Pão de queijo facts for kids
 |
|
| Type | Bread |
|---|---|
| Course | Breakfast or snack |
| Place of origin | Brazil |
| Region or state | Minas Gerais |
| Main ingredients | Tapioca flour, cheese (usually Minas cheese) |
| Similar dishes | Gougère, Chipa |
Pão de queijo (say "pown jee KAY-zho") means "cheese bread" in Portuguese. It is a small, yummy baked cheese roll. This popular snack and breakfast food comes from Brazil. It is a traditional Brazilian recipe, especially from the state of Minas Gerais.
This tasty treat started in Brazil. Long ago, enslaved people made rolls from the cassava root. These early rolls did not have cheese. Later, around the late 1800s, milk and cheese became easier to find. People then added these to the cassava rolls. This is how the pão de queijo we know today was born!
You can buy it cheaply from street vendors. They often carry special containers to keep it warm. In Brazil, you can also find pão de queijo in grocery stores, supermarkets, and bakeries. It is eaten a lot in northern Argentina too. Even though it's called "bread," it's more like a soft, chewy cookie made with starch, eggs, salt, oil, and cheese.
Contents
The History of Pão de Queijo
Around the year 1700, mines were discovered near Ouro Preto in Brazil. Many people, especially enslaved people, moved to this area. Wheat was not available there. So, local cooks learned to make a type of bread from the cassava root. Indigenous groups called Tupiniquins showed them how to use it.
Later, in the late 1800s, people started adding grated hard cheese to these cassava rolls. This made them even more delicious and created the pão de queijo we love today.
What's Inside: Main Ingredients
Many different recipes exist for Brazilian cheese bread. The ingredients and types of cheese can change a lot. But the main thing that makes it special is that it's made from cassava starch and some kind of cheese.
The fat, like lard, vegetable oil, butter, or margarine, helps make the dough stretchy. This gives the pão de queijo its unique soft and elastic texture.
Eggs add color and flavor to the recipe. They also help hold everything together.
The type of cheese used can vary. It depends on what people prefer or what is available. Common choices include mozzarella and Parmesan. Traditionally, Minas cheese is used. The cheese gives the pão de queijo its special taste, which is why it's called "cheese bread."
Some recipes use a special cooking method. They add boiling water, sometimes mixed with oil, to the flour. This makes the dough partly cooked before baking. This method can make the pão de queijo taste even more natural. Some recipes even add potato!
How Pão de Queijo is Made
Pão de queijo rolls are usually shaped into small balls. They are about 3 to 5 centimeters (1 to 2 inches) wide. Each roll has about 50 calories.
The cassava flour is a very strong starch. It is super important for the texture of pão de queijo. Unlike other breads, pão de queijo does not use yeast or baking powder to rise.
Instead, tiny air pockets inside the dough expand when it bakes. The stretchy cassava starch holds these air pockets in. This makes the pão de queijo light and airy inside. Because it's made from cassava flour, pão de queijo has no gluten.
In Brazil, you can find pão de queijo with fillings. Some popular fillings are catupiry cheese, melted goiabada (guava paste), or doce de leite (caramelized milk).
Where to Find Pão de Queijo
In Brazil
In Brazil, pão de queijo is a very popular breakfast and snack. You can easily buy it at snack bars and bakeries. You can also buy it frozen and bake it at home. Many supermarkets in Brazil sell ready-to-use cheese puff mixes.
In the United States
Pão de queijo is becoming more popular in the United States. You can now find frozen packages of pão de queijo in some American grocery stores. These include Costco, Sam's Club, Ralph's, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's.
In Japan and East Asia
Pão de queijo came to Japan with people who moved there from Brazil. In Japan, it is often made with rice flour instead of cassava starch.
In Australia
Pão de queijo is also available in Australia. You can find it in special international food stores. Some big supermarkets, like Woolworths, started selling it in 2021. It is often sold as a "naturally gluten-free" snack.
See also
In Spanish: Pan de queso brasileño para niños
