Feijoada is Brazil’s hearty black bean stew with salted beef, smoked sausage and bacon. This generous batch is made for sharing with rice, farofa, collard greens and orange slices. Start the soaking the day before, then allow a relaxed afternoon for the stovetop simmer.
Feijoada at a Glance
What Is Feijoada?
Feijoada is a hearty black bean stew which consistes of Brazilian black beans, salted cuts of pork, and beef typically served with rice and other accompaniments like farofa or Brazilian collard greens.
The proper pronunciation of Brazil’s national dish in Portuguese is fay-jwah-dah.
Feijoada is now enjoyed throughout the country and often used in celebrations.
Many churrascarias and restaurants in Sao Paulo serve feijoada mainly on Saturdays and Wednesdays.
The traditional brazilian feijoada recipe can be traced to the Portuguese settlers who associated different weekdays with particular dishes.
Read Article: Brazilian Food: 50 Traditional Dishes to Try.
History of Feijoada
It is believed that feijoada has its roots in colonial Brazil when slaves were accustomed to putting together the leftovers from their masters to prepare a black bean stew.
According to this theory, it’s the Portuguese who introduced pork in South America. The wealthy plantation owners consumed pork as their primary meat.
On the other hand, the slaves had black beans as their staple food.
Plantation owners allowed the slaves to have pig’s ears and other parts of the pork that they didn’t want.
The slaves used these parts of the pig and black beans to prepare the stew taken with white rice or toasted cassava flour (farofa).
Over the years, feijoada was adopted by the feudal plantation owners using better parts of the pork, because it was easier to prepare.
However, the theory has been challenged, and it’s now believed the Portuguese settlers introduced the brazilian recipe of feijoada.
In those days, slave owners consumed parts like pig’s head, tail, and feet as delicacies and wouldn’t have discarded them.
Feijoada Ingredients
To prepare the national dish of Brazil, you need ingredients such as beans, beef, bacon, and pork to make this traditional Brazilian stew.
The most best feijoada recipe can include more than 30 ingredients that include spices and other Brazilian side dishes.
However, some feijoada recipes can have few ingredients, and you don’t have to be an expert chef or cook to prepare.
- Beans – Traditionally served feijoada is made using black beans. However, you can use any other type of beans you prefer. Old beans that you’ve had in your pantry for more than two years are not recommended, because they don’t cook evenly.
- Garlic and Onions– This recipe uses 4 cloves of minced garlic and one finely chopped onion to bring out the savory Brazilian feijoada.
- Bacon- Sliced smoked bacon or a thick-cut bacon
- Salted Pork and Beef– Boneless pork trimmed and cut into 0.5-inch (1.27 cm) cubes. Trimmed bone-in beef or short ribs can also be used.
- Oil – You require some amount of olive oil or cooking vegetable oil for sautéing the aromatics .
- Salt and Pepper – Freshly ground black pepper and salt are some of the essential ingredients. However, the seasoning can come last, so that you can add salt to your taste.
- Orange – Traditionally, a whole orange was added without peeling, and it was believed to get rid of excess fat. However, you can use an orange wedges or orange slices.
- Bay leaves – The bay leaf is essential, especially in bean recipes, and they play a role of adding a subtle herbal aroma, giving freshness to the beans.
The Traditional Way of Making Feijoada and Some Substitutes
The typical way of preparing feijoada involved using different parts such as the pig’s feet, tail, hock, tongue, and ears.
You can ask your butcher for cuttings of these parts if you want to go the traditional way.
However, you can leave them out for convenience and personal preference.
The following are some of the substitutes that you can use to make your own feijoada:
- Bacon – Traditionally, a slab of bacon would be used, but you can go for thick-cut, which is readily available in supermarkets.
- Smoked Sausage – This refers to the cured and smoked pork sausage seasoned with paprika and garlic. They are commonly known as calabresa sausage or linguica. Other substitutes for the smoked sausage include andouille or kielbasa.
- Paio Sausage – It is a smoked Brazilian and Portuguese sausage that is made out of pork loin. Typically, it’s seasoned with salt, garlic, and capsicum pepper. The substitute for the paio sausage would be any other type of smoked sausage available in the market.
- Carne Seca – This is an air-dried and salted beef that is common in most Brazillian dishes with a unique taste, making it hard to substitute. However, you can use boneless short ribs or corned beef instead.
How To Make Feijoada
Although the feijoada recipe is not difficult, it requires planning because you have to soak the black beans and salty meats.
Below are the steps in making feijoada:
- Soak the carne seca in cold water in the refrigerator for 24 hours, changing the water at least three times. Separately soak the beans overnight, then drain both. Do not soak the bacon.
- Place the drained carne seca in a pot, cover with fresh water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain. This desalting step is unnecessary for unsalted fresh beef substitutes.
- Combine the drained beans, bay leaves, halved orange and carne seca in a very large stockpot, or divide evenly between two pots. Add water to cover by about 2 inches. Simmer for 30 minutes, then add the smoked sausage. Simmer gently for another 1½–2 hours, adding hot water as needed, until the beans and beef are tender. Remove the orange and discard it. Lift out the beef and sausage, cut into bite-size pieces and reserve.
- Cook the chopped bacon in a large skillet until cooked through. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and sauté until softened, using olive oil only if needed. Add a ladleful of drained cooked beans and mash with a fork.
