Feijoada is a stew of beans with various beef and pork products, which is a typical leading dish of Brazilian and Portuguese cuisine, also popular in Angola and other former Portuguese colonies.
The name comes from feijão, Portuguese for "beans", and is pronounced [fe.ʒu.'a.da] (IPA).
Brazilian feijoada
Recipe
Brazilian feijoada is prepared with black turtle beans, with a variety of salted pork and beef products such as salted pork trimmings (ears, tail, feet), bacon, smoked pork ribs, at least two types of smoked sausage and jerked beef (loin and tongue).
This stew is best prepared over slow fire in a thick clay pot. The final dish has the beans and meat pieces barely covered by a dark purplish-brown broth. The taste is strong, moderately salty but not spicy, dominated by the flavors of black bean and meat stew.
Side dishes
In Brazil, feijoada is traditionally served with rice, and accompanied by chopped refried collard greens, lighly roasted coarse cassava flour (called farofa), and a peeled whole orange. Other common side dishes are boiled or deep-fried cassava, deep-fried bananas, and torresmos. A pot of hot pepper oil is often provided on the side. The meal is often washed down with a caipirinha or two.
Tradition
Since it is a rather heavy dish that takes several hours to cook, feijoada is consumed in Brazil only occasionally, usually at lunch time. Traditionally restaurants will offer it as the "day's special" only once or twice a week, usually on Wednesdays, Saturdays, or sometimes on Sundays. (As a traditional holdover from old Catholic dietary restrictions, the Friday's special dish is more likely to be fish.) However, some restaurants will serve feijoada all the week long.
History
The traditional history of Brazilian feijoada is that it was a "luxury" dish of African slaves in Brazilian farms, as it was prepared with relatively cheap ingredients (beans, rice, collard greens, farofa) and leftovers from salted pork and meat production. Over time, it first became a popular dish among lower classes, and finally the "national dish" of Brazil, offered even by the finest restaurants.
However, this history is disputed. Some claim that it was inspired on the French cassoulet, while others conjecture that it evolved from the bean-and-pork dishes from the regions of Estremadura and Trás-os-Montes in Portugal.
Portuguese feijoada
Recipes
The basic ingredients of Portuguese feijoada are beans and (fresh) pork or beef meat. In Northwest Portugal (chiefly Minho and Douro Litoral), it is usually made with white beans; whereas in the Northeast (Trás-os-Montes) it is generally prepared with red (kidney) beans, and includes other vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and cabbage. The stew is best prepared over slow fire in a thick clay pot. Angolan and São Tomean feijoadas also add palm oil as a condiment.
Portuguese fejoada is usually served with rice and a rich assortment of sausages, such as chouriço de carne, morcela (a blood sausage), farinheira, and others. The sausages may or may not be cooked in the stew. It is usually served with red wine or water.
History
Tracing the history of such a basic dish is problematic, and its origins may be lost in time. Some conjecture that the custom was brought from Brazil or from Africa, while others think that it was inspired by other European stews, such as the French cassoulet.
See also: Cassoulet, Baked beans.