The Fourth Luso World Cinema Blogathon — Carmen Miranda’s Feijoada

I’m so beyond delighted to be back as part of The Fourth Luso World Cinema Blogathon, hosted by Beth Ann of Spellbound with Beth Ann and Le of Crítica Retrô! Shockingly, I haven’t given myself the opportunity to participate in this fun blogathon celebrating Lusophone cinema and Portuguese culture since 2019, when I discussed Carmen Miranda’s performance in Down Argentine Way (1940). As much as I admire that particular feature in Miranda’s filmography, I knew that there was so much more work to explore from this Brazilian icon of cinema. Since most of my time lately has been devoted to writing about and researching the actresses appearing in my “history of women in cinema” cookbook, I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to create and try an authentic Portuguese dish and pay homage to the actress who created it. As there are quite a few Lusophone actresses appearing in my book, I had quite a few to choose from such as Mary Astor and Lena Horne, but once I caught sight of Carmen Miranda’s Brazilian Feijoada recipe, which I still needed to test for my book, I knew fate had stepped in and encouraged me to cover more in the colorful and vibrant world of Carmen Miranda.

This recipe originated from the May 1944 issue of Modern Screen Magazine. At the time, the magazine was covering stars of different nationalities and placing a special focus on their favorite foods, and Carmen Miranda was one of these stars. A mail-in slip was included in the magazine that, if returned, would grant the reader access to this (and a few more) special Brazilian recipes. Luckily Carmen Miranda’s have been saved after all this time!

Carmen Miranda’s Feijoada

• 1 pound pork shoulder roast, cut in small cubes
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound dry black beans, soaked overnight
• 6 ounces smoked sausage, cut into coins
• 4 cups water

1. Brown pork cubes, sausage, onion, and garlic in olive oil.
2. Add beans, cover with water, and cook 3 hours on low heat until beans and meat are tender, stirring every once in a while. Mixture may need more water.
3. Serve with rice and orange slices, the latter to help with digestion.

My version of Carmen Miranda’s Feijoada! It turned out delicious!

I have to say, this was a shockingly easy and delicious recipe, perhaps one of the best I’ve ever made for the cookbook! This recipe seems just right for a crock pot, so that’s what I used, browning the meat, onion, and garlic in a pan first before throwing all of the ingredients into the slow cooker. I set the crock pot to high rather than low, as my black beans were still quite firm and I wanted to ensure they cooked. Three hours on high and half an hour more on low seemed to do the trick, and though I actually ladled out a bit of liquid and added a teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken the mixture, the feijoada came out to the perfect consistency for me, and I would recommend playing around with this recipe too until you find the measurements that you prefer. The flavors were all there and this feijoada made a flawless pairing with another new-to-me Carmen Miranda film that I watched as I finished the feijoada: Greenwich Village (1944), one of the only movies I’ve seen that gave Miranda top billing. Unfortunately that proved to be a bit of a red herring as Carmen is featured little more in this film than in her other supporting roles, getting some glittering costumes, lively musical numbers, and an adorable fortune telling scene, but not much else. While Greenwich Village (1944) doesn’t really stand out amongst the other beautifully shot, yet confusing and historically inaccurate musicals that 20th Century Fox was well known for within this decade, it still makes for a delightful watch for Carmen Miranda, who’s beyond infectious opposite Don Ameche and newcomer Vivian Blaine.

Carmen Miranda appearing in a scene from Greenwich Village (1944), which I watched as I made her feijoada recipe!

I would highly recommend doing a deeper dive into Carmen Miranda’s life, career, and particularly her scrumptious Brazilian recipes! This certainly won’t be the last you hear about Carmen Miranda on my blog, and I couldn’t be more delighted to honor Carmen and her heritage for this Fourth Luso World Cinema Blogathon. Be sure to check out the other amazing blogathon entries and learn more about Lusophone cinema today!