Virado

Virado, also known as virado à Paulista, is a complete meal from the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It dates to the time of the earliest Portuguese settlers to the region. The dish consists of a platter of beans cooked in sautéed onion, garlic, fat, and salt; dried, toasted manioc flour; a pork chop; fried sausage; breaded and fried plantain; eggs, preferably with a soft yolk; kale, cut into strips and braised in fat; rice; and torresmo, a crisply cooked pork rind. Virado is traditionally served on Mondays. About 500,000 plates of the dish are served per week in the city of São Paulo.

==History== Virado arose spontaneously during the early colonial period of Brazil as a dish of the bandeirantes. The bandeirantes traveled to the interior of Brazil to capture and enslave native Brazilians at first, and later to find gold, silver, and diamonds. They carried beans, pork, and corn flour in their backpacks to the interior of the state. Stored in the backpack, the ingredients "turned" (Portuguese: virar) and mixed, hence the name of the dish, "virado". Virado in the period of the bandeirantes consisted only of beans, usually cooked without salt so as not to harden them, maize flour, dried meat, and bacon. Cassava flour was substituted for corn flour after the introduction of the crop to the São Paulo region in the 18th century. The bandeirantes and other early settlers ate virado cold or warmed.