Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies,

flatbreads A flatbread is bread made usually with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pita bread. A serving of 85g (~ ...

sandwiches A sandwich is a dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''container'' or ...

, or

omelettes An omelette (sometimes omelet in American English; see spelling differences) is a dish made from eggs (usually chicken eggs), fried with butter or oil in a frying pan. It is a common practice for an omelette to include fillings such as chiv ...

. Usually, it refers to: *

cake Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabor ...

pie A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), fruit preserves ( jam tart ...

in South America, much of Europe, and southern Philippines *

flatbread A flatbread is bread made usually with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are Unleavened bread, unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pita bread. A Se ...

in Spain * a type of

sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

in Mexico * a type of

omelette An omelette (sometimes omelet in American English; see spelling differences) is a dish made from eggs (usually chicken eggs), fried with butter or oil in a frying pan. It is a common practice for an omelette to include fillings such as chiv ...

in northern Tagalog-speaking areas of the Philippines.

Etymology

The word comes from the Spanish ''torta'' (), itself from Late Latin ''torta'', an abbreviation of ''torta panis'' ("twisted bread"). 'Torth' – Welsh for 'loaf' is of the same derivation (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: torta). The English word "tart" is related.

Cakes

Latin America and Spain

In some countries of

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

, the word ''torta'', in a very common usage, is for sweet

s (

torte A torte (; from (), in turn from Latin language, Latin via ) is a rich, usually Layer cake, multilayered, cake that is filled with whipped cream, buttercreams, mousses, Fruit preserves#Jam, jams, or fruit. Tortes are commonly baked in a spri ...

s), such as a

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

birthday cake A birthday cake is a cake eaten as part of birthday celebrations. While there is no standard for birthday cakes, they are typically highly decorated layer cakes covered in frosting, often featuring birthday wishes ("Happy birthday") followed b ...

. This meaning is also present in other European languages. For example, the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

''torta'',

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Torte A torte (; from (), in turn from Latin language, Latin via ) is a rich, usually Layer cake, multilayered, cake that is filled with whipped cream, buttercreams, mousses, Fruit preserves#Jam, jams, or fruit. Tortes are commonly baked in a spri ...

'' or

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

tart A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with ...

e''. In Mexico, "torta" refers to a sandwich and the sweet cake is normally referred to as ''pastel'', which is also used in other parts of

with this meaning. ''Huevo en torta'' (not to be confused with ''torta de huevo'') is a typical pastry from

Sobrarbe Sobrarbe is a comarca of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the north of Huesca province, making up part of the autonomous community of Aragon. Many of its people speak the Aragonese language locally known as ''fabla''. Sobrarbe is a mountainous ...

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

, Spain.

Philippines

In the southern

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, in the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kabisayaan'' ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, a ...

and

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

islands, ''torta'' is generally used to refer to small cakes. It usually refers to ''

mamón ''Mamón'' are traditional Philippine cuisine, Filipino chiffon cake, chiffon or sponge cakes, typically baked in distinctive cupcake-like molds. In the Visayas regions, ''mamón'' are also known as ''torta mamón'' or ''torta''. Variants of ...

'' or ''torta mamón'', a native porous sponge cake delicacy (traditionally made with

lard Lard is a Quasi-solid, semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering (animal products), rendering the adipose tissue, fatty tissue of a domestic pig, pig.

and

palm wine Palm wine, known by several #Names, local names, is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm trees such as the Borassus, palmyra, date palms, and coconut palms. It is known by various names in different regions and ...

) that resembles a large

cupcake A cupcake ( AmE, CanE), fairy cake ( BrE), or bun ( IrE) is a small cake designed to serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting, icing and various other cake decorations such as ...

with butter, sugar, and/or cheese on top, traditionally served with ''

sikwate ''Tsokolate'' ( ), also spelled ''chocolate'', is a native Filipino thick hot chocolate drink. It is made from ''tabliya'' or ''tablea'', tablets of pure ground roasted cacao beans, dissolved in water and milk. Like in Spanish and Mexican ver ...

'' (a thick, hot drink made of ground roasted cacao seeds) for afternoon snack or merienda.

