Empanadas Are Delicious

Do you know what an empanada is? It is very tasty and is a stuffed pastry or bread which can be baked or fried. It is quite popular in Latin America and in the south of Europe.

Facts about the empanada:

• The name derives from empanar which means to coat or wrap in bread.
• To make an empanada you take dough and wrap it around a stuffing or filling which can be anything from meat to vegetables or even fruit.
• It originates from Spain and Portugal.
• First appeared in a cookbook which was published in 1520 in Catalan.
• Belief has it that empanadas came from the Arabic meat-filled pies known as samosas.
• An empanada is made like a large pie in Galicia and Portugal and then cut into pieces. In these countries it is usually filled with tuna, sardines or chorizo but sometimes can include codfish or pork loin. The ingredients come in a tomato, garlic and onion sauce.
• Spanish colonists brought it to Latin America and the Philippines where it also became popular.
• In the U.S. it is most popular in the South and the Southwest. In the state of Louisiana empanadas are Creole savory meat pies seasoned and filled with beef, pork, chicken, and cheese.