Facts About Mbeju
Mbeju or beiju is a starch cake sometimes made with fariña or manioc flour.
The mbeju is a staple typical of Paraguay and the Northeast of Argentina. The recipe has existed since the 18th century and its origins lie with the indigenous Guaraní people that lived in the Guaraní-Jesuit Missions.
Origin of the name
The name "mbejú" (also written "mbeyú") means "cake" and comes from the Guarani language. Guarani is one of the two official languages of Paraguay, which defines itself as being bilingual and multi-cultural. The mbejú is bound to the Guarani mythology to be one of the most ancient recipes of this culture. Traditionally, there were about 16 ways to prepare it, although nowadays, 11 are recognized. Next to the chipá and the sopa paraguaya it is part of the so-called "tyra", a Guarani term for food consumed to accompany the "mate cocido", milk or coffee, or simply an addition to other dishes.
Ingredients
Traditional mbejú require starch, corn flour, pork fat, thin salt, fresh cheese and milk. The variety called "mbejú avevo" ("inflated cake") uses the same ingredients but with the pork fat, the eggs and the cheese in larger quantities. Another variant, "mbejú de fariña" in which manioc flour is used instead of manioc starch.
There are other recipes for the Mbeju. Mbeju cuatro quesos, for example, which means mbeju with extra cheese, requires 250 grams of cassava starch, 75 grams of butter, 150 grams of fresh cheese, 2 spoonful of milk, salt, 2 tomatoes perita, 100 grams of cuartirolo cheese, 50 grams catupyry cheese, oregano, basil leaves, and black pepper.
Preparation
The starch is sifted. Fat and the crumbled cheese are added and the mixture is whipped until creamy. Eggs, salt and milk are added as the whipping continues. Finally the starch and corn flour are added, mixing everything using the hands until a thick powder-like preparation results.
A greased frying pan is allowed to get very hot. A layer of the mixture of about 1½ centimeters is put into the pan, squeezing the borders with the back of a spoon. It is cooked for a few minutes, moving the pan so it cooks evenly without burning the center. Using the lid of the pan, flip the mbejú, finishing the cooking the same way as above.
Steps for the extra cheese mbeju Put into a bowl the Paraguayan cheese with the butter, whisk with a spoon until it is cream. Add the starch and a little bit of salt, as soon as it gets hard add some milk and whisk again until it gets cream. For the filling, cut the tomatoes and the cheese. In a hot pan add the dough covering the entire surface, on the top add the tomatoes and the cheese the oregano, basil, and a little bit of pepper. Cover up the pan again with some more dough, and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
Argentina