Europe

In Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Slovene, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Swedish, Italian, Macedonian and Bulgarian, it is a word for cake, typically made with layered sponge and cream, chocolate or fruit filling. In Portugal, it designates specifically a

Swiss roll A Swiss roll, jelly roll (United States), roll cake, cream roll, roulade, Swiss log or swiss cake is a type of rolled sponge cake filled with whipped cream, jam, icing, or any type of filling. The origins of the term are unclear; in spite of ...

Middle East and North Africa

Sweet tarts in Arabic are called تورتَه (transliterated: twrtah)

Flatbreads

Spain

''Torta'' in Spain originated in different regional variants of

, of which the ''

torta de gazpacho Torta de gazpacho is a type of torta, or flat bread, used to prepare a dish called ''gazpacho'' or ''gazpacho manchego'' in La Mancha and Southeast Spain, including Murcia and parts of the autonomous community of Valencia. The word ''gaz ...

'' and ''

torta cenceña Torta de gazpacho is a type of torta, or flat bread, used to prepare a dish called ''gazpacho'' or ''gazpacho manchego'' in La Mancha and Southeast Spain, including Murcia and parts of the autonomous community of Valencia. The word ''gazp ...

'' still survives in certain areas of Central

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Tortas are also mentioned in Leviticus 24:5-9, in the Spanish translation of the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

. Presently, however, the word ''torta'' is also applied to different kinds of

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

and

pastry Pastry refers to a variety of Dough, doughs (often enriched with fat or eggs), as well as the sweet and savoury Baking, baked goods made from them. The dough may be accordingly called pastry dough for clarity. Sweetened pastries are often descr ...

products according to the region. Historically, the difference between ''torta'' and

was its round and flat shape, as well as the use of baking soda/powder as the proofing agent instead of

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

. In most regions, a ''torta'' was traditionally considered an inferior form of bread, as the well known Spanish

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...

expresses:

Latin America

In Mexico, a variation says: ''A falta de pan, tortillas'' ("Where there is no bread, ''tortillas''"). However, the term "torta" in Mexico typically refers to a sandwich made with bread (see

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

section, below, for more details). ''

Torta frita A sopaipilla, sopapilla, sopaipa, or cachanga is a kind of fried pastry and a type of quick bread served in several regions with Spanish heritage in the Americas. The word sopaipilla is the diminutive of sopaipa, a word that entered Spanish from ...

'' is a fried flatbread eaten in

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and the

Chilean Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

Omelettes

Philippines

In the northern

, particularly among

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

-speaking provinces and islands, ''torta'' refers to a class of

s made by mixing eggs with various ingredients. Tortas can be served any time during the day. There are many variations on Filipino tortas, such as: * ''Tortang alamang'' or ''tortang hipon'' – an omelette with

krill Krill ''(Euphausiids)'' (: krill) are small and exclusively marine crustaceans of the order (biology), order Euphausiacea, found in all of the world's oceans. The name "krill" comes from the Norwegian language, Norwegian word ', meaning "small ...

or small shrimp. Also known as shrimp fritters, although this term usually refers to ''

okoy ''Okoy'' or ''ukoy'', are Filipino crispy deep-fried fritters made with glutinous rice batter, unshelled small shrimp, and various vegetables, including calabaza, sweet potato, cassava, mung bean sprouts, scallions and julienned carrots, on ...

'', a

fritter A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been Batter (cooking), battered or breading, breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-frying, deep-fried. Fritters ar ...

made with shrimp and various vegetables (as well as other variations without shrimp). * ''

Tortang carne norte ''Tortang carne norte'', also known as corned beef omelette, is an omelette or fritter from Cuisine of the Philippines, Filipino cuisine made by pan-frying an egg and shredded canned corned beef (''carne norte'') mixture. It is usually seasoned ...

'' - an omelette made with

corned beef Corned beef, called salted beef in some Commonwealth countries, is a salt-cured brisket of beef. The term comes from the treatment of the meat with large-grained rock salt, also called "corns" of salt. Sometimes, sugar and spices are added to ...

