by Stephanie Fletcher

Every Saturday, cooks all over Rio de Janeiro put out steaming kettles of black bean stew for the hungry lunch crowd. Fancy restaurants promote abundant buffets starring the rich casserole and home cooks serve it as a one-pot meal. Feijoada (pronounced, fezsh-WAH-da) is the Brazilian national dish and almost the entire population of the fifth largest country in the world enjoys a bowl or two every weekend.

Originally Feijoada was a slave dish that developed in Bahia, a northern state in Brazil. Servants collected castaway meat scraps from owners' kitchens and added them to cook pots. The basic stew ingredients are black beans, a staple of the Brazilian diet, and an assortment of rather unappetizing-sounding pork parts including, ears, tails, snouts and knees. Sausage, dried beef, and prime cuts have been added over the years. The dish is often sprinkled with farofa (fried manioc flour) and served with white rice, cooked shredded kale, fresh orange pieces and hot pepper sauce.

The Copacabana Palace Hotel has been called the best luxury hotel in South America. Pergula, one of The Copa's two restaurants. features a popular feijoada buffet on Saturdays. Here is the chef's recipe:

• 20 ounces dry black beans

• 1 pound dried beef

• 1 pound salt pork

• 1 pound bacon

• 1 pound smoked sausage

• 6 pieces dried sausage

• 1 piece smoked beef tongue

• 2 each: pig's ear, tail, and trotter

• 1/2 orange

• 3 bay leaves

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 large green pepper, chopped

• 2 tbsp. soybean oil

• 6 cloves garlic

• 2 large onions, chopped

Place beans and salted meats in separate bowls and cover with water. Leave for 24 hours (change water every six hours). Drain. Place first 12 ingredients in large pot; cover with water. Cook over low heat for several hours, gradually removing cooked meats before they become too soft. Keep meat warm. To a large frying pan add oil, garlic, and onions; sauté over medium heat until transparent. Add to beans and mix well. Take 1 cup of beans and puree; add back to beans to thicken.

Place beans and meats in separate pots. Serve with white rice, fried manioc flour, kale "á Mineira" (shredded and fried in oil with garlic), sliced oranges and hot pepper.

Stephanie Fletcher is a seasoned travel writer whose articles have appeared in such publications as US Airways Attaché, Culinary Trends, Art & Antiques, National Geographic Traveler, Baltimore Sun, Denver Post, Nashville Tennessean, Dallas Morning News, New York Post and Buffalo News. Watch for her byline to appear here regularly in coming months.