Churros are traditional in Spain and Portugal, where they originated, as well as in the Philippines and Ibero-America. Many Latin American countries prefer a larger, more robust version of the churro allowing for delicious fillings to be squeezed inside. Once on Iberian soil, along with the new shape and flavor, naturally, a new name would shortly follow. When it comes to the history of churros, it’s complicated. One story says that Portuguese sailors discovered a similar food in Northern China called “YouTiao” They brought back the technique that the Chinese used (fried flour stick), and changed it to make it a sweet dessert instead of a salty stick. Straight or spiral-shaped, with or without a dusting of cinnamon and sugar, dipped in chocolate or straight out of a greasy paper bag on the street, churros, in all their creative variations, will continue to be one of my summertime favourites – and with a recipe in hand, maybe a breakfast hit in wintertime favourite, too. As the churro continued to cross land and sea heading to new places, it would again go through changes. In Brazil, one of the most common fillings is doce de leite followed by chocolate. There are many different
origin stories that require you to blow the dust off of the old books, but they are interesting enough to note, at least to marvel in their evolution. there is a breed of sheep called the “Navajo-Churro”, descended from the “Churra” sheep the horns of these sheep look similar to churros. A churro is a fried-dough pastry—predominantly choux—based snack. She writes about bright spots in food and travel in San Diego, Hawaii, and abroad for publications such as Food52, Brit + Co, Wanderful, Luxury Living International, and Salt & Wind. In the Catalan capital, these are are our must-stop xurrerias for what we believe are truly some of the best churros in Barcelona: Share your creation with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social! We can thank the Portuguese for their distinct star shape and for replacing the salt with sugar. Valle de Guadalupe? The Chinese pastry fried in oil and looks like two long, conjoined breadsticks and isn’t dressed in sugar or dunked in chocolate, like you’ll see in Spain (or in the States, Mexico, South America, or filled with guava in other countries, but more on that below.) They quickly became local favourites and this may be why many countries claim Churros as their own. You have to start by asking yourself: what exactly is a churro and how did it originate? Like much of Spanish cuisine, churros come with regional characteristics and variations. The Portuguese brought this savory snack to the Iberian Peninsula after their journeys. The North American favorite tends to be enjoyed at theme parks and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. These hardworking men spent most of their days working in the mountains. says that nomadic Spanish shepherds invented them. In Spain, find churros at cafes with names like cafetería or granja (fun fact: a granja was traditionally where dairy was sold), as well as snug shops specializing in churros. November 2, 2016 Ligaya Malones was raised in Kaua’i, schooled in Southern California, and now calls San Diego home. Columbia and Venezuela add a fun twist with an arequipe or sweetened condensed milk glaze. Buying or trading fresh food was often not an option for shepherds who worked the land, therefore, they were left to their own devices. In Granada, they also have a more buttery and eggy variation, called tejeringo. Fresh churros are meant to be enjoyed for breakfast, dipped into thick hot chocolate or served with café con leche. Portugal tends to associate churros with fair food and special occasions. Traditionally, the pastry would be served in a set of two to represent Qin Hui and his wife of the Song Dynasty. The Spanish learned of the new culinary treat from their neighbors, and put their own spin on it by passing the dough through a star-shaped tip which gives the churro its signature ridges. Back on the Iberian Peninsula, the churro has gone through a further evolution as well.