Farofa de Ovo e Bacon: The Side Dish That Makes a Brazilian Plate Complete

Buttery toasted cassava flour with bacon, egg and onion — the essential Brazilian farofa. Naturally gluten-free, ready in 15 minutes, goes with everything.

You can serve the best rice and beans in the world, but a Brazilian will still look around the table and ask, quietly, where is the farofa. It is toasted cassava flour, seasoned and enriched with butter, and its job is texture: the crunch that goes with the soft, the salt that goes with the sweet.

Farinha de mandioca is pure cassava — no gluten, ever — which makes farofa one of those dishes I never had to adapt. It was always mine.

This is my favorite version, with bacon, onion and egg scrambled straight into the flour. Pile it next to churrasco, spoon it over beans, or eat it with sliced bananas, which sounds strange and is completely correct.

PREP 5 min

TOTAL 15 min

SERVINGS 6

DIFFICULTY easy

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups farinha de mandioca (cassava flour, fine or medium)

• 4 ounces bacon, diced

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste

• 2 tablespoons parsley or scallion, chopped

• Optional: 1/2 cup pitted green olives, sliced, or 1 ripe banana, diced

METHOD

1. Render the bacon. Cook the bacon in a wide skillet over medium heat until crisp and the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, onion and garlic and cook until soft and golden, 3 minutes.

   
   

2. Scramble the eggs. Push everything to one side, pour the eggs into the empty half, and scramble them softly, breaking them into small pieces. Mix through.

   
   

3. Toast the flour. Lower the heat and add the cassava flour. Stir constantly for 4 to 5 minutes until the flour is warm, evenly coated in fat, and smells nutty and toasted. Season with salt.

   
   

4. Finish. Fold in the parsley, and the olives or banana if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.

   
   

NOTES

The flour: Fine (fina) gives a softer, sandier farofa; medium or coarse gives more crunch. Both are fine here. Toasted (torrada) flour needs less time in the pan.

Vegetarian: Skip the bacon and use 5 tablespoons of butter. A handful of toasted cashews is a lovely addition.

Storage: Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Re-toast in a dry pan to bring back the crunch.