Flipping Over Feijoada

It has been years since my visit to Rio but I remember well the feijoada I had at a bar in one neighborhood and also at the famous Confeitaria Colombia, an elegant tearoom that first opened in 1894 and was the gathering place for artists, intellectuals and politicians. I was thrilled to learn that Luciana Souza’s newly opened on Second Street serves a Saturday feijoada and is as good as (maybe better than) those I had in Rio.

The Dish: Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil and in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo it is traditionally served on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

How’s It Taste: The main attraction is a rich and lusty pork and bean stew. A story behind feijoada is that it was created by the slaves of the Portuguese masters from the bits and pieces of the pig that were allowed to them; others say that the dish was brought to South America from various regions of Portugal. The stew is strong but not spicy. There are chunks of meat and the black beans have taken on the wonderful pork flavor.

Sides: Feijoada is served with white rice, collard greens, manioc flour and orange slices. Manioc flour is a coarse flour made from a plant that is also known as cassava and yucca (it is gluten free.) For the feijoada, manioc flour is sautéed in olive oil with garlic and egg.

All these ingredients work nicely in counterpoint with each other in taste and texture – the toasty manioc soaks up some of the gravy, the rice cuts down on any saltiness in the stew and slight bitterness of the greens, which are cooked al dente, and the orange brings a touch of sweetness.

A great drink to have with this is Guarana Antarctica, the second best selling soft drink in Brazil – behind Coca-Cola. Guarana is a climbing plant whose fruit, the size of a coffee bean, contains twice the caffeine found in coffee beans.