Date Collected
Fall 11-14-2018
Place item was collected
Kaysville, Utah
Informant
Josh D. Cook
Point of Discovery/Informant Bio
Josh D. Cook is little brother. Despite being eighteen, Josh has experience things atypical for the average teenager. Josh has traveled out of country to live as a foreign exchange student. For one of his exchange programs, Josh spent six months in São Luís, Brazil. In São Luís Josh experienced the area’s rich culture and cuisine.
Context
I interviewed Josh at our parent’s home in Kaysville, Utah. The date of this interview was November 14, 2018. Josh was interviewed right before he had to go to work at the AT&T store in Farmington, Utah. We were sitting on the couch in the front room. The gas fire place was on to help combat the autumn chill. I asked Josh about any memorable food that he ate while he was in Brazil. Josh thought about it for a few seconds before mentioning a dish called Feijoada. Beans and rice are a staple food in Brazil. Feijoada is a variation of the traditional beans and rice. Feijoada is a very protein heavy dish. It involves beans mixed with pork roast and sausage. The dish is dark brown in color and is served on top of rice. Collard greens are a common side that goes with Feijoada. Feijoada is often served during Sunday diners as well as holidays. This dish is now served on occasion at my parent’s home. My father learned how to make it and has used it to satisfy the palate of Brazilian students my family has hosted.
Text
[ When you time in Brazil, what was a common dish they did on holidays?] Um… there is this dish called Feijoada it is a dish… um… it is primarily rice and beans but also has a bunch of different cuts of meat. Um it is traditionally eaten on Sundays, holidays, time when people get together with family. It is eaten with a side of collard greens, and with this um mealy kind of stuff called farofa. Um made out of tapioca, and flour. It is made out of meat that is really really inexpensive because it was kind of like a special food for families that were poor in Brazil at the time.
Recipe:
Brown a whole pack of bacon
Add a pork loin roast that is cut in bite sized bits
Beef short ribs (2 pounds)
Linguica sausage (1 pound)
Beef chorizo (1 pound)
7 cans of black beans
The juice of 1 orange
1 large onion minced
2 table spoons minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
First brown the bacon, onions and garlic. Once these ingredients are cooked through, add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours.
Texture
Josh was excited to talk about his experience in Brazil. His excitement combined with him needing to hurry to work resulted in him talking quickly. The general tone of Josh’s responses was happy in nature as Josh relieved his time living in Brazil. Being full of meat, feijoada is not a meal that is eaten all the time. Many of the people living in Brazil do not have much in the way of money. Having expensive components means that feijoada was only eaten during rare occasions for those in poverty. Josh lived with a family that had plenty of money. As a result, feijoada was eaten on a regular basis.
Course
English 2210-001
Instructor
Lynne S. McNeil
Semester and year
Fall 2018
Theme
G1: Groups/Social Customs
EAD Number
3.1.7.25.1.5
Recommended Citation
Cook, Wesley, "Feijoada" (2018). USU Student Folklore Fieldwork. Paper 400.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/student_folklore_all/400