Feijoada (Brazilian black-bean stew)

Feijoada (Brazilian black-bean stew)

Feijoada · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Foto: Melsj · CC BY-SA 4.0

Black beans slow-cooked with pork, blending Portuguese, African and Indigenous food; Brazilians eat it on Saturdays.

Antes de ir · Know before you go

  • Don't leave valuables on the table at the beach
  • don't rush off as soon as you've finished (this is a meal to eat slowly)

Este artículo está «Sin verificar». Consulte los avisos oficiales sobre precios, horarios y fechas.

Stories & people

Historias y personajes

Historia

From slaves' food to national dish

In northern Portugal, bean-and-meat stews use white or red beans. In 18th-century colonial Brazil, enslaved Africans used black beans native to the Americas and leftover pork to create the Brazilian feijoada; a 2015 study by the University of São Paulo argues that it blended Portuguese, African and Indigenous food traditions during slavery. By the 19th century it had gone from labourers' supper to Brazil's national dish.

Fuente: Wikipedia: Feijoada

Culture

Cultura y costumbres

Contexto cultural

'Feijoada' comes from the Portuguese for 'beans', and there are many versions across the Portuguese-speaking world. The northern Portuguese version uses white or red beans. In 18th-century colonial Brazil, enslaved Africans made the dish with black beans and leftover pork; a 2015 study from the University of São Paulo concluded that it merged Portuguese, African and Indigenous food traditions during slavery. By the 19th century it had gone from labourers' supper to Brazil's national dish, usually eaten on Saturdays.

Costumbres locales

With white rice, farofa (toasted cassava flour), collard greens and orange slices, often with a caipirinha

Etiquette

Normas y tabúes

Normas que se aplican aquí

Línea rojaSeguridadBrazil

Brazil: don't go to city beaches after dark

  • Take only a little cash to the beach
  • If you are robbed, hand over your things and don't resist
  • Going to city beaches after dark
  • Taking valuables to the beach or using your phone in the street

Gangs carry out mass beach robberies known as 'arrastão'; phone snatching peaks between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: Brazil travel advice

Línea rojaEntrada al paísBrazil

Brazil: e-cigarettes are completely illegal

  • Leave your e-cigarette at home before you travel
  • Carrying e-cigarettes, pods or accessories

All e-cigarettes and accessories are illegal, and customs confiscate them from checked and hand luggage.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: GOV.UK: Brazil travel advice

No lo haga DON'T

  • Don't leave valuables on the table at the beach
  • don't rush off as soon as you've finished (this is a meal to eat slowly)

Lo que aprecian los locales DO

Cariocas appreciate the leisure of a slow Saturday-lunchtime feijoada with friends.

Plan your visit

Información práctica

Consejos de viaje

  • Many restaurants serve it only on Wednesdays and Saturdays
  • portions are huge, so several people can share. Prices and opening hours are set by each restaurant
  • popular old places often have queues, so go outside peak mealtimes.
Fuentes y notas de verificación

Wikipedia: Feijoada