What is pão de queijo? #AskDonaRita

Made with cassava flour and fresh cheese, Pão de queijo is a farmer’s take on traditional European bread — without the wheat.

It is a staple snack at most cafes, restaurants and dinner parties across Brazil. It’s cheesily addictive and naturally gluten free.

Dona Rita Cassa Cheese Balls (aka pão de queijo)

English translation

A word-by-word translation of pão de queijo would be “Bread of cheese”, although it’s more commonly translated as “Cheese bread”.

Pão    de  queijo
 |      |    | 
Bread  of  cheese

At Dona Rita we like to call them “Cassava cheese balls”.

Dive deeper

• Pão de queijo — Wikipedia
• Pão de queijo is the history of Brazil in a moreish cheese snack — Guardian
• History and what is Pão de Queijo — My Unsettling Life

Have a question?

You can shoot us questions over Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or email. You can use the #AskDonaRita hashtag too, we’re always listening 😉

Curious to try?

We’re bringing pão de queijo to the UK. You can already buy online and in selected stores around London.

To be part of our journey, follow us on Instagram 👌