a carioca favorite is feijoada, a stew made from pork and beans - a dish that originated after the first portuguese settlers, who some say did not eat left over pork and therefore offered it to the slaves, who sharply concocted the dish.

dozens of restaurants serve the meal, and like the famed caipirinha, each establishment claims that theirs is the best. one particular restaurant that makes a mouthwatering feijoada is ipanema's aptly named casa da feijoada.