What Are Empanadas? | Empanada Guy (2024)

FAQs

What are empanadas explained? ›

An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries of Latin America and the south of Europe. The name comes from the verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Empanada is made by folding a dough or bread patty around the stuffing.

Many believe that Empanadas got their influence from a Middle Eastern pastry called "sambousek," which were introduced to the Iberian Peninsula during the Moorish conquests. The idea of encasing a filling in dough soon caught on in Spain and Portugal, and so the Empanada was born!

These are a few of the known names: Meat Pies (American) Empanadas (Latin/Spanish) Pastelillos (Latin/Spanish)

While it's quite tasty, it isn't the healthiest meal you can consume. The great news is you can still get your empanada fix with all the flavor, but less calories, fat, and more nutrition with healthier versions.

Empanadas are named after the Spanish verb 'empanar' which means to coat or wrap in bread. An empanada is a fried or baked turnover in the shape of a half-moon made with flour dough or corn flour dough.

Both cooking methods produce delicious empanadas. If you want a healthier merienda, bake them in the oven. If you're working with less time, frying them is the way to go.

Empanadas are so versatile that they can be eaten at any time of day, as a snack or a meal, alone or with a condiment. They are a great grab-and-go food, and since empanadas are handheld, there's very little mess.

The Many Names of Empanadas

For instance, Americans call them meat pies, and Jamaicans call them beef patties. At the same time, Indians call them samosas, and people in Latin America or Spain call them pastelillos or pastelitos. The glory of this dish is that there is not a right or wrong way to cook it.

What country makes the best empanadas? ›

Argentina has become world-famous for their empanadas which are widely available in Buenos Aires and across the country as fast-food options and restaurant staples. As with many recipes, that of empanadas was shared through generations and carried to many other nations.

Puerto Rico has the eternal debate of what to call the pastelillo, empanada, empanadilla, pastel etc. “In the south of the island they call everything an empanadilla; while, in the center of the island and the north, they call it pastelillo.

The rules of the empanadas etiquette

– Empanadas are finger-food if ever there was. The whole idea of an empanada is to be able to eat something with ones fingers without getting those fingers dirty or sticky. – Hold your empanada by one tip and cautiously bite off the other tip.

Empanadas can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They can be served as appetizers or snacks, but they can also easily make a full and satisfying meal. Some folks prefer them baked, while other like them fried.

Although they are traditional throughout Latin America, Mexican empanadas are differentiated by their different varieties. Depending on the region, you can try fish and seafood empanadas, potatoes, meat, and sweet empanadas. This dish from Mexico, we know in the rest of the world as nachos.

When the Spanish hit the New World in the 16th century they shared their empanada recipe with the Aztecs and Maya. The Spanish recipe was made with bread dough, the Mexican recipe with corn masa dough. This is where Mexican empanada history takes over. Each region in Mexico has their own version of the empanada.

The rules of the empanadas etiquette

– Hold your empanada by one tip and cautiously bite off the other tip. This is important, because if the empanada is really hot and juicy, a puff of hot steam will spurt out and could burn your tongue or lip.

“But for the rest of the country, it's cheese inside.” Interestingly, Anais points out that a quesadilla without cheese in Oaxaca is called an 'empanada', which could be a surprise for people used to baked or fried hand pies with filling.