Farofa

Farofa is a Brazilian side dish of cassava flour toasted in fat, often with onion, garlic, eggs or bacon. Soften chopped onion in butter or oil, stir in the flour and toast over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes, stirring until fragrant and lightly golden.

Coarse cassava flour gives a distinctly crunchy farofa; finer flour makes a softer, more even mixture. Add it gradually to the onion and fat, stopping when the texture is crumbly rather than dry or greasy.

It is often served alongside feijoada, grilled meat, rice and beans, or roasted chicken. Sprinkle it over the meal just before eating so it stays crisp.

Yes. Toast the cassava flour with olive oil or plant-based butter, onion and garlic; chopped olives, herbs or toasted nuts can add savoury flavour and texture.

Cool it, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and use it within three days. Reheat it in a dry frying pan over low heat, stirring until hot and crisp again.

Breadcrumbs can make a similar toasted topping, but it will not have farofa’s characteristic cassava flavour or texture. Toast them gently in the seasoned fat, as they brown faster than cassava flour.

Cassava flour is naturally gluten-free, but farofa may include ingredients such as sausage or seasoning blends that contain gluten. If you need to avoid gluten, use plain cassava flour and check every added ingredient.