which translated from the Portuguese means Cheese Bread. Pao de Queijo originated in Brazil, dating back to the colonial period of 1500-1800s when the Portuguese colonizers imported African slaves to work in the production of sugar and coffee. The slaves also cultivated manioc or cassava, a root known in the US as yuca or tapioca.
The slaves soaked and dried the root which was used in several dishes at the time. The slaves ground the spills of this root to form a sort of flour which they made into balls like dumplings and baked them.
With the independence of Brazil in the early 1800s other ingredients became available. In the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil’s center for dairy products, a variety of cheeses, milk, eggs and vegetable oil were added, and Pao de Queijo as we know it today was born.
Maria Lourdes da Silva, better known as “Fafa” (co-founder). Fafa is originally from Minas Gerais, Brazil, the mecca of pan de queijo. She came to the US as a cook for the Brazilian Embassy in the 80s. She has been offering catering services in the Washington Dc area for the last 30 years. Now a US citizen Fafa and her family live in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Jorge Mariscal, “J” is a former investment research analyst with a long carrier in Wall Street and a passion for the food business. Jorge, a Mexican born, naturalized US, lives in Chevy Chase Maryland, with his family.
