Farofa Especial

What is Farofa?

Farofa is a traditional Brazilian side dish, often served with rice and beans. It is made from cassava flour, obtained by grinding the root of the mandioca plant. Farofa comes either in coarsely powdered form or as raw ground flour. It is also commonly used in Asia for making steamed sweet desserts. In Latin America and Asia, this plant is known as mandioca or yuka, and in English in Asia as tapioca.

For this Farofa Especial recipe, we use lightly toasted tapioca farofa granules mixed with vegetables and grated coconut. This Portuguese-style “Especial” Farofa offers a healthy, tasty twist on the classic variant. Mildly spicy, crumbly, and toasty, this dish is easy to make and sure to impress friends and family. For a sweeter variant—traditional in Rio de Janeiro—try banana farofa. Check out the Banana Farofa recipe here.