Feijoada à Portuguesa is a Portuguese stew made with beans and variety of meats and local sausages. This traditional dish is hearty, packed with flavour, and simply perfect for long family lunches. Sure, it’s not the quickest recipe you will find here, but one bite and you will know it was time well spent. Keep on reading to learn how to make authentic Portuguese Feijoada!
Feijoada – A Bean Stew that Originated in Portugal
Perhaps you’ve heard of feijoada being described as the national dish of Brazil. The fact that the dish was invented in Portugal come as a surprise to most Brazilians – I know, me included. The word feijoada comes from feijão, which means beans.
When the Portuguese made their way across the Atlantic to what’s now Brazil, they took with them the practice of cooking beans and meat together. Such practice can be traced back to the Roman Period and has influenced several European dishes including the French Cassoulet. You will find dishes featuring beans and meat in most lusophone countries too.
Key Differences Between Brazilian and Portuguese Feijoada
Although the Brazilian Feijoada was inspired by the Portuguese version, these dishes have long parted ways and are almost entirely different. It starts with the beans; in Brazil the rule is using black beans. Now in Portugal it can be done with white beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans.
The differences carry on when it comes to meats, in Brazil you will find a mix of pork and beef cuts, which are usually salted. You have to desalt them like you would do with bacalhau before cooking. Feijoada Brasileira also includes smoked and cured sausages such as paio and linguiça calabresa and bacon. Now the Portuguese bean stew is packed with three local sausages: Morcela, Chouriço, and Farinheira. Pork cuts such as ribs and belly are also used.
More Than Just Meat and Beans
In Brazil apart from the beans, meats, and sausages, you only need onions, garlic, and seasonings which can vary from recipe to recipe. In Portugal the ingredients list is longer, with tomatoes, carrots, garlic, onions, and even cabbage being used. But don’t worry, I’ll dive deeper into the ingredients later.
What seems to unite these two stews is the debate over adding or not adding the lesser noble cuts (perhaps even disturbing to some). That is ears, tail, snout, and trotters. In Brazil, some restaurants will even separate the meats from the beans before serving so people can pick the bits they enjoy.
What ‘Feijoada’ Means Depends on Where You Are
Another common confusion derives from the name of the dish. While in Brazil Feijoada is exclusively used to describe the dish described above, in Portugal it can be used to describe any stew made with beans. Those stews aren’t simply called Feijoada but will be named after the main ingredients used in the recipe or a place they are associated to. Feijoada de Chocos (Cuttlefish Bean Stew), Feijoada de Marisco (Seafood Bean Stew) and Feijoada à Transmontana (Feijoada from a specific region in Portugal) to name just a few.
For that reason, you have Feijoada à Portuguesa or Portuguese Style Feijoada. A name used to differentiate the Portuguese version from the Brazilian which is by far the most famous and internationally recognized version of feijoada.
Ingredients for an Authentic Portuguese Style Feijoada
There’s no dish more versatile than feijoada, the possibilities are infinite. You can create different recipes varying the type of beans, meats, and produce. My favourite bean to use in this recipe is pinto beans that are called Feijão Catarino in Portugal. Feel free to use white or kidney beans too. To me no feijoada is complete without three Portuguese smoked sausages: Chouriço, Morcela, and Farinheira. They can be found in any Portuguese supermarket or food store.
Next, you will need bacon or smoked pork belly, and pork ribs. With these ingredients you will have a solid base for your bean stew. An authentic feijoada should also feature pig ears and trotters. However, they are not easy to find in conventional supermarkets and are not everyone’s cup of tea, so I’m omitting them from mine. The remaining ingredients are onions, garlic, olive oil, chopped tomatoes, carrots, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, and fresh coriander to garnish.
Preparing Your Feijoada
Feijoada is by no means a quick dish, and its preparation should start the day before. You will need to soak the beans overnight and season the (uncured) pork meats with some salt.
My favourite way of cooking feijoada is to precook the beans with the meats, sausages, and a couple of bay leaves. You then transfer the sausages to a plate, while the beans continue to cook with the pork belly and ribs. Keep in mind the sausages, especially the Farinheira, take less time to cook, and may need to be taken out quicker. Next you need to sauté the onions, garlic, sliced carrots, and chopped tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil until they are nice and soft. You then slice the sausages and add them to the same pan too. They will release all their fat and delicious flavour.
Once the beans are almost cooked you take out the pork ribs, the meat should fall off the bones easily, and the pork belly which can be cut into smaller slices. In the end the chopped meat and sausages are returned to the stew and simmered until the beans are fully cooked and the broth is nice and thick. All that’s left to do is season with some black pepper and salt, and garnish with lots of freshly chopped cilantro.
How to Make Portuguese Meat and Bean Stew
Feijoada – How to Make Portuguese Meat and Bean Stew
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kcalFeijoada à Portuguesa is a Portuguese stew made with beans and variety of meats and local sausages. It’s traditional, hearty, and packed with flavour!
Ingredients
500 g Dried Pinto Beans
1 Portuguese Blood Sausage (Morcela)
1 Portuguese Chouriço
1 Portuguese Flour Sausage (Farinheira)
1 Piece of Smoked Pork Belly (300g)
600 g Pork ribs – Cut into individual Pieces
2 Medium Onions – Diced
2 Medium Carrots – Sliced
5 Garlic Cloves
1 cup Chopped Tomatoes
2 Bay Leaves
3 tbsp Extra Virgin olive Oil
Boiling Water
Salt
Black Pepper
Fresh Cilantro
Directions
- Start by adding the beans to a large pot alongside the morcela, farinheira, and chouriço, all whole. Add the pork belly and ribs too, and 2 bay leaves.
- Cover with boiling water, place over medium heat. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a plate. Continue to cook the beans with the ribs and the pork belly for about 50 minutes on medium to low heat, skimming the surface every now and then.
- Meanwhile, dice the onions, mince the garlic cloves, and slice the carrots.
- Place a large frying pan over low heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, the onions and carrots, sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, cook for another 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes, cook for another 2 minutes.
- In the meantime, cut the sausages into thick slices, then add them to the frying pan as well, sauté for a couple more minutes. Set aside.
- Take the pork belly and the pork ribs out of the bean stew. Cut the belly into small strips. With your hands remove the bones from the ribs, the meat should fall off the bones easily. Return both meats to the bean stew.
- Combine the sautéed sausages with the beans too. Stir well, let it simmer for another 20 minutes or until the beans are fully cooked and the broth is nice and thick. Add another splash of water if needed.
- Season with black pepper and a little salt, be cautious though as the sausages and pork belly already have salt.
- Garnish with lots of freshly chopped cilantro, serve with white rice. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Tips
- Avoid using tinned beans in this recipe, dried beans will result in a more flavourful, creamier feijoada.
- You can also add chopped cabbage if you enjoy it. Make sure to add it towards the end as it doesn’t take long to cook.
- Make sure to soak the beans overnight, this step will make them both easier to cook and to digest.
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments!