Cheese Bread Rolls is the popular Brazilian "pao-de-queijo"
First, let me tell you a little bit of history:
In Portuguese, pão- de- queijo literally means cheese bread. However, in its first days, "pão- de-queijo" had no cheese in it. Everything started back in the 1600’s when slaves in the State of Minas Gerais were making manioc flour for the rich farmland owners. They used to harvest manioc (yucca root), peel them off, finely grate and soak them in a big wood bowl (called gamela) filled with plenty of water. So they washed and drained this grated manioc, then spread it on tiled floor outdoors to dry.
After taking the manioc flour out of the "gamelas", the slaves managed to scrape the white manioc starch (called polvilho) that remained at the bottom of the gamelas, make small balls and bake them. These balls had neither cheese nor milk in it, just plain polvilho. More than 200 years latter, cattle farms became widespread in Brazil and slaves (that were being freed by that time) gained access to better foods such as milk and cheese. So they began to add milk and ultimately cheese when preparing those balls, and voilà, pão de queijo was created. Later this “recipe” spread among the rest of the population, and pão- de -queijo became popular in Minas Gerais. During the slavery times in Brazil, the Africans incorporated old traditions they brought from Africa with the culture they developed in the new country Brazil.
Their culture blended in the Brazilian culture and we, Brazilians are very proud of it.
A Minas Gerais State tradition, pão- de -queijo gradually became a national favorite. It's usually eaten as an appetizer, snack or as a dinner roll.
If you plan a trip to Brazil, pao- de- queijo, is often on the list of “you haven’t experienced Brazil unless you’ve tried them.
Now, you are able to try them right here in the USA. I'm very proud to introduce this delicious treat to you.
Oh, and before I forget. Pao-de-queijo is delicious and it happens to be gluten-free!
You are welcome to visit our website: http://www.yummybitesglutenfree.com/
