Brazil's national dish -- black beans slow-simmered with a variety of pork cuts and sausage until rich, dark, and deeply savory.
Feijoada is widely considered Brazil's national dish, a hearty stew of black beans slow-cooked with an array of pork -- ribs, sausage, bacon, and often smoked or salted cuts -- until the beans turn dark, creamy, and deeply infused with the meats' rendered fat and flavor. Traditionally a Saturday lunch dish eaten with friends and family over hours, feijoada has roots historically tied to enslaved communities in Brazil making use of less prized cuts of pork, though the dish today is celebrated across all levels of Brazilian society. The technique that defines feijoada is the slow simmer with a variety of meats added at different times: tougher, more flavorful cuts like ribs and salted pork go in early to render their flavor into the beans over hours, while more delicate items like sausage are added later so they don't overcook. Some cuts, particularly heavily salted ones, need to be soaked or parboiled first to remove excess salt before joining the pot. Served with white rice, sauteed collard greens (couve), orange slices (traditionally believed to aid digestion of the rich stew), and farofa (toasted cassava flour), feijoada is a full feast in itself, and Saturday feijoada lunches remain a beloved social tradition across Brazil.
Serves 8
If using very salty pork, soak or parboil it for 10 minutes and drain before adding to the pot.
Combine soaked beans, pork ribs, salted pork, bacon, bay leaves, and enough water to cover by 5cm in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer, partially covered, for 2-2.5 hours, adding water as needed, until beans and meats are very tender and the broth has thickened.
Add sliced sausage in the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Heat olive oil in a small pan, saute onion and garlic until golden, then stir into the pot for extra depth.
Season with salt to taste, remove bay leaves. Simmer 10 more minutes.
Saute collard greens quickly in a hot pan with a little oil until wilted. Serve feijoada with rice, sauteed collard greens, and orange slices.
Soak or parboil heavily salted pork cuts before adding them to the pot -- skipping this can make the entire dish too salty to enjoy.
Simmer low and slow for the full time; feijoada's rich, dark color and creamy bean texture depend on hours of gentle cooking, not a quick boil.
Add sausage later than the tougher cuts so it doesn't overcook and become rubbery.
Simplify to a smaller-scale version using just bacon, sausage, and one type of pork if a full traditional spread isn't practical.
Some regions add pig's feet or ears for extra traditional richness and gelatin.
Serve with farofa (toasted cassava flour, often mixed with bacon) alongside, a very traditional accompaniment.
Refrigerate up to 4 days in an airtight container; the flavor deepens significantly the next day. Freezes well up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop.
Feijoada's origins are debated, with popular accounts linking it to enslaved Afro-Brazilian communities who used less desirable pork cuts, though historians note similar bean-and-meat stews existed in Portugal; regardless, feijoada has become Brazil's most celebrated national dish, traditionally eaten as a leisurely Saturday lunch.
No -- a simplified version using just bacon, ribs, and sausage still makes a legitimate feijoada, though the full traditional version uses a wider variety of cuts for maximum depth.
Salted pork cuts weren't soaked or parboiled enough beforehand. Always taste your salted meats and soak them longer if needed before adding to the pot, and season the final dish carefully.
Farofa is toasted cassava flour, often cooked with bacon or butter, traditionally served alongside feijoada for texture; it's a classic accompaniment but not strictly required.
Per serving (520g / 18.3 oz) · 8 servings total
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