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Feijoada | Traditional Stew From Brazil | TasteAtlas
Feijoada | Traditional Stew From Brazil | TasteAtlas
Feijoada | Traditional Stew From Brazil | TasteAtlas
Feijoada | Traditional Stew From Brazil | TasteAtlas
Feijoada | Traditional Stew From Brazil | TasteAtlas

Feijoada

(Feijoada completa)

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. The name feijoada is derived from the Portuguese word for beans, feijão, and it probably originated in the 1600s in Recife, on sugar plantations built by the Portuguese colonists, although some believe that it was created in Rio de Janeiro.  Read more

The Brazilian version usually uses black beans, while the Portuguese one typically uses white or kidney beans. Feijoada is artfully displayed on platters full of ingredients, so that the consumers may choose their favorites and enjoy them at a leisurely pace.


The meats are sliced and placed on platters; the beans served in large serving bowls, and the accompaniments include Brazilian rice, kale, cassava with butter or hard-boiled eggs, sliced oranges, and hot pepper-lime sauce. During the meal, cachaca, a sugarcane brandy and Brazil's most popular liquor, is served as a traditional accompaniment to feijoada.

Feijoada-infographic

Types of Feijoada

Pairing tips

Spirit

Cachaça

Cachaça is a popular Brazilian drink that is distilled from freshly pressed and fermented sugar cane juice. It is believed that the first varieties of ... Read more

Serve with

Side Dish

Farofa

Farofa is a common side dish in Brazil that no churrasco (barbecue) is complete without. It consists of toasted manioc flour dressed up with complementary ... Read more

Feijoada Authentic recipe

PREP 24h
COOK 2h 5min
READY IN 1d 2h

The following recipe shows how to make a traditional Brazilian feijoada as they do it in Bolinha, one of the most popular feijoada restaurants in São Paulo. The trick is to add the meat gradually, starting with the pieces which take longer to cook, such as dried beef, pork feet, and ears.

WHERE TO EAT The best Feijoada in the world (according to food experts)

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