Polvilho doce or sweet manioc starch is a key ingredient in Brazilian cheese bread. The sweet manioc starch or cassava starch is made from pressing and squeezing fresh cassava roots and dried to form a very fine white flour. The starch is called sweet in contrast to sour manioc starch where the cassava juice is fermented and then dried – which you use is a matter of personal taste. It’s certainly worth trying both! The sweet starch is also used to make the popular crunchy polvilho biscuits As well as an ingredient in Brazilian cheese rolls – like small cheesy choux buns with an airy soft centre – the manioc starch is used as a thickener in soups and gravies, and the packet includes a recipe for tapioca muffin. The producer Yoki launched in 1960 as a family owned business and is now one of Brazil’s best loved food and drink brands, and guarantees an authentic Brazilian experience.
