My first taste of Brazilian food was at my in-laws house and they served "Pao de queijo" or "Cheese Bread". Simply describing it as cheese bread does NOT do it justice. They are more like "golden balls of deliciousness" as one of our friends describes them. My mother-in-law makes them from scratch sometimes, but there are also packaged mixes which are super easy and the end result is just as good.
The main ingredient in Pao de queijo is manioc flour which also goes by several other names: tapioca, cassava, yuca, polvilho. It makes the bread very chewy and somewhat hollow on the inside, like a cream puff. The other ingredients are Parmesan cheese, eggs and water (and oil if you are making it from scratch). Here's the recipe that I use when making it from a mix. And here is the mix that I use - the brand name is Yoki and our relatives are kind enough to always bring us a few packs whenever they visit from Brazil :). You can easily buy them online though through US distributors.
It's tough to describe exactly how Pao de queijo tastes - it's cheesy, eggy, chewy and just really savory and addictive. Eating just one is never enough! They are best served warm so that the chewy consistency is retained. Otherwise, once they cool down they can be rather dry. If you do end up with leftovers on the rare occasion, they keep for 1-2 days in an airtight container. Just pop them in the toaster oven and heat them up for 5-8 minutes before gobbling them down.
Pao de queijo is truly one of the top 10 things I love to eat (hrm, maybe that will be the topic of my next few posts?). I'm on my last package of Yoki mix right now, so hopefully that will last me until our relatives come visit again!
