the guide, which due to its immediate popularity has been reissued in a second edition with new dishes and a Web page.

To that has also been added an application for smart phones which will be launched soon and will help users locate the food stands that interest them most.

Bloch's project so far has gathered together 36 cooks selected for the food they offer but also for their personalities.

"We place a lot of value on the person who makes the food. Each cook is an artisan. They make the food in their own way, with their taste, their seasonings and their personality," Bloch said.

He described these particular cooks as "people with a story, with charisma and ... who have the pleasure of doing what they do".