A sopaipilla, sopapilla, sopaipa, or cachanga is a kind of fried pastry and a type of quick bread served in several regions with Spanish heritage in the Americas. The word sopaipilla is the diminutive of sopaipa, a word that entered Spanish from the Mozarabic language of Al-Andalus. The original Mozarabic word Xopaipa was used to mean bread soaked in oil, and derived in turn from the Germanic word suppa which meant bread soaked in liquid.
A sopaipilla is traditionally made from leavened wheat dough (or a mixture of wheat flour and masa harina) to which some shortening or butter is added. After being allowed to rise, the dough is rolled into a sheet that is then cut into circular, square or triangular shapes. The shapes are 8-10 cm in size for the longest dimension (if intended for a dessert) or 15-20 cm (if intended to be stuffed for a main course). The shapes are then deep-fried in oil, sometimes after allowing them to rise further before frying: the frying causes the shapes to puff up, ideally forming a hollow pocket in the center.
Video Sopaipilla
Variations
Argentina
In Argentina, pastry is known under other names apart from sopaipa, supaipa and sopaipilla these are; Torta frita, Kreppel and chipá cuerito.
Chile
In Chile, sopaipillas (or sopaipas) are known to have been eaten at least since 1726. Although Traditional Chilean sopaipillas (made in the central part of Chile) include cooked ground pumpkin in their dough, this is typically not the case in the South of Chile. Depending if they are served as a pastry or bread Chilean sopaipillas are traditionally served with either pebre (a sauce of chili pepper, onion, garlic and coriander) or boiled in chancaca sauce (a homemade hot syrup cooked with panela, orange peel and cinnamon, and then they are called sopaipillas pasadas). They are also served with mustard, ketchup, hot butter, avocado, cheese or manjar. In Chile sopaipillas are traditionally homemade and eaten during days of heavy rain, as well as enjoying widespread popularity as street food. Chilean sopaipillas are round and flat, sporting holes pricked through the centre of the dough, usually by a fork.
Peru
In Peru, the name for this fried pastry is cachanga, and it may be either sweet or sour. Generally prepared during breakfast time, this traditional food of the Peruvian cuisine is prepared differently depending on the region, with one of the recipes involving the usage of cinnamon. The main difference between this form of sopaipilla and the other versions is that they are larger, thinner, and more rigid.
United States
Sopapillas in New Mexican cuisine are distinct from Latin American sopapaillas. New Mexican sopapillas are pillow-shaped fried pastry dough. They are typically served as a bread, and used to mop up sauces, scoop up tidbits, or shredded into stews. They often serve as a quick meal in themselves, filled with savory ingredients such as ground beef. They are sometimes eaten as a dessert, drizzled with honey or anise syrup., but are often eaten this same way during the meal itself as New Mexican cuisine tends to be very spicy and sweet syrups reduce the sensations of heat.
Sopaipilla and strudel were together designated as Texas' state pastries from 2003 to 2005.
Uruguay
In Uruguay, a variant of the Sopaipilla is known as Torta frita. Tortas fritas made in Uruguay are stretched into a thin large shaped dough, are usually covered with sugar and eaten as a snack.
Maps Sopaipilla
See also
- Frybread
- List of quick breads
- List of doughnut varieties
- List of fried dough varieties
Notes
References
Further reading
- Sheila MacNiven Cameron, ed. (1978). The Best from New Mexico Kitchens. New Mexico Magazine. ISBN 0-937206-00-8.
External links
- Webster's New World College Dictionary definition
- Recipe for Chilean sopaipillas from southamericanfood.about.com
- How to make New Mexico style Sopaipillas
Source of article : Wikipedia
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