A pig´s ear

The first time I discovered fejoida, a smokey black bean broth, I thought I´d found an incredibly tasty Brazilian favourite - end of story. But, like so much Brazilian food there´s more than just soup in the pot - there´s ladles of soulful history too.
Beans are to Brazilians what rice is to the Chinese - it´s a staple side dish that goes with everything. Black bean broth fejoia can be eaten everywhere it´s creamy from a long simmer and broken crushed beans make it thick, with bay leaves and minimal seasoning it´s simple but oh so effective. Its elusive sibling fejoida, however, is often only served on a Saturday. This struck me as unusual. When I asked a chef why I am restricted to eating fejoida on one day of the week, she told me the story in the soup.
When slaves toiled in the kitchens of the Portuguese settlers, their food allowance didn´t stretch to meat items such as pork. During the week these cooks would squirrel-away cuts of meat such as ears, snout and tail in vats of salt. The staunchly Catholic Portuguese gave the slaves a free day on Saturday so that they could visit the church. This then also became a day of celebrations and time to dust off those precious pig´s ears and conceal them in the black bean stews.
Fejoida is often still made in this way, leaving pork in salt for most of the week to make fejoida on Saturday morning. In some places the ears, tails and snouts continue to be the cut of choice. This gives a salty edge to the black beans and for a modern twist is sometimes served with crisped pork croutons.
All over Brazil kitchens remain loyal to tradition and so the bubbling spitting pots of beans carry the memory of Brazil´s mixed and chequered history.