Feijoada (Brazilian Black Bean Stew)
Brazilian Feijoada is a black bean and pork stew that Brazilians often serve topped with farofa, toasted cassava flour. Many call this comfort food the national dish of Brazil.
Feijoada, a popular Brazilian dish, owes its name to its main ingredient, black beans (feijão). It is a rich stew traditionally made from different parts of the pig, such as feet, ears, and bacon, as well as other smoked meats. (But don't worry, I have some substitutions for you if you're not up to cooking with pig ears and feet!)
Brazilian cuisine
Brazilian cuisine is very regionalized, each region has its own typical dishes. This is the result of a mixture of different European, Indigenous, and African ingredients and influences.
In the northeast region of Brazil, there is a great influence from African cuisine.
However, in the northern region, there is a greater influence from the Natives, where the use of cassava and fish come into play in many of their dishes.
In the southeast region of Brazil, there are diverse dishes linked to the Bandeirantes (bandits) that include ingredients like corn, beans, and pork.
In the southern region, Italian cuisine has a great influence on dishes such as polenta and pizza. And we also see the influence of German cuisine.
The history of feijoada
Some historians say that African slaves created feijoada (pronounced fay-jwa-da). After feasts given by the owners of the plantations, the slaves would pick up the leftovers and mix them with black beans, making a new stew.
This new dish they served with farofa (fried cassava flour with bacon) and orange slices.
Other historians say that a similar dish was consumed in the north of Portugal, where its main ingredients were white or red beans and pork.
Whichever the story is, feijoada is a symbol of the fusion within Brazilian gastronomic culture. It is a Brazilian icon.
Ingredients and substitutions
This is such a great dish for big groups. It is easy to make and very cost-effective. To make feijoada there are some easy-to-find and traditional ingredients you may need to substitute for.
Beans: Dry black beans are the preference here. You can also use canned, but you will need to reduce the amount of water.
The meat: Traditional feijoada is made with pig's ear, feet, and snout along with Brazilian sausage and carne seca (salted dried beef).
For our recipe, we are using bacon, pork ribs, and 2 kinds of sausages, Polish sausage, and linguica.
Our original version of this recipe called for Mexican chorizo, which is the most widely used substitute for Brazilian sausage (which is quite hard to find outside of Brazil). But when I've tested it, it still doesn't quite give the same flavor to this stew that you would find in a truly authentic Brazilian feijoada.
Chorizo is often very oily as well. I do recommend you cook it first in a separate pan, drain the oil, and then add the cooked sausage with the rest of the ingredients.
[A note from Sarah: we have a friend from Brazil who has found that, when in the US, a Polish sausage gives this dish a flavor closer to what she grew up eating. So we have adjusted our recommendations in the recipe below accordingly.]
Aromatics and seasonings: Onion, garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, and pepper bring the flavors of the stew together.
How to make feijoada
While feijoada may seem like an intimidating dish, it is fairly straightforward and most of the time it requires is hands-off.
The night before: Your preparation for feijoada must start the night before, by soaking the beans. (This is very important to achieve the proper texture in the stew.)
Day of: Cook or brown the meat, in batches and set aside.
Start the aromatics sauteing, then add the soaked beans, meat, water, and other ingredients.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the beans are soft.
How to make feijoada in a slow cooker
You can also make feijoada in a slow cooker. After sauteing the aromatic vegetables and browning the meat, add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours.
Tips for making the best feijoada
Sauteeing your meat separately may seem like a waste of time, but it allows the flavors of each to set. It also allows any excess fat to render out, so you don't end up with it in your stew.
Taste your meat before you add it to your stew. If any of the meat you are using is very salty, cut back or skip adding extra salt. You can always add more towards the end to taste. But it is hard to remove the salt once it is in there.
When do Brazilians traditionally eat feijoada?
Brazilians usually eat feijoada on Wednesdays and Saturdays when restaurants traditionally offer it on their menus and families prepare it in social gatherings.
All social classes eat feijoada since it is such a low-cost dish.
In some parts of Brazil, they only serve feijoada during the winter months. However, in Rio de Janeiro this dish is served all year round.
How to serve Brazilian feijoada
Feijoada is traditionally served with farofa, rice, and orange slices.
While making farofa to serve with feijoada is an extra step, it is so worth it. I definitely recommend you serve this feijoada with farofa.
What to serve with feijoada
If you are up for a challenge, serve a feijoada completa (complete feijoada) meal.
