The most typical Easter sweets in Spain

Seville processions at Easter

During Holy Week, Spain is transformed. There are many ways to discover this European country either through its coasts and beaches, its museums and monumental routes, practicing ecotourism or outdoor sports favored by the excellent climate.

However, those who have never visited Spain during Holy Week have to do so for various reasons, regardless of whether or not they profess the Christian faith. Spanish Holy Week is art, tradition, history, music and even gastronomy.

Holy Week is celebrated in all the cities of Spain with great emotion and in different ways so, although the country has already been visited during these dates, there is always something new to see. Apart from the religious and artistic component, the star of Spanish Holy Week is the confectionery.

Frequently when asking tourists, they always have a special mention of the sweets and cakes of this time when they remember their stay in Spain. Therefore, in the next post we will review some of the most irresistible desserts of Spanish Holy Week.

The unmistakable aroma of freshly baked cakes permeates the streets of the historic centers of the cities and towns of Spain to the delight of those with a sweet tooth. A scent that mixes orange blossom, honey, milk, sugar, cinnamon and anise.

French Toast (Torrijas)

They are the queens of the popular Easter cookbook and are liked by both adults and children throughout Spain. It is said that it was the Romans who invented torrija, but the first time that the word torrija appears in writing was in Christmas carol number IV of the Salamanca writer Juan de la Encina (1468-1533), predecessor of Lope de Vega and Calderón de la Barca. , where he associates this sweet with biblical images.

The sobriety of the ingredients with which torrijas are made (bread and milk) made them the dessert of the poor for centuries as it was a cheap food to recharge energy and to be able to eat a sweet from time to time without spending much money. In fact, to prepare torrijas, the ideal is that the bread is something hard, two or three days. They are also made with sweet wine, because popular tradition tells us that torrijas represent the body and blood of Christ.

Given that the Catholic Church prohibits its faithful from consuming meat during some days of Lent, torrijas fulfill a similar function to that of Arab pastries, whose high content of honey and nuts reconstitutes the body of all carbohydrate deficiencies. carbon after Ramadan.

The secret of the success of torrijas is none other than its simplicity of preparation, presentation and its delicious flavor. In patisseries you can find torrijas of different flavors: tiramisu, wine, chocolate and truffle, vanilla, cream ... However, the most successful is usually the traditional one, the one with only sugar and cinnamon.

Stuffed Lenten Fritters

Image via El Dressing

These sweets are very typical of the Aragonese and Catalan region that has its origins in ancient Rome in a kind of balls called fist that the Romans kneaded with their fists. It is a pasta made from flour mixed with milk, egg and yeast that is fried in plenty of oil.

However, over the years, the original recipe has been adapted to the new suggestions of the pastry shop, both for making the dough and for the filling. There are salty, sweet, pumpkin, cod, yucca ... And wind fritters that, once fried, are filled with cream or chocolate, for example.

Fried milk

Image via Salamanca Hospitality

Fried milk is one of the most traditional homemade desserts in Spain, although it is more typical in the north of the country. A very simple dessert whose basic ingredients are milk, flour, egg and sugar.

The sweet flavor that characterizes fried milk makes it perfect to accompany a cup of coffee after a meal or during a snack. In addition, it is usually presented in a square or rectangular shape so this dessert is very practical to eat. And of course, there are also multiple variations in its presentation (square, rectangular or circular) and accompaniment (with mousse, with whipped cream, with caramel, with vanilla cream, sprinkled with cinnamon powder or with fruit sauces).

Traditional and chocolate Easter mona

Traditional Easter Mona

When Holy Week arrives, it is customary for godparents to give an Easter cake to their godchildren on Easter Sunday after mass., especially in regions such as Aragon, Valencia, Catalonia, Castilla La Mancha and some areas of Murcia.

The traditional Easter cake is a bun made of flour, egg, sugar and salt that requires patience in its preparation since it needs more than an hour, approximately, to rest before cooking. This monkey symbolizes that Lent and its abstinences are over.

On many occasions, the bun takes the form of animal figures, although the most typical is the round monkey that is decorated with painted hard-boiled eggs, sugar, colored anisette and even feathers and toy chicks.

Chocolate Easter Mona

Image via Cladera Pastry

Made by authentic pastry chefs, the chocolate Easter monkeys have become true sculptures that amaze and amaze children and adults alike. These masters use their imagination to create very original monas, from the simplest to the most complex. They are especially popular in Catalonia.

Anis donuts

The aroma they give off while cooking is already absolutely delicious. The basic ingredients of this typical Easter sweet are milk, oil, sugar, eggs, yeast, flour and anise. It just takes a little dexterity to get a round and palatable shape.

Unlike other types of donuts, Spanish aniseed ones are fried in olive or sunflower oil. Its origin is not known exactly but as with other sweets it is believed to come from ancient Rome.

pestiños

The recipe book for Easter sweets is wide and diverse. Pestiños are especially popular in southern Spain although they are consumed throughout the country. The base of this sweet is a flour dough fried in olive oil and sweetened with honey or sugar. They are easy to prepare and it is believed that their origin lies in the Sephardic culture linked to the Jewish Passover.


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