Brazil's hosting of the Olympics has created a surge of interest in travel to South America's largest country. You probably know Brazil is crazy about soccer. You might also know her samba dance and music. But you might not be aware that Brazil is also popular for her most prized food - Feijoada Brasileira.
National Dish of Brazil
Feijoada is a meat and bean stew that is considered the national dish of Brazil. It has its origins in Portugal, so it isn't just found in Brazil. It is also popular still in Portugal and other former colonies such as Macau, Angola, Mozambique and Goa.
Flexible Ingredients
The Brazilian Feijoada is a flexible dish. It's prepared using beans, which could be black beans, white beans, red beans, pinto beans or kidney beans. Another important ingredient is salted pork or beef, but pork, smoked bacon, smoked sausages, jerked beef, sergipe, smoked pork ribs can also feature in variations. Brazilian Feijoada also contains vegetables such as carrots, kale, cabbages, okra, potatoes, pumpkin and bananas.
The stew is best prepared in a clay pot that regulates the amount of heat. Sometimes, people prepare a brown broth to use as an appetizer. Feijoada is served with rice and assorted forms of sausages such as chourico, morcela, farinheira among others. To complete the Brazilian taste, you can wash down the meal with Caipirinha, the most popular drink in Brazil, made from the sugarcane spirit cachaca, often compared to rum.
Where to Eat Feijoada
If you are travelingl to Rio and want to sample the best feijoada, Casa da Feijoada has been named the best restaurant that serves this Brazilian delicacy. But the truth is you will find it on menus everywhere; maybe you can make a study of it and decide for yourself which restaurant serves the best!