Yes, they are both stuffed, turnover-like pastries made from flour, but a coyota is bigger (in diameter), flatter, flakier, and harder. Coyotas also tend to be less uniform than empanadas, and have beauty marks like air pockets and burnt spots. To taste varieties of coyotas filled with caramel, dates, and other goodies, you’ll need to make a stop at Dolce Pastello in El Mercado, where Ahydée Almazan sells the flat, round, Hermosillo-style coyotas that bear her mother’s name: “Doña Ofi.” After all, her mother, Ofilia Almazan, does make them. When I talked with the younger Almazan at Dolce Pastello, she shared a game-changing tip about coyotas: “You can reheat them in the toaster.” Sonoran Pop-Tarts! Why hadn’t I thought of this? I can’t decide which Tucson coyotas I like best, but I think the versions made at La Estrella and Dolce Pastello are both top-shelf examples of two very different styles. Visiting these bakeries, filled with bread smells, Spanish, and smart and lovely young bakers, reminds me of how much I like living in Tucson. I’m already gear94 M arch - April 2014
ing up for my next adventure, the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo mountain bike race, and because they travel so well, taste so good, and offer so much fuel, you can bet that some coyotas will be coming along in my backpack. ✜ Dolce Pastello. 120 S. Avenida del Convento. 520-207-6765. La Estrella Bakery. 5266 S. 12th Ave. 520-741-0656. LaEstrellaBakeryIncAz.com Coyotas Doña María. Sufragio Efectivo 37. Hermosillo, Sonora. 52-662-250-5883 CoyotasDonaMaria.com Scott Calhoun is the author and photographer of six books about the American Southwest. He spends as much time as possible in the Mexican backcountry searching for new plants and eating local specialties. Scott runs Zona Gardens, a garden design studio in Tucson.