Feijao Tropeiro Per Person

Feijão Tropeiro per Person Calculator

Feijão tropeiro is one of the dishes most associated with Minas Gerais, Brazil, and it usually shows up with rice, kale and pork rinds on the side. For events, a typical plate per person works out to roughly 200 g cooked beans + 100 g sausage + 50 g bacon + 1 egg + 30 g kale + 60 g cassava flour. Take each ingredient and multiply by the number of guests, and you've got your shopping list.

The name traces back to the tropeiros, the mule drivers who hauled gold, coffee and goods across the Brazilian backlands during the 18th-century gold cycle. Since they had to travel light, they packed dry ingredients that kept well (beans, jerked beef, bacon, cassava flour) and threw them all in one pot at the end of the day. That's where the dish comes from. It took shape in the mining country around Mariana and Ouro Preto, and IPHAN later listed it as part of the intangible cultural heritage of Minas Gerais.

Applications

It comes in handy for restaurants, buffets, family get-togethers, festas juninas, weddings out in the countryside and corporate events in Minas Gerais. Caterers lean on the formula to figure out pot sizes, get a sense of what they'll spend at the market and cut down on waste when the headcount runs anywhere from 20 to 500 guests.

FAQ

Which beans should I use? Go with carioca (the brown speckled kind), as the classic recipe does. Cook them ahead of time only until firm, so they keep their shape once you fold in the cassava flour.

Can I substitute bacon or sausage? You can. Smoked pork ribs, paio sausage or linguica calabresa are all common swaps. Just keep the total meat at around 150 g per person.

How much cassava flour goes in? Count on 50-70 g per person of toasted cassava flour (farinha de mandioca biju). Add it right at the end, so it soaks up the fat instead of turning soggy.