- Stir the bacon and mashed-bean mixture into the stew and simmer until thickened. Taste before adding salt; season with black pepper.
- Return the beef and sausage to the pot, heat through, discard the bay leaves and serve with orange slices.
Brazilian Foods That Accompany Feijoada
Feijoada is often served with other side dishes, and the most popular one is white rice. Other accompaniments are finely chopped and fried or sautéed collard greens.
Similarly, toasted cassava flour with sliced orange is often served with feijoada.
Other popular options include boiled or deep-fried cassava, fried bananas, and pork rinds popularly known as torresmo.
Often hot sauce or pickled chili pepper could accompany feijoada.
Sometimes, caipirinhas, cachaca, or local beer are commonly served with the hearty meal as traditional Brazilian beverages.
How to Store Feijoada
If you have feijoada leftovers you can freeze it in a freezer bag or an airtight container for up to 4 months.
If you want to have it the next day, for best results move it into the fridge the night before to allow it to thaw out.
If in a rush or a last minute type of situation you can put your frozen feijoada straight into a pot and reheat at low temperature, adding water as needed.
Final Feijoada Thoughts
Feijoada is a famous Brazilian black bean stew that has a long history dating back to the colonial era.
The name is a Portuguese word, which means beans.
Plan for about 30 minutes of preparation and 3 hours of stovetop cooking after a 24-hour soak. This large batch makes approximately 20 servings with accompaniments.
The traditional feijoada recipe from Brazil includes pigs’ tail, head, tongue, head, feet, and ears.
However, other substitutes now exist that can be used to make delicious feijoada.
Other side dishes can be served with feijoada, and they include rice, fried bananas, roasted cassava flour, collard greens, and many others.
If you fancy Brazilian cuisine, check out Feijao Tropeiro, Brazil’s Classic Cattlemen Dish.
To make your own feijoada and shop for other Brazilian ingredients and products shop Amazon.
Feijoada Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups dry black beans, cleaned, rinsed and soaked overnight
- 3 lbs carne seca, salted dried beef
- 2 lbs smoked sausage
- 2 lbs thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Up to 4 tablespoons olive oil, only as needed
- 1 orange, halved
- Orange slices for serving
- Water, as needed
- Black pepper and salt, to taste
Instructions
- Soak the carne seca in cold water in the refrigerator for 24 hours, changing the water at least three times. Separately soak the beans overnight, then drain both. Do not soak the bacon.
- Place the drained carne seca in a pot, cover with fresh water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain. This desalting step is unnecessary for unsalted fresh beef substitutes.
- Combine the drained beans, bay leaves, halved orange and carne seca in a very large stockpot, or divide evenly between two pots. Add water to cover by about 2 inches. Simmer for 30 minutes, then add the smoked sausage. Simmer gently for another 1½–2 hours, adding hot water as needed, until the beans and beef are tender. Remove the orange and discard it. Lift out the beef and sausage, cut into bite-size pieces and reserve.
- Cook the chopped bacon in a large skillet until cooked through. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and sauté until softened, using olive oil only if needed. Add a ladleful of drained cooked beans and mash with a fork.
- Stir the bacon and mashed-bean mixture into the stew and simmer until thickened. Taste before adding salt; season with black pepper.
- Return the beef and sausage to the pot, heat through, discard the bay leaves and serve with orange slices.
Notes
Serve with white rice, collard greens, farofa and orange slices. This is a large batch: about 20 servings with accompaniments, depending on portion size. Use a very large stockpot or divide between two pots. Allow about 3 hours of cooking, plus 30 minutes of preparation and 24 hours of soaking; cook longer if the beans or meat are not yet tender. The overnight bean soak overlaps the meat soak. For a slow cooker, reduce the batch to fit the manufacturer’s maximum fill level and allow approximately 8–9 hours on low, checking tenderness before serving.
Sources
- Smithsonian Magazine: How to Make Feijoada, Brazil’s National Dish, Including a Recipe From Emeril Lagasse
- ScienceDirect: From the market to the plate: Fate of bioactive compounds during the production of feijoada meal and the impact on antioxidant capacity
- Evening Standard: 6 Brazilian dishes you need to know about: from feijoada to churrasco
- The Guardian: A one-pot Brazilian feijoada fit for any celebration
- US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health:Marijuana, feijoada and the debate on drug legalization
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Feijoada completa
- Story City Herald: Brazilian Feijoada Completa Takes a Good Idea to the Extreme
- CBC: Julie Van Rosendaal’s Recipe for Brazilian feijoada Social Sharing
- Wikipedia: Farofa
- Air Culinaire Worldwide: Food Origins: Brazilian Feijoada
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Jorge Garcia is the founder of AmigoFoods, where he has spent over 20 years helping readers discover authentic Latin American and Spanish cuisine. Raised in a Cuban-American household, Jorge learned to cook at the hands of his mother and grandmother, carrying forward generations of family recipes. That heritage, backed by his family’s four-generation history in the Latin food industry, inspired him to launch AmigoFoods in 2003. With more than 1,000 published articles on recipes, ingredients, and food culture, Jorge’s mission is simple: make authentic Latin cooking approachable for home cooks everywhere while honoring the traditions behind every dish.