Feijoada Completa

About This Recipe

Feijoada is the soul of Brazilian cooking, a slow-cooked stew of black beans and assorted pork cuts that has united Brazilians across class and regional boundaries for centuries. Its origins are debated: one tradition says enslaved Africans invented it using the offal and off-cuts discarded by slave owners; historians note that bean-and-meat stews were common throughout the Iberian Peninsula. What is certain is that feijoada became Brazil's national comfort food, eaten every Saturday in homes and restaurants. The accompaniments are as important as the stew itself: white rice, couve (sautéed collard greens), farofa (toasted cassava flour), orange slices to cleanse the palate, and a caipirinha to wash it all down.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 500 gdried black beans(soaked overnight)
• 400 gsmoked pork ribs
• 300 gchouriço or smoked sausage(sliced)
• 200 gsmoked bacon(cubed)
• 300 gpork belly(cubed)
• 2 largeonions(diced)
• 6garlic cloves(minced)
• 3bay leaves
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 2oranges(sliced, to serve)
• 400 gwhite rice(cooked, to serve)
• 200 gcollard greens(shredded, to serve)
• 200 gfarofa (toasted cassava flour)(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the beans

   Drain soaked beans. Place in a large pot with fresh water covering by 5cm. Bring to a boil, skim foam, then reduce to a simmer.

2. 2

   Add pork

   Add pork ribs, bacon and pork belly to the beans. Cook on low 1.5 hours.

3. 3

   Add sausage

   Add sausage and bay leaves. Continue cooking 30–45 minutes until beans and all meats are very tender.

4. 4

   Thicken stew

   In a separate pan, fry onion and garlic in olive oil until golden. Add a ladle of beans, mash roughly, then stir back into the pot — this thickens the stew.

   Day two feijoada is always better — flavours deepen overnight.

5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Season well and cook a further 30 minutes uncovered to thicken. Sauté shredded collard greens with garlic in olive oil until just wilted. Serve feijoada with white rice, collard greens, farofa and orange slices.

Variations

• •

  Use only bacon and sausage for a simplified weekday feijoada that still captures the spirit.

• •

  Omit all meat and use smoked paprika and mushrooms for a Vegetarian Feijoada.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days — it improves each day. Freeze up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions