An ''alfajor'' or ''alajú'' (, plural ''alfajores'') is a traditional
confection
Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...
typically made of flour, honey, and nuts. It is found in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
,
Southern Brazil
The South Region of Brazil (; ) is one of the five regions of Brazil. It includes the states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina, and covers , being the smallest region of the country, occupying only about 6.76% of the territory ...
,
Southern France
Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, and
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. The archetypal ''alfajor'' entered Iberia during the period of
al-Andalus
Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...
. It is produced in the form of a small cylinder and is sold either individually or in boxes containing several pieces.
Etymology
According to Spanish philologist and dialectologist
Manuel Alvar López, ''alfajor'' is an Andalusian variant of the Castilian ''alajú'', derived from the Arabic word , ''al-fakhir'', meaning luxurious, and, contrary to some beliefs that it originated in the New World, was introduced to Latin America as ''alfajor''. The word had been introduced into Spanish dictionaries in the 14th century.
[ In ]Antonio de Nebrija
Antonio de Nebrija (14445 July 1522) was the most influential Spanish humanist of his era. He wrote poetry, commented on literary works, and encouraged the study of classical languages and literature, but his most important contributions were i ...
's ''«Spanish-Latin Vocabulary»'' (1495) :
The publication of historical dictionaries of the Spanish language allows one to document both forms of the original ''alajur'', written as ''alajú'' and ''alfajor''. ''Alajur'' and multiple geographic variations are sweets made of a paste of almonds, nuts, breadcrumbs and honey. It is possible that ''alfajor'' and ''alajú'' were Arabisms introduced into the Spanish language in different places and times, and, supposing both came from the same etymology, from a linguistic point of view, ''alajú'' is probably an Arabism of Castillian Spanish, and so it is still alive in Cuenca,
Toledo,
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
and in ''la Sierra de la peña de Francia''; meanwhile the variation ''alfajor'' is Andalusian and
Murcia
Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...
n. In the Americas, the word ''alfajor'' was not known until the 19th century.
History
In 712, the Arab general
Musa ibn Nusair
Musa ibn Nusayr ( ar, موسى بن نصير ''Mūsá bin Nuṣayr''; 640 – c. 716) served as a Umayyad governor and an Arab general under the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid I. He ruled over the Muslim provinces of North Africa (Ifriqiya), and direct ...
arrived in
Algeciras
Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...
with an army of 18,000 soldiers to undertake the conquest of
Medina Sidonia
Medina Sidonia is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain. Considered by some to be the oldest city in Europe, it is used as a military defence location because of its elevation. ...
,
Alcalá de Guadaira
Alcalá, Alcalà or Alcala may refer to:
People
*Alcalá (surname), includes a list of people with that name
Places Bolivia
* Alcalá (Tomina), a town in Bolivia Colombia
* Alcalá, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Philippines
*Alcala, Cagayan, a mun ...
and
Carmona. A similar sweet called ''alaú'' is found in the Arabic-Hispanic cookbook
Kitab al-Tabikh, by an anonymous author. The Spanish grammarian
Nebrija
Antonio de Nebrija (14445 July 1522) was the most influential Spanish humanist of his era. He wrote poetry, commented on literary works, and encouraged the study of classical languages and literature, but his most important contributions were i ...
noted the word for the first time in his Latin-Spanish Dictionary (1495) as: ''alfaxor'' or ''alaxur''.
In the 12th century, Raimundo Martin describes in his book ''Vocabulista'' another possible etymology of the Hispano-Arabic ''fasur'', meaning "nectar".
Preparation and presentation
The regulations of the Andalusian Ministry of Agriculture allow the use of only pure honey, almonds, nuts, breadcrumbs, sugar, flour and spices, such as aniseed, sesame, cilantro, cloves and cinnamon. The Protected Geographical Indication ''alfajores'' are meant to be presented in a cylindrical shape, with a minimum weight of 30 grams each, and with a minimum size of about 7 cm in length and a diameter of 1.5 cm. Each of them will be protected with a wrapping paper, and the ends made an ornament in a spiral shape with a ribbon out of the same paper. Once individually wrapped, they may be packaged in wood or cardboard boxes, but never in plastic.
Europe
In Spain
![Alfajores-Horno San Onofre (MAdrid)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Alfajores-Horno_San_Onofre_%28MAdrid%29.jpg)
In Spain, there are a variety of different recipes for preparing ''alfajores'', but the most traditional contain flour, honey, almonds and several spices, such as cinnamon. ''Alfajores'' are most commonly sold around Christmas, but in
Medina Sidonia
Medina Sidonia is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain. Considered by some to be the oldest city in Europe, it is used as a military defence location because of its elevation. ...
