Brazilian Feijoada is a black bean and pork stew that Brazilians often serve topped with farofa, toasted cassava flour. Many call this comfort food the national dish of Brazil.
Feijoada, a popular Brazilian dish, owes its name to its main ingredient, black beans (feijão). It is a rich stew traditionally made from different parts of the pig, such as feet, ears, and bacon, as well as other smoked meats. (But don’t worry, I have some substitutions for you if you’re not up to cooking with pig ears and feet!)
Brazilian Cuisine
Brazilian cuisine is very regionalized, each region has its own typical dishes. This is the result of a mixture of different European, Indigenous, and African ingredients and influences.
In the northeast region of Brazil, there is a great influence from African cuisine.
However, in the northern region, there is a greater influence from the Natives, where the use of cassava and fish come into play in many of their dishes.
In the southeast region of Brazil, there are diverse dishes linked to the Bandeirantes (bandits) that include ingredients like corn, beans, and pork.
In the southern region, Italian cuisine has a great influence on dishes such as polenta and pizza. And we also see the influence of German cuisine.
History of Feijoada
Some historians say that African slaves created feijoada (pronounced fay-jwa-da). After feasts given by the owners of the plantations, the slaves would pick up the leftovers and mix them with black beans, making a new stew.
This new dish they served with farofa (fried cassava flour with bacon) and orange slices.
Other historians say that a similar dish was consumed in the north of Portugal, where its main ingredients were white or red beans and pork.
Whichever the story is, feijoada is a symbol of the fusion within Brazilian gastronomic culture. It is a Brazilian icon.
When to Eat Feijoada
Brazilians usually eat feijoada on Wednesdays and Saturdays when restaurants traditionally offer it on their menus and families prepare it in social gatherings.
All social classes eat feijoada since it is such a low-cost dish.
In some parts of Brazil, they only serve feijoada during the winter months. However, in Rio de Janeiro this dish is served all year round.
How to Serve Brazilian Feijoada
If you are up for a challenge, serve a feijoada completa(complete feijoada) meal.
Feijoada completastarts with fried cassava as an appetizer.
Then, the main dish, is feijoada, white rice, fried plantains, farofa (fried cassava flour with bacon), and sliced oranges.
Drinks can be fresh juice, caipirinhas, or beer.
To finish up, serve some fruit compote or this simple and delicious Romeu e Julieta.
What Goes into Feijoada?
Traditional feijoada is made with pig’s ear, feet, and snout along with Brazilian sausage.
For our recipe, we are using bacon, pork ribs, and 2 kinds of sausages, Mexican chorizo, and linguica.
A note on the sausage: Mexican chorizo is the most widely-used substitute for Brazilian sausage (which is quite hard to find outside of Brazil). But when I’ve tested it, it still doesn’t quite give the same flavor to this stew that you would find in a truly authentic Brazilian feijoada.
The chorizo is very oily as well. I do recommend you cook it first in a separate pan, drain the oil, and then add the cooked sausage with the rest of the ingredients.
Our Feijoada Recipe
This is such a great dish for big groups. It is easy to make and very cheap.
It is very important that the beans are soaked overnight. You can very well use canned beans too.
You can also make feijoada in a slow cooker. After sauteing the vegetables and browning the meat, add it to the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours.
While making farofa to serve with feijoada is an extra step, it is so worth it. I definitely recommend you serve this feijoada with farofa.
Any leftovers, I like to freeze in individual portions for easy reheating. The stew keeps well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yield: 10 servings
Brazilian Feijoada is a black bean and pork stew that is often served with farofa, toasted cassava flour.
**Since we're using dried beans, you will need to soak them overnight before cooking the stew. **
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry black beans (soaked overnight)*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ounces slab bacon (rind removed), diced
- 1 pound pork ribs, cut into individual ribs
- 2 Mexican chorizo sausages (roughly 11 oz each), sliced**
- 1 smoked sausage (roughly 7 oz), such as linguica or kielbasa, sliced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- water
- white rice (for serving)
- farofa (for serving)
Instructions
- In a large bowl with water, soak beans overnight.
- When you are ready to make your stew, in a large heavy-bottom soup pot, over medium heat, add the oil and bacon. Cook until crisp and transfer to a plate.
- Use the same saucepan to brown ribs and sausages in batches. (You will want to be sure to cook the sliced Mexican chorizo on its own, as it can be very greasy. Drain the grease before continuing.) Set each aside as cooked.
- If needed, add more oil to the pan. On medium-high, sauté onion, and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Add them to the pot along with the ribs, bacon, sausages, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover with water (about 8 cups).
- Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it cook for 2 to 2 and a half hours, or until the beans are soft.
- If the stew is too liquidy, uncover the saucepan and continue to cook for another 20 minutes to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
- Serve with white rice and sprinkle some farofa on top.
Notes
* 1 pound dry beans = 2 cups dry beans = 6 cups cooked beans (Feel free to substitute 6 cups of drained, canned beans if desired. However, if substituting canned beans, you will need to reduce the amount of water to 3-4 cups since the beans will not absorb much water as they cook.)
** If you can only find 9 oz chorizo sausages, 2 of that size will work just fine.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 620
If you liked this recipe, here are some similar dishes you may enjoy!
- Brazilian Lentil Soup with Kale
- Brazilian Black Beans
- Hoppin’ John (South Carolina Black Eyed Peas and Bacon)
- Quick Mexican Pozole Blanco
- Andouille Sausage Cajun Gumbo
- Fakes Soupa (Greek Lentil Soup)
- Easy French Cassoulet and Tannat Wine from Uruguay
- Dal Makhani (Creamy Kidney Bean and Lentil Stew)
Lizet
Lizet is Bolivian and lives in Paraguay. Through friends and travel she has developed her love of food. From Africa to Asia, Europe to the Americas, there is always something new to try when you come to dinner. You can find more of Lizet’s tasty creations on her website ChipaByTheDozen.com. You can also find her on Instagram and Facebook.
