In Minas Gerais, the meal is not organized as starter-main course-dessert but around the fogão a lenha, the large wood-fired stove. All dishes — beans, meat, collard greens, rice, farofa — arrive together in earthenware pots placed in the center of the table, and everyone serves themselves as they wish. It is a cuisine of sharing, generous and unpretentious, where coffee and a sweet doce always end the meal. This 'everything on the table' structure reflects the family and rural spirit of the mountains of Minas.

Two pillars of Mineira identity: feijão preto, slowly simmered and worked until creamy, and queijo Minas, fresh or aged cheese from the fazendas. They are found everywhere, from the daily meal to the festive little bread. It is the cuisine that Dilma, daughter of Belo Horizonte, ate 'simply, without ostentation.'