Sopaipilla

A sopaipilla, sopapilla, sopaipa, torta frita 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.

A sopaipilla is traditionally made from leavened wheat dough (or a mixture of wheat flour and masa harina) to which some shortening 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.

History

In ancient times, frying cakes was a primitive substitute for baking, requiring only fire and a simple vessel. Dishes of similar type have been developed independently across countless cultures on each habitable continent. Sopaipilla is a version found in Latin American cuisine, Tex-Mex cuisine and the cuisine of the Southwestern United States.

Variations

There are yeasted and quick bread variations of sopaipillas. Some batters are enriched by the addition of pumpkin ().

Argentina

thumb|Torta frita, Argentina and Uruguay

In Argentina, this pastry is known under other names apart from sopaipa, supaipa and sopaipilla including torta frita, kreppel (from regional German Kreppel), and chipá cuerito. Although traditional Chilean sopaipillas made in central Chile include cooked ground pumpkin in their dough, this is typically not the case in the south. Generally prepared during breakfast time, this traditional food of the Peruvian cuisine is prepared differently depending on the region, 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".

They are also commonly served as an appetizer, served with honey.

As a relatively recent innovation, originating in northern New Mexico, sopaipillas are often filled with savory ingredients such as ground beef or chicken, covered with chile and cheese, heated, and served with lettuce and tomato as an entree. They are also eaten as a dessert, drizzled with honey or anise syrup.

Sopaipillas in Tex-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. Many Tex-Mex restaurants in Texas and Oklahoma will serve dessert sopaipillas 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 and strudel were together designated as Texas' state pastries from 2003 to 2005.

Uruguay

In Uruguay, a variant of the sopaipilla is known as . They are made of flour, salt and water and shortened with tallow, stretched into a thin large sheet of dough (20-25 cm), and fried in tallow. They are usually salty, but it is a common custom to cover them with sugar or quince cheese and eat them as a snack. They are commonly prepared on rainy days.

Notes

References

External links

"sopaipilla", Webster's New World College Dictionary
Chilean-Style Sopapillas, or Pumpkin Fritters from The Spruce Eats
How to Make New Mexico Style Sopaipillas