Manioc Starch

Without this ingredient, at least two classics preparations served on the Brazilian tables for breakfast or afternoon snack would not exist: the tempting and crunchy Biscoito de polvilho and Pão de queijo, a manioc starch and cheese roll born in Minas Gerais to conquer the country. Extracted by decantation from the liquid squeezed out of the hydrated grated manioc, it can be doce (“sweet,” that is, the starch is dried immediately after being separated from the liquid – known as tapioca / manioc / cassava starch / flour in English, not to be confused with instant tapioca granules or puffed tapioca flakes) or azedo (“sour”, that is, the starch is left to ferment for up to twenty days before being dried – available outside Brazil usualy as an import). While still moist, polvilho doce is called goma, and used to prepare the crepe-like bread known as Tapioca or Beiju in Portuguese by simply passing it through a sieve onto a hot skillet. With a more acidic flavor, polvilho azedo is used to make biscoitos and pão de queijo – although some recipes also include polvilho doce. In Mato Grosso do Sul, polvilho doce is also the ingredient used to prepare Chipa, a hybrid of biscoito and pão de queijo, horseshoe-shaped, and also known as “Paraguayan pão de queijo,” as the recipe came from the neighboring country.