Virado à Paulista is one of the most popular dishes in the city são Paulo cuisine. The traditional combination of rice, beans, cabbage, fried egg, cabbage and steak is so well-loved here that it has earned the recognition of intangible heritage of the state of São Paulo in addition to the honorable post of PF Mondays special. But did you know that its origins are related to the construction of the state back in colonial Brazil? No? Well, find out more about her story below!
Virado à Paulista: first record of the dish dates back 400 years
The origin of this delicacy dates back to colonial Brazil, during the time of the bandeirantes and explorers. On their expeditions, they carried bags with baked beans, dried meat, corn flour and other delicacies, which ended up getting mixed up during the journeys (thus creating the name “virado”).
The first record of the dish dates back to 1602, by the bandeirante Nicolau Barreto. Later, in 1822, Virado à Paulista was said to have landed on the plate of Emperor Dom Pedro I himself during his expedition from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo, where he proclaimed Brazil’s independence.
In 2018, as we mentioned earlier, Virado was awarded the title by the state of São Paulo of Intangible Heritage. According to the Council for the Defense of Historical Heritage, this was due to “its importance in the voyages of expansion of Brazilian territory”, and it was therefore an important agent of the tradition and history of the people of São Paulo.