Tarascan puréed bean soup hails from the Mexican state of Michoacán, home of the Tarascan or Purépecha people — one of the major pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica. Their culture flourished from 1100s to the early 1500s, but by the 1530, Purépecha people had succumbed to the Spanish conquistadors who eventually named them Tarascos, hence the name sopa Tarasca.
Apart from the beans — which are usually cooked together with tomatoes in a simple chicken broth — this dish is a great source of both fresh and dried chili peppers, most of which are native to the New World like the smoked pasilla de Oaxaca, which imparts not only a delicate heat but also adds a nice smoky flavor to this hearty soup.
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Diri ak pwa, also called diri kole ak pwa, is the national dish of Haiti, consisting of rice and beans. The dish became a common, everyday staple during the period of slavery, when rice and beans were two of the few ingredients that were fed to the slaves by their owners.
It can be made with a variety of beans, but pinto, red kidney beans, and black beans are the most common options. Diri ak pwa is exceptionally nutritious as rice is rich in starch and contains iron, vitamin B, and protein, while the beans also contain iron and a greater amount of protein than rice.
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Feijão tropeiro is a traditional dish from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. A favorite dish of cattle rangers (tropeiros), it consists of beans that are cooked with salted or dried meat, manioc flour, and various flavorings, herbs, and vegetables.
Today, there are numerous variations on the dish, so the type of beans and meat vary from one part of the country to the next. It is believed that the dish was invented during the Brazilian Colonial period, when tropeiros used to sell things while traveling on horses, bringing beans, manioc flour, and dried meat with them on long journeys.
MOST ICONIC Feijão tropeiro
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La jota triestina is a traditional soup originating from Trieste. Although there are various versions, the dish is usually made with a combination of beans, olive oil, potatoes, sauerkraut, flour, pancetta, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
The garlic, pancetta, and potatoes are fried in olive oil and mixed with the beans. The mixture is covered with water, covered, and simmered until the beans are tender. A mixture of sauerkraut, cumin, and bay leaves is boiled until the liquid has almost evaporated.
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Feijoada or feijoada completa is Brazil's national dish, a hearty stew featuring pork and black beans. The dish is consumed throughout the country, and every family in Brazil has their own, special recipe. Sautéed greens, cheese rolls, rice, and fresh, sliced oranges are served as an accompaniment to the smoked pork and richly flavored black beans.
Traditionally, it is prepared for Saturday lunch, so that the consumers may sleep it off. The beans are flavored with onions, tomatoes, coriander, and garlic, while pork meat can be additionally enriched with dried beef and smoked pork sausages. Before the main meal, consumers are offered caldinho de feijao, a bean broth served in shot glasses or small ceramic cups and garnished with pork rinds known as torresmos.
VARIATIONS OF Feijoada
MOST ICONIC Feijoada
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Pasulj is a popular Serbian bean soup that is traditionally prepared with white beans. The beans are usually simmered with sausage, bacon, or ham, and vegetables such as onions and carrots. Paprika, bay leaves, and garlic are commonly used as seasonings in the soup.
Pasulj is a typical representative of Serbian comfort food, and it is also very popular throughout the Balkans, especially in the neighboring countries. It is recommended to serve the dish with some crusty bread or sliced raw onions on the side.
Frijoles charros is a simple Mexican dish consisting of beans, onions, tomatoes, chile peppers, and coriander. Meat such as bacon, ham, or salt pork is also used in the dish, but mostly as a flavoring agent. The combination of those ingredients is cooked with liquid in a pot for a long time, until the beans are tender and some liquid still remains in the vessel.
The dish has origins with the Mexican cowboys who needed the nutritive value from inexpensive beans to sustain them for long days of cattle herding. Today, frijoles charros is usually served with rice and corn flour bread on the side.
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Piyaz is a traditional salad. In most of the country, it's a general term for a dish of dried beans, parsley, onions, and sumac. In Antalya, however, piyaz also contains a rich and smooth sauce consisting of tahini, lemon juice, and vinegar. The beans are topped with the sauce, and the dish is usually dressed with chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, hard-boiled eggs, olive oil, and parsley.
Piyaz is often eaten as an accompaniment to köfte and similar grilled meats, but it can also be included in a meze selection.
MOST ICONIC Piyaz
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Tutu de feijão is a traditional dish originating from the region of Minas Gerais. The dish is made with a combination of puréed beans (traditionally black beans) and cassava flour that's used as a thickening agent. Other ingredients used in the dish include onions, garlic, olive oil, parsley, and bay leaves.
Although there are many variations on the dish, it's usually served accompanied by pork sausages, rice, eggs, or sometimes kale.
MOST ICONIC Tutu de feijão
View moreAlthough it translates as stone soup, this hearty Portuguese dish is actually a combination of beans and sausages such as chouriço and morcela (blood sausage), as well as pork belly, pig’s ear, and potatoes, while different regional varieties may also include pasta, carrots, and cabbage.
There's a legend saying that a monk in need wanted to prepare soup by using merely stones and water. When he asked for additional ingredients to supposedly flavor the soup, the family who'd hosted him was more than willing to provide some pork cuts, beans, sausages, and vegetables, and the monk ended with a rich and nutritious dish without any stones inside.
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