The Tutu de feijão is a typical recipe from Minas Gerais, but it is undeniable that beans are loved all over Brazil!
The word tutu comes from the Quimbundo quitutu, the most spoken “bantu” African language in Angola, and means “pagan”.
According to historians, the dish originated in the 16th century, with the arrival of the Portuguese attracted by the gold and wealth cycle in Minas.
Cooks had to use little salt (due to the very high price) and create tasty dishes based on grains like beans and corn.
They thus began to use cassava flour to thicken the beans without increasing production costs.
It is indeed a preparation based on beans and cassava or corn flour, usually enriched with bacon, onion, and garlic, mixed to form a kind of cream.
Different types of beans can be used, I opted for the “fradinho“, the black-eyed ones.
Another famous bean-based mineira recipe:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 8 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Stove
- Cuisine: Brazilian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 300 g black-eyed peas
- 50 g cassava flour
- 250 g bacon (or diced pancetta)
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- to taste parsley
- to taste salt and pepper
Tools
- 1 Blender
Steps
Boil the beans after soaking them for at least 1 hour.
Blend the beans and their broth in a blender until it turns into a paste.
Tip: if the broth is low, add a little water.
Bring a pan over medium heat, add the bacon and fry in its own fat.
Then add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat.
Finally add the beans, stir and slowly add the cassava flour while stirring.Let it cook for another 1 minute, stirring occasionally, and turn off the heat.
Add parsley, salt, and black pepper to taste.
