Feijoada Completa
By Steve Mandel

Feijoada Completa is the undisputed national dish of Brazil. It is a bean stew with rice and pork meat. Different ingredients are used in different parts of Brazil, but usually include “farofa” (mandioca, a root from the rainforest), mixed with maize flour and oil.

The origin of the feijoada runs back to the sixteenth century with the introduction of African slaves in Brazil. Others argue that the black bean stew is instead a Brazilian variation of European fare like the French "cassoulet"and the Portuguese "caldeirada." Whatever its origin, feijoada stands as an important symbol of Brazilian heritage.

Originally feijoada was made using every part of the pig, such as ears, tails, and nose floating among the beans. As this upsets tourists, a version of it is often made using only the fine meat parts of the pig.

Because of the “heavy” consistence of the famous dish, Brazilians believe that drinking some caipirinha helps reduce the unhealthy effects. Otherwise, the recommended activity after this culinary treat is a nap.

Feijoada Restaurants

In São Paulo, restaurants typically serve feijoada on Wednesdays and Saturdays. In Rio de Janeiro, it appears on the menu on Fridays and Saturdays. Some establishments specialize in feijoada seven-days a week. On my trip to Rio, I found that many restaurants had already depleted their batch of the sublime dish for the day

Included here is one version of a traditional feijoada recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. black beans
• 1 lb. smoked ham hocks
• 1 of each: pork foot, ear, tail, tongue (optional)
• 1 lb. Mexican "chorizo" or Brazilian "linguica"
• ½ lb. Chunk of lean Canadian bacon or
  Brazilian "carne seca"
• ½ lb. Smoked pork or beef ribs
• 3-4 strips of smoked bacon
• ½ lb. lean pork
• ½ lb. lean beef
• 1 large onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• salt to taste
• black pepper
• hot sauce (optional)

How to prepare feijoada::

Soak beans overnight in large container. Next morning, cook beans for 4-5 hours at low heat. Place ham hocks, chorizo, ribs and Canadian bacon in deep pan with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Change water and bring to a new boil, repeating the procedure at least three times to tenderize cured meats and remove excess fat.

In a large frying pan saut‚ onion and garlic using either vegetable or olive oil (smoked bacon strips optional) for two or three minutes. Toss in cubed pork and beef. Saut‚ an additional two-three minutes.

Mash 5-l0 tablespoons of beans and add to large pot. The resulting paste will thicken sauce. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, three garlic cloves all chopped-up or mashed, along with a tablespoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of red-hot pepper. Stir, heat over medium fire for two-three minutes, then transfer to contents of frying pan.

Let simmer for l0-l5 minutes. Add contents of frying pan to the beans and let boil at medium heat for 1-2 hours.

Serve over white rice, with additional red-hot sauce, if desired.