 New Mexican dessert sopaipillas | |
| Main ingredients | Leavening agent, wheat dough (orwheat flour andmasa harina),shortening orbutter |
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Asopaipilla,sopapilla,sopaipa, orcachanga[1] is a kind of friedpastry and a type ofquick bread served in several regions with Spanish heritage inthe Americas.[note 1] The word sopaipilla is thediminutive of sopaipa, a word that entered Spanish from theMozarabic language ofAl-Andalus.[9] The original Mozarabic wordXopaipa was used to mean bread soaked in oil. The word is derived in turn from theGermanic wordsuppa, which meant bread soaked in liquid.[2]
A sopaipilla is traditionally made fromleavened wheat dough (or a mixture of wheat flour andmasa harina) to which someshortening such as 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, 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). These pieces are then deep-fried in oil, sometimes after being allowed to rise further before frying: the frying causes them to puff up, ideally forming a hollow pocket in the center.[10]
In ancient times, frying cakes was a primitive substitute for baking, requiring only fire and a simple vessel. Every culture has developed some form of the dish.[11] Sopaipilla is a version found inLatin American cuisine,Tex-Mex cuisine and thecuisine of the Southwestern United States.
There are yeasted andquick bread variations of sopaipillas. Some batters are enriched by the addition of pumpkin (Spanish:zapallo).[12]
In Argentina, this pastry is known under other names apart from sopaipa, supaipa and sopaipilla includingtorta frita,kreppel (from regional GermanKreppel), andchipá cuerito.[2]
In Chile, sopaipillas (or sopaipas) are known to have been eaten at least since 1726.[9] Although traditional Chilean sopaipillas made in central Chile include cooked ground pumpkin in their dough, this is typically not the case in the south.[2] Depending if they are served as a pastry or bread Chilean sopaipillas are traditionally served with eitherpebre (a sauce of chili pepper, onion, garlic and coriander) or boiled inchancaca sauce (a homemade hot syrup cooked withpanela, orange peel and cinnamon, and then they are calledsopaipillas pasadas). They are also served withmustard,ketchup, hot butter, avocado or cheese.[2][3][9] In Chile sopaipillas are traditionally homemade and eaten during days of heavy rain,[2] as well as enjoying widespread popularity asstreet food, especially during winter. Chilean sopaipillas are round and flat, sporting holes pricked through the centre of the dough, usually by a fork.
FromChiloé Archipelago to the south, sopaipillas haverhomboid form. They are a relevant ingredient inreitimientos, a traditional feast related torendering fats after apig slaughter.
In Peru, the name for this fried pastry iscachanga, and it may be either sweet or sour.[1][13] Generally prepared during breakfast time, this traditional food of thePeruvian cuisine is prepared differently depending on the region,[13] with one of the recipes involving the usage of cinnamon.[1] The main difference between this form of sopaipilla and the other versions is that they are larger, thinner, and more rigid.[13]
Sopapillas inNew Mexican cuisine are pillow-shaped fried pastry dough, distinct from Latin American variations. Similar to Native Americanfrybread,[14] they are typically served as a bread, and used to mop up sauces, scoop up tidbits, dab up flavors, or are shredded into stews. It has been called "the doughnut of the Southwest", while other authors have said "this non-yeasted, simply flavored bread is definitely not a donut, but it's not really a fritter either".[15][16]
In New Mexico, they are often filled with savory ingredients such as ground beef or chicken, covered with chile and cheese, and served with lettuce and tomato as an entree. They are also eaten as a dessert, drizzled with honey oranise syrup.
Sopaipillas inTex-Mex cuisine are a puffed pastry, but otherwise similar to New Mexican-style sopaipillas, except that they are always served as a dessert item, coated with cinnamon sugar and served with honey.[17] ManyTex-Mex restaurants in Texas and Oklahoma will serve dessert sopaipillas[18][19] as part of the complimentary "set-up": chips and salsa served before the meal, along with sometimes queso sauce, pickled vegetables and flour tortillas and sopaipillas served at the end of the meal.
Sopaipilla andstrudel were together designated as Texas' state pastries from 2003 to 2005.[6]
InUruguay, a variant of the sopaipilla is known as torta frita. Tortas fritas are made of flour, salt and water and shortened withcow fat, stretched into a thin large shaped dough (20-25 cm) and deep fried in cow fat. They are usually salty, but it is a common custom to cover them with sugar orquince cheese and eat them as a snack.[7]They are commonly prepared on rainy days.
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