Brazil deals with food price hikes

With sky-rocketing food prices, Brazil's traditionally cheap dish of feijoada - a stew of meat boiled in black beans served with rice - is gradually being edged off many dining tables across the Latin American country. Originally created by slaves from the cuts discarded by their masters, the feijoada is turning into a luxury meal for most Brazilians. The dish's popularity lies in its rich flavour brought out by smoked meats simmered with beans and accompanied by other side dishes like rice, orange slices, bananas and a topping called "farofa" - toasted dry manioc with onions and bananas. The price of black beans alone rose nearly 25 per cent in the past 12 months and the cost of pork used to give flavour to the stew increased even more than that. And restaurants known for their Saturday feijoada, have seen the numbers of customers fall after they increased prices on the menu. The dish (usually shared by two people) now sells for £10 - whereas just three months ago it sold for £9 - and more price rises may be on the way. But Jose de Arimatea, who rarely skips this weekend lunch tradition, believes higher prices will not affect the dish's popularity: "Feijoada will never disappear from Brazilians' table, even with increasing food prices."

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ITN | July 30, 2008

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