, they are available year-round. The traditional Spanish ''alfajor'' has been produced in this town (where it is called an ''alajú'') since ancient times, and the recipe has been traditionally handed down from father to son.
''Alfajores'' are still made by craftsmen in Medina Sidonia using natural ingredients that include honey, almonds, hazelnuts, sugar, flour, and breadcrumbs, and mixed with natural spices.
The manufacturing process has been respected following a recipe found by Mariano Pardo de Figueroa in 1786. In Medina Sidonia, the annual production of approximately 45,000 kilograms is mostly consumed in the province of Cadiz, but they are also famous in Sevilla, Malaga and
Huelva
Huelva (, ) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is between two short rias though has an outlying spur including nature reserve on the Gulf of Cádiz coast. The rias ...
.
On 15 September 2004,
protected geographical indication
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...
was ratified by the ''Consejo de agricultura y pesca de la junta de Andalucía'' and published in the ''Official Journal of the European Union'' as ''Alfajor de Medina Sidonia'' on 6 March 2007.
In the province of
Cuenca, Spain, where the ''alfajor'' is called ''alajú'' it is made with almond, honey and figs, all wrapped in a wafer.
Medina Sidonia was the capital for the Arabic world of confection, where the ''alfajor'' has centuries of history with a recipe that has been transmitted from generation to generation. In this town, there is an account of
Mariano Pardo de Figueroa
Mariano Pardo de Figueroa of Medina (18 November 1828 – 11 December 1918), who used the nom-de-plume Dr. Thebussem (or Thebussen), was a Spanish nobleman and philatelist who was one of the "Fathers of Philately" entered on the Roll of Distinguish ...
, a gastronomist better known by his pseudonym Doctor Thebussem, who documented the history of this sweet, wherein he wrote that on 2 July 1487,
Enrique de Guzmán, second count of Medina Sidonia, ordered the council and majors of the region to send to Malaga 50 cows, 50 oxen, 200 calves and provision of ''alajú'' from his city.
The recipe documented by the accounts of Thebussem in the 19th century is defined as the following:
In France
The sweet sandwich cookie sold and largely consumed in France is the
macaron
A macaron ( , )
or French macaroon ( )
is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food colouring.
The macaron is traditionally held to have been introduced in France by the Ital ...
. This typical Parisian confection is presented with a
ganache
Ganache (; ) is a glaze, icing, sauce, or filling for pastries, made from chocolate and cream.
Preparation
Ganache is a chocolate preparation, normally made by heating equal parts by weight of cream and chopped chocolate, warming the cream ...
,
buttercream
Buttercream, also referred to as butter icing or frosting, is used for either filling, coating or decorating cakes. The main ingredients are butter and some type of sugar.
Buttercream is commonly flavored with vanilla. Other common flavors a ...
or
jam
Jam is a type of fruit preserve.
Jam or Jammed may also refer to:
Other common meanings
* A firearm malfunction
* Block signals
** Radio jamming
** Radar jamming and deception
** Mobile phone jammer
** Echolocation jamming
Arts and entertai ...
filling sandwiched between two cookies, akin to a
sandwich cookie
A sandwich cookie, also known as a sandwich biscuit, is a type of cookie made from two thin cookies or medium cookies with a filling between them. Many types of fillings are used, such as cream, ganache, buttercream, chocolate, cream cheese, jam ...
. This
meringue
Meringue (, ; ) is a type of dessert or candy, often associated with Swiss, French, Polish and Italian cuisines, traditionally made from whipped egg whites and sugar, and occasionally an acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar, or cream of ...
-based sweet should not be considered a counterpart of the Alfajor in France. Both sweet pastries are extremely similar in shape; nevertheless, the method and ingredients of the confection differ significantly. The alfajor is made with a biscuit base, whose dough, whether made of corn-starch or flour, is usually more compact and solid. Instead, the macaron is made with meringue, which can be Italian or French.
In the Americas
In the Caribbean
In Puerto Rico, they underwent creolization, lost their almond and gained ground
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...
. They can take varying amounts of sugar and spices. It's possible that Puerto Rico's most common version of this dessert (South American version with dulce de leche) reached Puerto Rico from Venezuela, but the opposite is also possible. Depending on region some add cornstarch, citrus zest, ginger and honey, filled with chocolate, vanilla cream, dulce de leche, fruit paste, or coconut. The filling can be mixed with almonds, sesame seeds, coconut flakes, or
sprinkles
Sprinkles are very small pieces of confectionery used as an often colourful decoration or to add texture to desserts such as brownies, cupcakes, doughnuts or ice cream. The tiny candies are produced in a variety of colors and are generally used ...
.
