Celebracion!

     Today, April 9th, is National Empanada Day!  For those of you who might not be familiar with this food enjoyed in much of the Spanish speaking world, it is a stuffed bread or pastry that has been either baked or fried.  Similar to the Italian calzone, it is a hand held meal that is eaten as an appetizer, an entree or a dessert, depending on the filling.



     Spain takes claim to its origin, dating back to medieval Iberia.  The recipe appears in a 1520 cookbook that mentions empanadas being stuffed with seafood.  The term is from the Spanish word, empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread.



     But while the word empanada is used in a general sense there are many different varieties.  In El Salvador they are stuffed with plantains and served as a dessert while in Columbia they are made with cornmeal and deep fried.  Argentinians bake them.

     There are a wide range of fillings used to stuff an empanada.  Cheese, onions, vegetables, beans & rice are but a few.  Others are more savory with meats like chicken, beef, pork or spicy chorizo inside.  Sweet empanadas can contain strawberries and cream, guava & cheese, or bananas and Nutella.  More creative empanadas have ingredients like hard boiled eggs, olives, salsa, sweet corn, jalapenos, sweet potatoes or roasted pumpkin or any combination of two or more.  And they can be seasoned with spices such as chipotles, cumin, paprika, saffron and cinnamon.

     So declare today a holiday and celebrate with an empanada of your own choosing!