Empanadas: A Culture Trip

EMPANADAS:

BY GABY BONINA PHOTOS BY SHIRLEY YANG

I love empanadas — the meditative process of making them by hand, the feeling of nearly burning the roof of my mouth, steam billowing out of the pocket while my overeager self munches. Empanadas tie me not only to my own culture but to so many others as well. There are countless different varieties that it’s hard to keep track of, and with many of us learning to make new foods during quarantine, they are a great way to learn about another country while enjoying a scrumptious, bite-sized snack. For me, empanadas are a symbol of home and heritage. Growing up with a mom from Ecuador, empanadas were a part of my life from a very young age. Summers in Ecuador called for making empanadas with my Abuelita in the kitchen, learning the intricate folds that encompassed the broad range of empanada flavors and fillings. As my cultural appreciation grew each summer, so did my love of the delicious, bite-sized snack. An integral part of my upbringing and so many others around the world, the history and cultural relativity of the empanada is a rich narrative. The word for “empanada” comes from the Spanish word, empanar, which means to be embreaded/put inside bread. Empanadas trace their origins back to Galicia, Spain around the medieval Iberian time period of Moorish invasions. It is said that the Moors brought their meat-filled samosas to the Catalan region, which spurred the creation of the empanada. Eventually, empanadas were brought to Central and South America by Spanish colonizers, and to this day remain a central part of the cuisine in these countries. The best thing about empanadas? It seems that just about every culture, and related regions, have their own traditional pocket or meat pie. Here are a few:

A CULTURE TRIP

In El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, empanadas are made with a plantainbased dough. Some common fillings are mozzarella cheese (Nicaragua), custard (El Salvadorian “Postres de La Cipota”), or beans (Costa Rica).

In Italy, Sicily in particular, Mpanatigghis are chocolate-beef-filled cookies thought to be adopted from the Spanish during their 16th-century rule. The unusual filling is made of a mixture of almonds, walnuts, chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and minced beef.

In the Philippines, fillings include green papaya, mung beans, and sometimes chopped Ilocano sausage (chorizo) or longaniza and egg yolk in the northern part of the Ilocos. Other locations, such as Zamboanga, have fillings such as sweet potato and garbanzo beans, often being served with sweet vinegar dipping sauce.

In Ecuador, street vendors tout a variety of typical South American baked empanadas, but the “Empanada de Viento” is Ecuador’s most distinctive and popular empanada. The treat is filled with cheese, and as the empanadas fry, the dough becomes puffed and crisp and the cheese gooey and melted. Dusted with sugar on the outside, you get a mix of sweet and savory as you bite into the empanada.

In Galicia and Portugal, empanada gallegas are large double-crust pies filled with tuna, chorizo, or sardines that are then cut into slices and shared.

In Argentina, empanadas are an integral part of dinner parties and festivals. Some of the most popular fillings include beef, olive, and egg (mendocinas), ham and cheese, spinach and leek, and humita (sweet corn and cream) — among many others.

In Indonesia, panadas are usually made with a thick and fried bread and filled with spicy cakalang fish (skipjack tuna), chili, curry, potatoes, or quail eggs — largely influenced by Portuguese colonists in the 16th century.