churro

Churros

Churros served with thick hot chocolate
Origin
Alternate name(s)	Porras Calentitos Papitas
Place of origin	Spain
Dish details
Course served	Breakfast
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredient(s)	Flour

Churros, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, are fried-dough pastry-based snacks, sometimes made from potato dough, that originated in Spain. They are also popular in Latin America, France, Portugal, the United States, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands. The snack gets its name from its shape, which resembles the horns of the Churro breed of sheep reared in the Spanish grasslands of Castile.^{[citation needed]} There are two types of churros in Spain. One is thin (and usually knotted) and the other, especially popular in Madrid, is long and thick (porra). They both are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate.

Preparation

Churros are typically fried until they become crunchy, and then are sprinkled with sugar. The surface of a churro is ridged due to having been 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 often will fry them freshly on the street stand and sell them hot. In Spain, Mexico, and Argentina, they are available in cafes for breakfast, although they may be eaten throughout the day as a snack as evident in Nicaragua. Specialized churrerías can be found in the form of a shop or a trailer during the holiday period. In Colombia they can be found in the streets but they are thin and shaped like a ring.

The dough is prepared similarly to Choux pastry; water, butter and flour are heated and stirred into a firm ball, and then eggs are beaten into the hot paste. what up steph 3====D01:23, 9 December 2009 (UTC)O

Variations

Churros

In Andalusia, Spain, churros are made with deep-fried wheat flour and sold in spirals or wheels, which can be broken into edible portions after frying. These are generally 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 Papitas or Calentitos de Patatas.

In parts of South East Spain, a much thinner dough is used which does not allow for the typical ridges to be formed on the surface of the churro. The final result has therefore a smooth surface and is more pliable and of a slightly thinner diameter than standard Spanish churros. Another difference is that sugar is never sprinkled on them as the flavour is not considered suitable.

Filled, straight churros are found in Cuba (with fruit, such as guava), Brazil (with chocolate, doce de leite, among others), and in Argentina, Peru, Chile and Mexico (usually filled with dulce de leche, but also with chocolate and vanilla). In Spain they have a considerably wider diameter to allow for the filling. In Uruguay, churros can also come in a savoury version, filled with melted cheese.

'Calentitos', an andalusian variation of the churro.

Until recently, churros could be difficult to find in the United States and other non-Latin countries outside of Latin American street stands and eating establishments. 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. For example, in March 2006, Australia saw the launch of Chocolateria San Churro, a Spanish chocolate inspired business, which currently has 18 outlets - and true to its name sell a variety of Churros based desserts. In October 2008, San Diego-based chain Jack in the Box added bite-size "Mini Churros" which are filled to its menu, sold in bags of five or 10.

Churros are similar to Youtiao^{[citation needed]}, a type of bread in Chinese cuisine. After the Portuguese sailed for the Orient and returned from ancient China to Europe, they brought along with them new culinary techniques, including modifying the dough for Youzagwei also known as Youtiao in Northern China, for Portugal. However, they modified it by introducing a star design because they did not learn the Chinese skill of "pulling" the dough (the Chinese Emperor made it a crime with capital punishment to share knowledge with foreigners). As a result, the churros is not "pulled" but pushed out through a star-shaped cutter.

It is also a common breakfast dish, but it differs in that it is savoury rather than sweet. Tulumba Tatlısı is a sweet Turkish 'fluted fritter' that greatly resembles churros.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Churros

• Easy Churros recipe spanishfood.about.com