Feijoada completa starts with fried cassava as an appetizer.
Then, the main dish, is feijoada, white rice, fried plantains, farofa (fried cassava flour with bacon), and sliced oranges.
Drinks can be fresh juice, caipirinhas, or beer.
To finish up, serve some fruit compote or this simple and delicious Romeu e Julieta.
How to store and reheat leftovers
Any leftovers, I like to freeze in individual portions for easy reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave. The stew keeps well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Brazilian Feijoada (Black Bean Stew)
Brazilian Feijoada is a black bean and pork stew that is often served with farofa, toasted cassava flour.
**Since we're using dried beans, you will need to soak them overnight before cooking the stew. **
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry black beans (soaked overnight)*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ounces slab bacon (rind removed), diced
- 1 pound pork ribs, cut into individual ribs
- 1 lb Polish sausage, sliced**
- 1 smoked sausage (roughly 7 oz), such as linguica or kielbasa, sliced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- water
- white rice (for serving)
- farofa (for serving)
Instructions
- In a large bowl with water, soak beans overnight.
- When you are ready to make your stew, in a large heavy-bottom soup pot, over medium heat, add the oil and bacon. Cook until crisp and transfer to a plate.
- Use the same saucepan to brown ribs and sausages in batches. Set each aside as cooked.
- If needed, add more oil to the pan. On medium-high, sauté onion, and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Add them to the pot along with the ribs, bacon, sausages, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover with water (about 8 cups).
- Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it cook for 2 to 2 and a half hours, or until the beans are soft.
- If the stew is too liquidy, uncover the saucepan and continue to cook for another 20 minutes to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
- Serve with white rice and sprinkle some farofa on top.
Notes
* 1 pound dry beans = 2 cups dry beans = 6 cups cooked beans (Feel free to substitute 6 cups of drained, canned beans if desired. However, if substituting canned beans, you will need to reduce the amount of water to 3-4 cups since the beans will not absorb much water as they cook.)
** The flavor of feijoada relies on a mixture of Brazilian meats that can be tricky to find outside of the country. Our original recipe called for 2 (11 oz) Mexican chorizo sausages, however, a friend from Brazil let us know that, in the US, the sausage that gives the closest flavor to what she grew up with is the Polish sausage.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 620
Lizet is Bolivian and lives in Paraguay. Through friends and travel she has developed her love of food. From Africa to Asia, Europe to the Americas, there is always something new to try when you come to dinner. You can find more of Lizet's tasty creations on her website ChipaByTheDozen.com. You can also find her on Instagram and Facebook.
I used to work for a small Brazilian food stall and was taught how to make feijoada by the owner. The recipe is almost identical to yours but there was a few steps before seasoning the meat with traditional spices, then searing it. I am not brazilian by the way, very opposite cultures but I enjoy cooking and has been a few years since I worked at his stall, but this is a dish I have taken with me and cooked from time to time. Everybody just loves it!
Thank you for sharing AJ!
Can you make this recipe ahead of time? If so, how do you recommend to do it?
Hi Megan. You could definitely make this recipe ahead of time. For a few hours ahead, you could simply keep it warm on the stove. For a day ahead, you will likely want to leave it a little looser and refrigerate overnight. Then you can reheat on the stove before serving. Enjoy!
The recipe for Brazilian Feijoada call for Carne Seca, which translates into Dry Beef (salted dry beef, to be more precise), that gives a specific taste to the beans, and is immediately noticed if the stew does not have it. For the readers living in the United States and Canada, there is a company making authentic Carne Seca with the same flavour and texture of the product made in Brazil, however it is made in Canada, with Canadian beef, approved by both CFIA and USDA. Company is called LEAD FOODS, and product can be bought online through their website (they ship by regular mail to any postal code in Canada and USA, as product is shelf-stable), or on amazon.com and amazon.ca. For the fortunate ones that live in Canada, same company sell the "Feijoada Kit" with all the meats you need to make Feijoada at home, in about 40 minutes. They make Carne Seca, Paio smoked sausage and Calabresa smoked sausage. As a Brazilian myself, born and raised in the Northeast of Brazil, and now living in Canada, I have tried all of them. Go for it!
Thank you for sharing Leonardo!
