Feijão tropeiro
A Brazilian dish born from bandeirante and tropeiro expeditions.
Feijão tropeiro—also called feijão caipira, feijão de preguiça, or feijão das onze—is a traditional dish from the Paulistania Region, particularly in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Paraná, and Mato Grosso. These areas were traveled by the tropeiros. The dish is made from beans mixed with cassava or maize flour, sausage, eggs, bacon or toucinho, and seasoned with garlic, onion, parsley, and peppercorn. Sometimes it is enriched with chicharrón and Brassica oleracea. Originally, it was often cooked on an improvised trempe during expeditions into the backlands by bandeirantes, and later by tropeiros.
The dish dates back to the 17th century. Its name comes from the tropeiros—merchants who traded horses, mules, and food between southern and southeastern Brazil. However, the dish was first created before the tropeiros, during the time of the bandeirantes, a pioneering movement from São Paulo that explored South America in the colonial period. From the 17th to the 18th century, beans were a staple food and cost one-sixth the price of rice in São Paulo. Their low cost and durability made them ideal for expeditions. Cooked with bacon and salt, the beans were then mixed with corn flour until they formed a paste. This basic recipe was adopted by people across the Paulista Plateau and later spread to other parts of Paulistania, such as Goiás and Minas Gerais.
The tropeiros emerged to transport animals to support mining centers, carrying goods on mules or horses across many regions. This helped spread the bandeirantes' food culture, including the bean-and-flour mixture, which became known as feijão tropeiro. The tropeiros prepared various meals for journeys that could cover up to 4,000 kilometers. Though they preferred European food, they incorporated indigenous customs like charki (dehydrated meat), maize flour, meat paçoca, and corn flour. When the animals rested, the tropeiros ate beans with almost no sauce (to prevent spoilage), mixed with pieces of meat and toucinho.
Over time, feijão tropeiro became more popular and richer. Additions included calabresa sausage, fried pork belly, bacon, collard greens, and a fried egg on top. In some places, it is served with white rice, shredded collard greens, corn purée, and a slice of orange on the side.
Quick Facts
- Main Ingredient
- Beans, sausage, and manioc flour
- Associated Cuisine
- Brazilian cuisine
- Region
- Paulistania
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Feijão tropeiro has its roots in the 17th century, created during the time of the bandeirantes, a pioneering movement from São Paulo that explored South America in Brazil's colonial period. Beans, a staple food costing one sixth the price of rice, were cooked with bacon and salt, then mixed with corn flour into a paste. This basic recipe was adopted by people of the Paulista Plateau and later spread to Goiás and Minas Gerais.
The tropeiros, merchants who transported goods on mules and horses between southern and southeastern Brazil, adopted and disseminated the dish. They ate beans with almost no sauce to prevent spoilage, mixed with pieces of meat and toucinho. Over time, the dish evolved with additions like calabresa sausage, fried pork belly, bacon, collard greens, and a fried egg, sometimes served with white rice, shredded collard greens, corn purée, and a slice of orange.
Reader's Guide
Feijão tropeiro is one of the best-known dishes in Paulista and Brazilian cuisine, traditional mainly in the interior of São Paulo and the states of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso and Paraná. Its significance lies in its origins as a practical, durable meal for explorers and merchants traveling long distances—up to 4,000 kilometers—who incorporated indigenous food customs like maize flour and charki. The dish reflects the blending of European and indigenous foodways during Brazil's colonial period. In modern times, it became iconic in Minas Gerais, particularly at Mineirão stadium in Belo Horizonte, where it gained popularity in the late 1990s and became a tradition on match days. Its evolution from a simple bean-and-flour paste to a richer dish with multiple meats and sides illustrates how regional cuisine adapts while retaining cultural identity.
Did You Know?
- Feijão tropeiro is also known as feijão caipira, feijão de preguiça, and feijão das onze.
- The dish originated in the 17th century among bandeirantes before being adopted by tropeiros.
- Beans cost one sixth the price of rice in São Paulo from the 17th to 18th century.
- At Mineirão stadium in Belo Horizonte, the dish became a tradition on match days starting in the late 1990s.
More in Brazilian cuisine 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced