Mbeju avevo

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Mbejú avevo is a Paraguayan stuffed flatbread, made primarily from cassava starch and corn flour, then filled with melting cheese and sliced ham. Though often compared to a pancake because of its round, skillet-cooked form, mbejú is technically closer to a cheesy, gluten-free flatbread, known for its dense yet crumbly texture and golden crust. This variation takes the traditional mbejú and layers it—spreading a base layer of the dough in a hot pan, topping it with slices of Gouda and ham, then sealing it with another thin layer of dough. Slowly cooked on both sides, it forms a crisp, slightly charred exterior with a soft, melty center. The dough itself is rich, made with pork fat, eggs, Paraguayan cheese, and occasionally milk to bind it all together.