Traditional "alfajores" in Argentina, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela consist of two round, sweet
biscuit
A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be ...
s made of wheat flour or corn starch joined with
dulce de leche
''Dulce de leche'' (; pt, doce de leite), also known as caramelized milk, milk candy or milk jam in English, is a confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk over a period of several hours. The resulting substance, wh ...
(known as "manjar blanco" in Peru and as "arequipe" in Venezuela), and optionally coated with powdered sugar. More modern "industrial" varieties in Uruguay and Argentina, are coated with dark or white chocolate (many ''alfajores'' are sold in "black" and "white" versions), or simply covered with powdered sugar. These are also known as a ''Chilean
Oreo
Oreo () (stylized as OREO) is a brand of sandwich cookie consisting of two biscuits or cookie pieces with a sweet creme filling. It was introduced by Nabisco on March 6, 1912, and through a series of corporate acquisitions, mergers and split ...
''. One variation is called "''alfajor de nieve''" (snow alfajor) and has a white coating consisting of a mixture of egg whites and sugar. Most ''alfajores'' come packaged in aluminium foil. Alfajores are made in various diameters and are consumed as snacks.
In South America
![Alfajores](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Alfajores.JPG)
Alfajores have been popular in Argentina and Uruguay since the mid-19th century. However, these differ from the Spanish alfajores in that they are made with two round cookies with different sweet fillings between them. The filling is usually
dulce de leche
''Dulce de leche'' (; pt, doce de leite), also known as caramelized milk, milk candy or milk jam in English, is a confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk over a period of several hours. The resulting substance, wh ...
, although there are a lot of variations. They can be covered with powder sugar (the traditional ones), glazed sugar (Santafesinos or "de nieve"), grated coconut or chocolate. Argentina is one of the world's largest consumer of alfajores,
both in total numbers and in per capita calculations, actually consuming more than a billion alfajores a year, while being the most common snack for schoolchildren and adults.
Some of the best-known alfajor brands in South America are the Argentine "Jorgito", "Capitán del Espacio", "Guaymallen", "Suchard", "Havanna", "Cachafaz", "Juanote" and "Estancia El Rosario", the Uruguayan "Punta Ballena", "Sierra de Minas", "Alfajores Portezuelo", "Marley", and Peruvian "Casa del Alfajor".
In Peru
Alfajores made their arrival to the
Viceroyalty of Peru
The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed from ...
, the largest administrative district of the Spanish Empire in South America in the 16th century, and have been popular since, especially the artisanal types.
In Argentina
The ''alfajor'' has been manufactured and consumed since colonial times in the territories that today belong to Argentina.
= Industrial alfajor
=
Mass-production of alfajores traces back to the Atlantic coast of Argentina in the 1950s. Brands such as Havanna and Balcarce, and as many as 30 others, have been introduced into shops and supermarkets. Statistics of the year 2021 shows that inhabitants of Argentina consume 6 million alfajores per day. Supermarkets carry a wide variety of product, up to 34 different kinds. These include "triple alfajores", which are composed of three biscuits adhered to one another with dulce de leche and covered with chocolate.
= Regional
=
Around 1851 in the district of Arocena (province of Santa Fe), Manuel Zampatti, known as Zapatin, began commercially manufacturing an existing variety of alfajor consisting of three baked cookies adhered with dulce de leche and coated with sugar. These came to be known as "alfajor santafesino". Colonel Néstor Fernández took it to the battle of Caseros, and was there when the army tasted it and it became so popular that General Justo José de Urquiza had alfajores taken to his San José de Entre Ríos farm with a weekly load of these alfajores. They are also manufactured in the provinces of Santiago del Estero and Tucumán, and the famous brand Havanna manufactures them in the city of
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a s ...
and in most of the tourist places of Argentina.
The Cordobes alfajor stands out among the regional varieties of Argentina; it is filled with jellies of fruits (generally of quince), one of the most well - known brands is Estancia El Rosario. Other outstanding variety is the alfajor from Santa Fe which has no less than three puff pastry covers adhered to one another with much dulce de leche and everything glazed (Industrial preparations can be differentiated because they are not coated in the lower part, since the coating is made in plates). In addition, In Santa Fe, it can be acquired the Rogel, of similar characteristics, but bigger (the size of a small cake) and the variety from Tucuman, which is known as a clarita and it is made up with two crunchy cookies as covers and filled with a jelly made up of sugar molasses. In Argentina, alfajores made up of cornflour are very consumed as well (covers made up of maize starch, filled with dulce de leche and grated coconut around the joining).
In Chile
The cornflour alfajor is consumed during the whole year in the central areas of Chile; on the other hand, in the southern areas of Chile, it is consumed another variety of alfajor, generally for Patriotic festivities of September.
