Feijoada was born in Portugal, but it was in Brazil that it became a culinary passion
Surely you’ve heard that feijoada was created from the use of discarded parts of pigs — such as ears, tails and feet — by enslaved blacks in Brazil.
However, despite feijoada being found in several African countries, with one or another change in ingredients, the truth is that the dish reproduced in Brazil has Portuguese heritage.
According to Portuguese chef Marlene Vieira, feijoada in Lusitanian lands has its origins in scarcity, like so many other dishes.
“The use of kale (cabbage), dried beans and smoked pork has to do with the harsh winters of Trás-os-Montes”, explains Marlene. In the mountainous region of Portugal, snow tends to show up in the coldest months of the year, making it difficult to get food.
The chef says that, traditionally, when the days were warmer, the pig was killed, in a celebration of gratitude for the food. Some meats were consumed immediately, such as bifanas (steaks). The others were preserved in salt or in the smoking process, to be consumed in winter, in pan preparations — such as feijoada.
TRANSMONTANA FEIJOADA
Chef Paulo Soares, responsible for the Brazilian cuisine sector at Le Cordon Bleu in São Paulo, uses the icon of the history of “Gastronomy of Brazil”, Luís Câmara Cascudo, to reinforce the origin of the dish.
“He carried out in-depth data collection, with the right to many trips, including to Portugal, which leave no doubt about the Lusitanian origin of feijoadas”, he says.
It’s not always the same – not even in Portugal
“Each family usually has its own recipe, with some variations in the meat used and the types of beans,” teaches Marlene.
In Portugal, it is worth remembering, there are two types of beans that are usually used in the dish: white, with slightly larger grains, and red, in a reddish hue.
But, in common, all feijoadas, be it the Trás-os-Montes or the Portuguese, which do not use cabbage, are derived from the maximum use of the pig.
“People joke saying that the animal is used up to the nail. In Portugal, sausages (embedded) made with blood, for example, are very common”, she says.
In addition to the Trasmontana feijoada, anyone traveling through Lusitanian lands can also easily find the Portuguese feijoada. Basically, the difference is the absence of cabbage and other ingredients that, eventually, are also present in transmontana, such as carrots and potatoes.
In other regions, such as the Algarve, there are other versions of feijoada, with pork being replaced by seafood and fish. Incidentally, the creativity to adapt the recipe to other ingredients is a hallmark of the Portuguese.
“They even have feijoada with cuttlefish”, says the chef, referring to a squid-like mollusk that is very common in the coastal region. The chef herself has a version in which, instead of pork, carabineiro reigns supreme, a type of shrimp with soft, sweet meat.
BRAZILIAN, FOR PORTUGUESE TO SEE
According to Soares, the Brazilian version appeared at the end of the 19th century, in Rio de Janeiro, with adaptations to local ingredients and Portuguese preparation techniques.
We introduced black beans, the most common in our diet, and added that dose of creativity to the side dishes, with pork rinds, farofa, orange and braised kale. Not to mention the harmonization with the caipirinha”.
In Portugal, it is worth remembering, the side dishes are also, shall we say, less varied. “We serve it with rice. The Brazilian feijoada is more enriched, especially by the farofa. I particularly prefer the Brazilian version”, delivers the Portuguese chef.
She and many Portuguese, by the way. In Lisbon, it is common to find restaurants — with Brazilian roots or not — that serve “Brazilian feijoada”. Black beans can also be found in emporiums and supermarket chains, for those who want to prepare them at home.
WHY DID BRAZILIAN FEIJOADA BECOME AN ICON?
For chef Kátia Barbosa, from Aconchego Carioca, the quality of the ingredients and flavors used in preparing the dish in Brazil makes all the difference.
“Our feijoada has a lot of flavor because we like a lot of seasoning, a lot of garlic, pepper and coriander. But, I think the secret is that we abuse the use of smoked and salted pork and we also include dried meat. And this whole mixture brings a lot of flavor”.
In the preparation of the feijoada served in her restaurant, the chef puts paio, sausage, bacon, foot, tail, ear and even a little bit of fresh beef brisket. “It has a lot of fat, which leaves a very striking flavor,” she guarantees.
And there’s the farofa, which is a super differentiator that only exists in Brazil. Nigella (Lawson, British chef and presenter) once tasted it and said: it looks like sand, but what a delicious sand. And, there’s no way to disagree,” she jokes.
BEYOND THE TASTE
Regardless of origins, more than a simple dish, Soares recalls that feijoada, like barbecue, is practically a social event for Brazilians.
“It is food that is made in a large pot, in large quantities and, often, at family gatherings or festive dates”, reinforces the chef, with the advantage of being a dish that yields and does not use ingredients considered expensive.
And chef Kátia Barbosa adds: feijoada carries a very strong identity character. Especially for Brazilians who are far from home, feijoada tastes like nostalgia and falls like an embrace, like pure affection”, she concludes.
With information from UOL