The pão de queijo (cheese bread) first appeared in Minas Gerais around 1750. At this time, the state's agricultural sector began to specialise in producing milk and its derivatives. Due to its geographical distance from the coast, the state of Minas Gerais consumed little flour, which was imported, but had ample production of manioc (cassava), a root native to the continent and the raw material for starch. The first cheese breads were made by mixing the hardened shavings of cheese slices with starch. Eggs and milk, abundant in the region, were added to increase texture and flavour.

Although it originated in Minas Gerais, pão de queijo is a widespread delicacy throughout Brazil, eaten in cafés and snack bars. Despite being called 'bread', pão de queijo consists of a sweet or sour starch biscuit with eggs, salt, vegetable oil and cheese, with a soft and elastic consistency, with slight variations.

The gastronomy website TasteAtlas voted pão de queijo the third-best breakfast in the world. The list was published in April 2023 and, according to the website, had more than 17,000 evaluations, of which around 11,000 were validated.