Churros are sticks of fried dough, crisp outside and soft inside, which Spaniards dip into a cup of thick hot chocolate. They are a symbol of Sunday breakfast, winter snacks and above all the end of a night out, when at dawn people head to a churrería before going home.
Origins
The origin is disputed. One theory holds that churros were invented by the peninsula's shepherds, who made a simple dough to fry over the fire; the name may recall the horns of churra sheep. Another links them to Chinese fried dough brought back by the Portuguese. Either way, fried dough of flour, water and salt is ancient in the Mediterranean, and from Spain churros spread throughout Latin America.
Churros and porras
- Churros are thin, star-shaped in section, and often formed into loops or teardrops.
- Porras, typical of Madrid, are thicker and fluffier, with a little bicarbonate or yeast in the dough, and are fried in a long spiral then cut into pieces.
In Andalusia people eat calentitos or tejeringos, similar to churros, and in some areas they are dusted with sugar.
The chocolate
Spanish chocolate for churros is much thicker than the drinking chocolate found elsewhere: it is made with cocoa, sugar, milk and a little cornflour, and the spoon almost stands up. Chocolate came to Europe from Spain after the conquest of Mexico, and by the seventeenth century it was already a fashionable drink at the Madrid court.
How they are made
The traditional dough is very simple: boiling salted water poured onto flour and stirred until smooth and firm. The dough goes into a churro syringe or a piping bag with a star nozzle and is squeezed straight into very hot oil, about 180°C, and fried until golden. Drain on paper and serve at once.
Where to eat them
- Chocolatería San Ginés in Madrid, in the San Ginés passage near Puerta del Sol, open since 1894: a must, especially at dawn.
- The churrerías in markets and squares in every city, such as Madrid's Plaza Mayor or Triana market in Seville.
- In Catalonia the granjas, dairy cafés in Barcelona's Barri Gòtic such as those on carrer Petritxol, serve chocolate with melindros and churros.
- At festivals and fairs there are always churro stalls.
See also typical Spanish sweets and Christmas, when churros and chocolate close New Year's Eve.