Feijoada

Feijoada is a rich stew of black beans slow-cooked with a variety of salted and smoked pork cuts and sausages until deeply savoury and thick. It is the closest thing Brazil has to a national dish.

It is served as a full spread: alongside white rice, sauteed couve (collard greens), toasted farofa (cassava flour), slices of orange to refresh the palate, and often a splash of hot sauce. A meal of feijoada is generous, communal and lingering.

Bean-and-meat stews arrived in Brazil with Portuguese settlers, echoing European dishes such as the cozido. The Brazilian version took on black beans and a wide range of pork cuts, and became firmly associated with Rio de Janeiro and the country's broader table.

Feijoada is traditionally eaten at weekends — many restaurants serve it on Wednesdays and Saturdays — as a slow, sociable meal that brings families and friends together over several hours.