Pão de Queijo – cheesy goodness
When I visit a new country, one of the first things I do is get involved with the local foods. Regretfully not in a particularly methodical or scientific way, but by taking a more haphazard approach. I go to the places that look ‘local’, ask the taxi drivers about their favourite food, look for anything that looks interesting on street stalls and markets and generally just eat!
- Some of my favourite Latin American foods: Arepas from Colombia…
…Tacos from Mexico…
One of the first recommendations I received when I arrived in Brazil sounded rather underwhelming. Several people told me I should try Pão de Queijo, cheese bread. Now I’ll say right now that I am a BIG fan of cheese – whilst I don’t claim to be a connoisseur, I’ve eaten cheeses (with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm) from all over the world and I know I’d struggle to get by without it. But cheese bread has always been a disappointment. Every cheese bread that I had tasted before I got to Brazil was essentially just bread with a little cheese added. I always felt rather disappointed with the result: a dry, bready textured loaf/bun with a homeopathic hint of cheese. In fact, if I hadn’t been told it was cheese bread I probably wouldn’t have noticed.
But pão de queijo is the cheese bread I always dreamed of – this is cheese with a little bread added! The most common variety is about the size of a golf ball, lightly browned on the outside and a springy, squidgy yellow on the inside. When checking out a few recipes on-line, I noticed one person’s critical feedback complaining that the texture was “kinda rubbery”. Clearly they had not been to Brazil because they are a little rubbery, but not in the way that badly cooked squid is rubbery – instead they are pleasantly chewy and a little springy. And cheesy! Did I mention how delicious and cheesy they are?
Cheesy balls – pop ‘em in your mouth and chew ‘em…
These bite-size cheese balls are one of the most popular snacks in Brazil – they are sold in sixes, by the gram, or sometimes even in a 500ml paper cup. The principal ingredients are Farinha de Mandioca (cassava flour), milk, cheese, eggs and butter.
There is some uncertainty about the precise dates, but it is generally accepted that pão de queijo originated in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais [MEE-nush zher-EYESH].
Minas – the state that gives us great cheese, great cachaça and pão de queijo. Thank you Minas!
Minas Gerais, often just referred to as Minas, is a place I’m looking forward to visiting. As well as pão de queijo, it is well known for its top quality cachaça and its cheese (I think both will be the subject of future posts). Minas cheese is really good – it has a very mild, fresh flavour, rather like good mozzarella.
Queijo Minas – a moist, mild cheese, somewhat like mozzarella but without the stringy texture
So, back to pão de queijo. These are many different forms – tiny balls the size grapes; tennis ball sized, airy puffs; heavy, dense, slightly toasted versions (I find one of these is enough for lunch). There is pão de queijo recheado, where a filling is injected into the centre of the bread – common fillings are requeijão (a gooey, creamy cheese), cheddar cheese and (oh no) the caramel-like doce de leite. As you might guess, I’m not a big fan, but Brazilians just love sugar and apparently can’t pass up this opportunity to transform this delicious salgado (savoury snack) into a doce (sweet).
Pão de queijo recheado – gilding the lily?
OK, there is only so much you can read about this cheesy bread before (I hope) you are inclined to give it a try. It’s really quick and easy and the only potentially tricky ingredient is the cassava or tapioca flour. Tapioca is just the processed form of cassava, so if you find any flour that says manioc, cassava or tapioca, that should be the stuff – I’m sure people living in decent sized cities will be able to find it in markets catering for West Indian, African, Latin or even Asian communities as they use it in their food too. As for the cheese, assuming you don’t have Minas (doubtful outside Brazil) I’d go for a mix of mild cheddar and mozzarella or parmesan.
Ingredients:
300g (2 cups) tapioca/cassava flour
1 teaspoon salt
300ml (2 cups) whole milk
150ml (1 cup) oil/butter
1 egg
200g (1.5 cups) grated cheese
Steps:
- Pre-heat oven to 200ºC (400ºF).
- Put the milk, oil or butter and salt in a pan and bring to the boil.
- Remove from the heat, add in the flour and mix well.
- Put the mixture in a bowl, allow to cool a bit, then add the egg and mix well.
- Now add the cheese and mix/knead until it is well combined.
- Grease your hands slightly and form the mixture into smallish balls (think golf ball).
- Place the balls on a greased baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
I guess variations in cheese type may mean you have to experiment a bit for perfection, but whatever comes out should be pretty delicious I reckon. If anyone tries it, I’d love to hear how it goes – if you don’t like the recipe/quantities, let me know.
**UPDATE**
Since writing this post I have become good friends with Monika Batista, the woman behind Mãní Pão de Queijo. If you happen to live in California and are too lazy to make your own (it’s OK, I’m not judging!), then why not do the next best thing and track down some of Monika’s yummy Mãní Pão de Queijo? See here for stockists :)
"Minas Gerais [MEE-nush zher-EYESH]". That's the most carioca pronunciation I've seen!
Anyway, when you visit MG, you must try 'pão de queijo recheado com linguiça (pork sausage?)'. I was born and bred in Minas so I can tell you that's just amazing when it's well done – which turns out to be only in MG : )
Hey Gustavo! Ooh, thanks for the tip, that sounds deee-licious! Especially good for a chilly, rainy day such as this. When I get to MG it'll be a taste safari…
As for the Carioca pronunciation, what can I say? I'm half carioca now – I just need to learn how to speak Portuguese well, play football with bare feet, dance and do that funny whistle they use to attract someone's attention and I'll have made it! :)
When I lived in Bethnal Green, I occasionally used to eat in a Brazilian cafe on Hackney Road and would always order some of these with the meal (they'd bake them fresh for you). They are fantastic, and you're right – It's because they're cheese with bread!
I'll try making some.
Oh, and hi Tom.
Hi Alan! You're not the Alan I used to play football with are you?
Yes, I'm a big fan of these ultra cheesy bites – I sometimes think that all the rice and beans I eat nowadays makes me much healthier than in my London days, but then I factor in all the pão de queijo and reckon I come out about even!
Fingers crossed the recipe goes well – what with all the conversions I had to do it may need some tinkering (that's the disclaimer out of the way!). But it's such a tasty snack it's worth a little effort – I make big batches nowadays and then put the excess in the freezer for some convenient post-drinking snackage!
Yes, that Alan.
I'm quite capable about the kitchen, but I don't bake much, so it's a kind of challenge. If they work, it's going to be awesome.
THAT Alan! Ah great, good to hear from you man. Are you still terrorising goalkeepers and defenders with your Viduka-esque blend of speed, strength and skill?
Cheese-bread tip: the mistake I used to make was having the mix too sloppy – if it looks like that then add a bit more flour.