Pão de queijo
Pão de queijo or Brazilian cheese balls is a small, baked cheese roll or cheese ball, a popular snack and breakfast food in Brazil.
It is a traditional Brazilian recipe, originating in the state of Minas Gerais.
In Brazil, it is inexpensive and often sold from streetside stands by vendors carrying a heat-preserving container. It is also commonly found in groceries, supermarkets and bakeries, industrialized or freshly made. The cassava flour is what gives the snack its distinct texture, which is chewy and elastic, being crunchy on the outside.
Most countries in South America have their own versions of this snack; the main difference between them in general is the ingredients used in the recipe, which can change slightly giving different results. In Brazil traditionally both sour and sweet cassava flour are used; the Brazilian recipe also excludes some ingredients used in other countries such as corn starch, all-purpose flour, black pepper, sugar, fennel, and baker's yeast.
History
With the discovery of mines near Ouro Preto in around 1700, some 20% of the Brazilian population at that time, mainly slaves, occupied a vast territory in southeast Brazil. Since wheat was not available, local cooks created a kind of bread from starch derived from the cassava tubers shown to them by Tupiniquins indigenous groups. In the late 19th century, grated hard cheese was added.Main ingredients
In Brazil the most traditional recipe uses both sweet and sour cassava flour, oil, eggs, milk, salt, cheese, and water. Small amounts of margarine or butter can also be included.The fat in the recipe acts as a molecular lubricant. The egg gives colour and flavour to the recipe,
contributing to the elastic texture of the dough.
The type of cheese varies according to preference or availability. The most used are mozzarella, parmesan, and minas or canastra cheese. The cheese gives the typical flavor of the cheese bread, hence its name.
There is also the boiled cheese bread with a preparation technique that requires boiling water while preparing, sometimes mixed with vegetable oil in flour. The boiled cheese bread has the closest taste of natural, as in the boiling process the dough is pre-cooked.
Some recipes use potato.