So good to know! Thank you for sharing. I’ve tried to make feijoada so many times and the closest sausage I found to the taste I was used to growing up in Brasil- Rio de Janeiro region- is the Polish sausage. I tried Chorizo and I didn’t like it. It adds the wrong spices and change the whole traditional flavor.
Thank you so much for sharing! We will make that change!
@Leonardo, I've purchased the Carne Seca on your recommendation. How would you incorporate it in the recipe above?
@Courtney, first of all, you need to de-salt the carne Seca, by either soaking it overnight in fresh water(and exchanging the water at least 3 times e.g. 5pm, 10pm, 7am), or you can boil it for 20 minutes in water (at least 4 litres in a sauce pot). I myself prefer soaking, as it preserves fat and flavours. Remember to discard used water. After de-salted, add it on step 5.
@Sarah - Curious Cuisiniere, my pleasure! Thanks for the recipe!
The ingredients remind me so much of cassoulet, which I adore! Looking forward to making this!
Very true! Such an interesting connection. We hope you enjoy the feijoada!
Would really appreciate if you had weight or cup measurements. It’s hard for my to judge if my 1 sausauge link or kielbasa coil is the same quantity you meant for the recipe. Hoping I guessed correctly and mine turns out ok!
Hi Jessica. We hope your feijoada turned out well. We will work on getting some weights up here for these.
Cajun boudin sausage is very close to Brazilian/Portuguese linguiça.
To cook the collard greens you will want to remove the vein, roll up the leaves, then slice the roll in thin slices so you have thin strips to fry up. I fry them up in bacon grease.
Thanks for sharing Greg.
Used Dried beans and 4 cups of water was easily enough. I'm glad I read the other comments. also I would like to know if I should strip the meat off the ribs and discard the bones or serve the meal with the bones? Also the collard greens fried with what? vegetable oil? Thinly sliced oranges on top or on a seperate
plate ? Really tasty and my Brazilian wife will be pleased I hope 🙂
@Kenneth, the collard green are sauted with oil, a little bit of garlic, salt, and pepper.
Thinly sliced oranges and collard greens go on the plate as well, just to the side.
The black beans are also called black turtle beans. You need to serve with white rice, farofa, thinly sliced fried collard greens and thinly sliced oranges for an authentic Brazilian feijoada.
For a delicious plant-based version: just replace all the meat stuff by plant-based alternatives like Quorn sausages, seitan or large soy protein chunks. You can add a bit of yeast extract for an enhanced meaty flavour if you like.
The farofa can be fried with onions and vegan bacon.
Thanks for sharing Leo!
Hi, I am from Eswatini. No question, just a comment. The only ingredients I had that was the same as the recipe was black beans (dried) onions, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. I followed the recipe. When I didn't have an ingredient I substituted. The only sausage we have is called boerewors. I also added borlotti beans and I omitted the tomatoes. Since no one here knew what it should taste like, everyone loved it!! hahaha I hope I can taste the real thing to know how far off the taste I was! Thank you for the recipe, Regards Ntombifuthi
Thank you for sharing! I'm glad you could try the dish with what you had available!
@ntombifuthi, Do you have back bacon in southern Africa? That's the name of the thick bacon for us. I'm in the UK, so I used canned black beans, pepperoni sausages and lots of back bacon. Turned out yummy. I might add pulled pork as well. 🙂
I'm Brazilian, and we don't add tomatoes in feijoada
Hi Debora. Thanks for sharing your family's version!
@Debora, I’m Brazilian and we use tomato paste. I think feijoada varies from region to region.
Do you do bone in for the ribs? if so, is it messy to eat?
@Ben, because is a slow cooked stew, the bones are easy to remove before serving. Not messy at all.
Not a bean fan. Can another vegetable be substituted?
Hi Britta. As this is a black bean stew, you can try substituting the beans, but you will lose the dish's authenticity.
@Britta, No. It is literally bean stew. You can't just leave out the beans. You can make something else. Of all the optional ingredients such as different types of meat and vegetables, literally the only thing you absolutely have to have are the feijao (black beans) themselves.
Not only is this recipe on POINT but I did add a few more tropical & Asian ingredients for a balanced flavor and pop.
I am so happy this makes such a grande amount because it’s DELICIOUS 🤤
So glad you enjoyed it Joy!
Eight cups of liquid was way to much, so I cut it by half, and could have reduced more. Feijoada I've had (in Rio) was much thicker.
Were you using canned or already cooked beans? You should need at the very least 6 cups of water to cook the beans adequately.