The alfajor is basically a sponge cake or cookies adhered with manjar (dulce de leche) and generally coated in meringue or marmalade and optionally with sprinkled icing sugar.
Two types of alfajores are mainly outstanding in Chile:
* The first type of alfajor, similar to the one of corn flour prepared in other countries of Latin America, is prepared over all the territory of Chile, and mainly in the central area of Chile, where it is a traditional candy. It is known with other names as "candy of corn flour" or the typical "chilenitos". The ''chilenitos'' are manufactured with corn flour or other types of flour and tend to be simpler and smaller than the typical alfajores.
* The second type of alfajor, considered the true traditional alfajor of the country and known as "chilean alfajor", is mainly prepared in the southern areas of Chile. Unlike the traditional alfajores of corn flour, it stands out because it is prepared with two hojarascas (kind of thin and firm cookie) that, since they are previously baked, acquire a curved form in their extremes. They are adhered to each other with dark brown sugar,
panela
Panela () or rapadura (Portuguese pronunciation: ) is an unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Central and Latin America. It is a solid form of sucrose derived from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. Panela is known by other na ...
, manjar or with confectioners cream
(if they are filled with dark brown sugar, the hojarascas are a little bit thicker and flatter than those filled with manjar). Optionally, they can be garnished in the end of the filling with grated coconut as it is the case of the alfajores filled with manjar or with ground nuts.
Guinness World Record: the biggest South American ''alfajor''
According to Guinness World Records, the biggest ''alfajor'' in the world, measuring almost two meters in diameter and 80 centimeters in height and weighing 464 kilograms, was made on 11 December 2010 in
Minas
Minas or MINAS may refer to:
People with the given name Minas
* Menas of Ethiopia (died 1563)
* Saint Menas (Minas, 285–309)
* Minias of Florence (Minas, Miniato, died 250)
* Minas Alozidis (born 1984), Greek hurdler
* Minas Avetisyan (1928 ...
,
Lavalleja Department
Lavalleja () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Minas. It is located in the southeast of the country, bordered to the north by the department of Treinta y Tres to the east with Rocha, to the south with Canelones and Maldonado, and to ...
,
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. The giant ''alfajor'' was made to mark the celebration of Uruguay's first National Alfajor Festival. More than 30 people participated in the preparation of the record-breaking ''alfajor''.
Gallery
File:Alfajores-de-maicena-biscuits-recipe.jpg, Home-made alfajores made with cornstarch and dulce de leche
File:AlfajorBaguioKikoBautista.jpg, A jar of alfajores from the city of Baguio
Baguio ( ,
), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...
, Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
File:Alfajor chocolate negro.jpg, Dark chocolate alfajor
File:Alfajores peruanos 2018.jpg, Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
vian alfajor
File:A typical Alfajor from Córdoba, Argentina.jpg, A typical alfajor from Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba () is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Punilla Valley, Sierras Chicas on the Primero River, Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province, Argentina, Córdoba Province a ...
See also
*
Wagon Wheel (Commonwealth),
Choco pie (Korea), and
Moon pie (United States), similar snacks with a marshmallow filling
*
Macaron
A macaron ( , )
or French macaroon ( )
is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food colouring.
The macaron is traditionally held to have been introduced in France by the Ital ...
, a similar French confection
*
Mille-feuille
A (, "thousand-sheets"),The name is also written as and . also known by the names Napoleon, vanilla slice, and custard slice, is a dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream. Its modern form was influenced by improvements made by Ma ...
, a French confection of layered pastry and cream
*
Baklava
Baklava (, or ; ota, باقلوا ) is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It was one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine.
The pre- Ottoman origin of the ...
, a Middle-Eastern confection of layered pastry and honey
*
Pirouline
Pirouline is a brand of creme-filled rolled wafer cookie sold in the United States by the DeBeukelaer Corporation.
Piroulines were developed in 1984 by Peter DeBeukelaer. Pirouline cookies are toasted, rolled wafers that are filled with creme a ...
, a cream-filled tubular wafer cookie
*
List of desserts
A dessert is typically the sweet course that, after the entrée and main course, concludes a meal in the culture of many countries, particularly Western culture. The course usually consists of sweet foods, but may include other items. The word ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Filipino food
Spanish desserts
French desserts
Argentine desserts
Chilean desserts
Mexican desserts
Paraguayan desserts
Peruvian desserts
Uruguayan desserts
Andalusian cuisine
Desserts
Spanish products with protected designation of origin
Philippine desserts
Bolivian cuisine
Colombian cuisine
Ecuadorian cuisine
Puerto Rican cuisine
Confectionery