Pão de Queijo. ‘What’s that?’ I hear you cry. A wheat-free Brazilian cheese bread, duh: a staple snack found across the country, made from cassava flour and cheese, a crunchy outside giving way to a cloud-like interior. Sounds ace, right? Right.
Well then, you should hot-foot it to Old Street station, because Druid Street Market’s eminent South American grub seller Dona Rita will be plying commuters and snack-savvy patrons with these cheesy orbs via a two-week pop-up.
The stall’s balls are made with a secret family recipe, perfected over 15 years. Here, they’ll be dished up with toppings such as cream cheese (yes) and strawberry jam (like a bastardised scone, they reckon). The kicker? They’re gluten-free, too.
Prices range from £2.50 for three balls, up to £8 for 12 (but clear your freezer: a bake-at-home pack is a mere £5 for 15). Estupendo!
Got your sights set on more than balls? Then delve into our list of London’s finest street food.
You can get them at the Lower Marsh Market in Waterloo all the time! There's a stall called rio tropical kitchen that cooks them fresh on site!
I didn't know Pao de Queijo until friends introduced me to it. I was very impressed and seduced at the very first taste! You can tell there are only quality and healthy ingredients used. As well as the cheese taste, I love the slightly-firm-outside and fluffly-inside texture, especially when it's all fresh and warm straight from the oven.
I don't mind paying a bit more for quality products so i think their prices are fair. I have also tried the frozen packs which works really well too. My housemates always want to steal them from me because they love them so i think it's a success and thanks Dona Rita for sharing Brazilian love with us here in London.
They're £4.50 for 6 balls actually. They cost about 4p/ball to make at home (+ electricity), if that. Pretty expensive for what it is, didn't blow my mind or my taste buds, so didn't take the frozen ones home.
Thanks for the article 💛
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For the curious ones, more information on http://donarita.co.uk
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