Vale D’ouro – Tradicional Biscoito de Polvilho
(translation – according to company website: yucca starch salt cookie..?!?)
Rating: ©-1/4 chips (return to sender)
Comments:
This snack is really BAD…..capital B-A-D…..
How bad is it???
So bad, that we are required (most likely by law) to tell you to try them yourselves; only for the simple fact that we want others to experience, and suffer, in the same way we already have…..
However, just for a split second, we thought that maybe we could be misunderstanding these cookie-puffs…maybe we were being unfairly harsh, and it was actually a culture thing that we were having difficulty with…you see, these snacks are from Brazil. But, upon a second tasting it was confirmed, these are simply not appealing. Good flavor should be able to transcend cultures, and continents, and does in so many cases, which confirms that these Yuca Snacks are the exact opposite!!!
Translated as ‘cookies’ by the Vale D’ouro website, these Yuca Snacks in our opinion are certainly not cookies…we would classify them more in the crunchy puff category, only with a much more crisp exterior. Vale D’ouro use cassava/yucca flour to produce their snack, and for those of you unfamiliar with the South American / African tuber staple, we would best describe it as a wonderfully versatile starch akin to our potato. According to Wikipedia “Cassava is the third most important source of calories in the tropics, after rice and maize.”
Well, we have tried Cassava in many of its forms and it is only fair to say that these cookie-puffs are truly some of the most unappealing tasting snacks, of any type, we have ever encountered in our many years of snacking; and to really try and describe them to you using words, will do no justice, but here we go anyways… imagine burnt-ish, oily, nearly no salt or seasoning, dusty-cassava-flour-crunchy puffs that make it hard to swallow….
The only reason we gave them one quarter more than our lowest rating possible, (and not our lowest) was due to their unique exaggerated peanut shaped design – it was unlike anything we have encountered. They kind of reminded us of the shape of these little sunglasses we are supposed to wear at the tanning salons (does anyone really wear those…?).
If any of you out there have tried these we would love to hear what you think. As always, this is just our opinion.
Chip Ratings Scale:
(1/4 increments)
© – return to sender
©© – tolerable
©©© – notable
©©©© – lip-smacking
©©©©© – “A” list
Chip Review 
I have to say I happen to love them! I understand there strange but they kinda grew on me…now I get bags of huge ones by a different company. There from brasil and in brasil people go nuts for them. I was unsure why since they seem so bland. I watched the kids really enjoy them and the flavor really grew on me. (I use to hate beets but now I love them)same idea…if u give them more of a chance they just might grow on you too! They even have different flavored ones if your one that needs more taste! I happen to love the crunchy texture..I think it was my trip to brasil that got me wanting more! They have them home made the size of your hand..quite interesting…but not for every one!
Sheila – thank you so much for the comments, we really appreciate them (even when they differ so much from our own). Like we always say, “to each their own”. That is what we love about this industry/game, everyone has their own favorites and opinions. As much as we disliked these, we can honestly see how someone else may actually love them!! And, like you indicated, having spent actual time in Brasil, definitely could sway your opinion towards these…(secret: we have the same affinity towards Chilen – anything!).
This snack, as a lot of similiar ones, are categorized as “biscoito de polvilho”. They are based on a very old (circa 1800) recipe made by slaves. After that, some people used to bake them into clay ovens for selling as a way of complementing their income. Some people dedicate their lives to bake and sell cookies like this one.
Vale D’Ouro is one of the best manufacturers, but the gold standard goes to Globo (look for “biscoito globo polvilho” @ google). Those sell so quick that the whole production is sold out the next day (!!!) to shops and autonomous sellers – those are VERY popular on beaches. Globo’s main selling point is the freshness and crunchiness. The flavor is very subtle and can be considered bland by for people accostumed with but in reality those are excepcional, especially with coffee (strong, like we Brazilians love) 🙂
There’s some other interesting chips/snacks in Brazil, like “Pipoca Doce” (candied popcorn made from expanded white corn kernel). Used to be very popular back in the 80’s, but there are some manufacturers still around.
@ Bruno –
Thanks for the comments Bruno!! We appreciate the information, and opinions. Really interesting stuff.
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