MundoAndino Home : Andes Argentina Guide at MundoAndino
Churro
A churro is a fried-dough pastry-based snack, sometimes made from potato dough, which originated in Spain, [*] and is popular in Latin America, France, Portugal, the USA, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands. It is sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut or Mexican doughnut. The snack gets its name from its shape, which resembles the horns of the Churro breed of sheep reared in the Spanish grasslands of Huarocho.
The churro is typically fried to a crunchy consistency. Its surface is ridged due to being piped from a churrera, a syringe with a star-shaped nozzle. Churros are generally prisms in shape, and may be straight, curled or spirally twisted.
Like pretzels, churros are often sold by street vendors who in many cases will fry them freshly on the street stand and sell them hot. In Spain, they are available in cafes for breakfast, although they may be found throughout the day and night as a snack. Specialized churrerias can be found as street shops or as towable wagons in local fiestas. In Andalusia (Spain), a cousin of the churro made with deep-fried wheat flour is sold in spirals or "wheels", which are cut into manageable portions after frying. These are called porras and calentitos or calientes, as opposed to the potato dough version made in the rest of Spain, also sold in the region but under the name Calentitos de Patatas.
Filled straight churros are found in Cuba , Brazil , and in Chile and Argentina . In Spain they have a considerably wider diameter to allow for the filling. A sweet Turkish 'fluted fritter' that greatly resembles churros, is called Tulumba Tatlisi.
Until recently, outside of Latin American street stands and eating establishments, churros could be difficult to find. They were only available at fairs, carnivals, theme parks, and sports stadiums. However, with the increased popularity of Latin American food, today there are a growing number of franchise restaurants that sell fresh churros, both traditional and filled.
External links
Bon Appetit magazine recipe
Gourmet magazine recipe
Need more information for your travel research or homework?
Ask your questions at the forum about Argentine cuisine or help others to find answers.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Churro
