Food in Brazil – Dishes of White Beans, Black Beans and Feijoada

Dec 16, 2010
Karin-Marijke Vis

Typical Brazilian food is black beans with rice - Coen Wubbels

During your travel in Brazil have a go at Brazil's national dish of bean stew, or at typical food such as white beans with farofa, or black beans and rice.

If you want to blend in with Brazilian culture you’d better start liking the traditional Brazilian food of beans and rice. White beans and black beans, that is, or feijão branco and feijão negro. Another typical bean dish is feijoada. This staple food comes with every single Brazilian meal, no matter where in the country. Beans are served in private homes as well as in every self-service restaurant, and are principally served during lunch – Brazilians’ main meal of the day.

Brazil's bean dishes and mealtimes

Lunch is generally served between twelve and two thirty, however, in Mato Grosso lunch is more commonly served between eleven and one thirty. Brazilians take their time for lunch, two hours is not uncommon and shops, offices as well as tourist attractions are often closed during those hours.

After one year of travelling in Brazil I have concluded that bean and rice must be more important to Brazilians than coffee to Americans or cheese to Frenchmen. There simply is no meal served without them. The feijão comes white rice and farinha [manioc or cassava flour] or farofa [manioc flour sautéed in butter, sometimes with bits of egg or bacon]. Brazil's staple meal of feijão, rice, farofa or farinha and a piece of meat is called prato feito, which can be bought in self-service restaurants.

Basic food in Brazil – black bean and white bean dishes

Fear not, apart from beans and rice there is always another dish served. Lunch generally consists of a pasta dish and a second type of meat, fish or chicken as well. Although meat and beans are generally preferred to vegetables, most Brazilian restaurants do serve a reasonable selection of cooked vegetables as well. The most common vegetable is a lettuce-tomato salad [called vinagreta], in homes as well as in restaurants – in the latter often in the form of a salad bar.

Truth be told, I still haven't figured out why one meal of white beans tastes so much better than the other. There are large differences in quality. However, when I ask our host or a restaurant cook how they prepared their feijão, I receive the unanimous answer, "I just cooked them."

Beans cooked in water is all there is to it, they say, although I have tasted varieties where garlic and onions were added. It may be that garlic and onions are just as commonly added to any dish as salt [even to white rice], and that this may be the reason that this is never mentioned in particular when asking about the white bean recipe.

These condiments can even be bought in instant packages, called tempero [salt and garlic] or tempero completo [when chillies are added]. Or is the difference in the traditional bean dishes not due to tempero, but a result of the preparer's personal touch, the cook's feeling of love when preparing the food? Have a try and find out for yourself.

Whether feijão branco or feijão negro is served mainly depends on the region and – to a lesser extent – personal preferences. White beans are part of South Brazil's cuisine and are typical of São Paulo, whereas black beans are preferred by cariocas [inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro] and are the staple food in North Brazil. In my opinion black beans are tastier, which may be the result of the fact that they may be cooked with bacon and/or herbs such as bay leaves.

Brazil's national dish feijoada – a meat and black bean stew

Feijoada is a meat and black bean stew. It is considered Brazil's national dish. Apart from this common denominator there are dozens of regional and personal varieties. Traditionally the stew is eaten for Saturday lunch, although some restaurants pick any other, specific day of the week to serve feijoada.

Bean stew is a typical meal from the rural areas, although according to some it originated with the African slaves, who tried to make a meal of everything they could get their hands on. One way or another, feijoada is a stew in which all kinds of meat, organs, sausages, and off-cuts such as feet, tail and tongue are used, whether it is pork or chicken.

The stew is slowly cooked with taste enhancers such as salt, black pepper, bay leaves, garlic and onion. Like white beans and black beans, feijoada is served with white rice and farinha or farofa. Typical of feijoada may be the additional serving of orange slices, peppers, kale, and/or collard greens.

Food in Brazil – beans and rice!

When not used to eating beans, you may want to build up the portions little by little, as some stomachs have a hard time adjusting to it. Eating too many beans may result in frequent toilet visits, which may be impractical when you are about to board a bus to your next destination. Having said that, Brazil's typical dishes of beans and rice offer a cheap, nutritious meal when travelling. Don't forget to try the different regional varieties, especially when it comes to Brazil's national dish feijoada. Travellers to South America may also want to learn about typical Bolivian food.