salt is mostly due to big government. some cities have laws forbidding salt to be exposed on the restaurant so people wont ask for it.

Salt restrictions in restaurants are largely due to government regulations. In some cities, laws prohibit placing salt on tables to discourage its use without request.

As for spices, their use varies significantly by region. You most likely visited the South or Southeast—places like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and the southern states—where food tends to be milder. In contrast, the North and Northeast offer a wider variety of chili peppers, such as malagueta and biquinho. Traditional black pepper (Piper nigrum), commonly used in European and Asian cuisines, is not as prevalent in Brazilian cooking.