. * ''Tortang giniling'' or ''tortang picadillo'' – an omelette with ground meat (usually beef or pork) and sautéed vegetables. * ''Tortang gulay'' – an omelette with peppers, mushrooms, onion, and garlic. * ''

Tortang kalabasa ''Tortang kalabasa'', also known as squash fritters, is a Filipino omelette made by mixing mashed or finely-grated pumpkin (''calabaza'') with flour, water, egg, salt, and pepper. Other ingredients like minced vegetables can also be added. It ...

'' – an omelette made with finely julienned

calabaza Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish language for any type of winter squash. Within an English-language context it specifically refers to the West Indian pumpkin, a winter squash typically grown in the West Indies, tropical America, and t ...

, eggs, flour, and salt. * ''Tortang kamote'' – an omelette made with mashed sweet potato, eggs, flour, and salt. * ''

Tortang sardinas ''Tortang sardinas'', also known as ''tortang tinapa'', sardines omelette, or tinapa fritters, is a Filipino omelette made by mixing shredded '' tinapa'' (smoked sardines) with eggs. It can also include tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, ground b ...

'' - an omelette made with sardines and tomato sauce. * ''

Tortang talong ''Tortang talong'', also known as eggplant omelette, is an omelette or fritter from Cuisine of the Philippines, Filipino cuisine made by pan-frying grilling, grilled whole eggplants dipped in an egg mixture. It is a popular breakfast and lunc ...

'' – an eggplant fritter. * ''Tortang okra'' – an omelette with thinly sliced okra, onion, and garlic.

Spain and Latin America

''Tortilla de huevo'' is a small fried mixture of

scrambled eggs Scrambled eggs is a dish made from eggs (usually chicken eggs), where the whites and yolks have been stirred, whipped, or beaten together (typically with salt, butter or oil, and sometimes water or milk, or other ingredients), then heated so ...

, usually eaten sandwiched in bread.

Pies

Italy

In Italian, "" means either

, however sweet or savoury. However, in the US, it came to have a different meaning within the Italian-American community. The Italian ''torta'' is differentiated from ''

crostata ''Crostata'' () is an Italian baked tart or pie. The earliest known use of ''crostata'' in its modern sense can be traced to the cookbooks ''Libro de Arte Coquinaria'' (''Book of the Art of Cooking'') by Martino da Como, published , and ''C ...

'' by the filling: a ''crostata'' has an inconsistent chunky filling, whereas a ''torta'' has a consistent filling made of blended ingredients. Some falsely believe that an Italian crust torta is a combination of layered cheeses and tomatoes to be spread onto bread. Italian torta is a pie similar to

quiche Quiche ( ) is a French tart consisting of a pastry crust filled with savoury custard and pieces of cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. A well-known variant is quiche lorraine, which includes lardons or bacon. Quiche may be served hot, wa ...

and served as a brunch item. However, torta is different than quiche as the crust is mostly made of cheese, not egg. The crust can also be made from pizza dough. Ingredients vary as there are many variations of this torta. Traditional Italian torta usually includes

ricotta Ricotta () is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the casein h ...

parmesan Parmesan (, ) is an Italian cuisine, Italian Types of cheese#Hard cheese, hard, Types of cheese#Granular, granular cheese produced from Dairy cattle, cow's milk and aged at least 12 months. It is a Grana (cheese), grana-type cheese, along wit ...

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...

, and

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

. There are also variations that contain meat and some that are completely vegetarian. These vegetarian torte sometimes contain artichokes and spices for flavor. This torta is made in a

springform pan A springform pan is a type of Cookware and bakeware, bakeware that features sides that can be removed from the base. Springform refers to the construction style of this pan. The base and the sides are separate pieces that are held together wh ...

instead of a traditional pie pan.

Brazil

Torta in Portugal, Brazil and other Portuguese speaking countries refers to a moist cake or a pie which can be a sweet or savory dish.

Malta

Torta in Malta means a pie, which can be sweet or savoury. Most "tortas" are generally savoury, with a classic

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

dish being "torta tal-lampuki" (

lampuki The mahi-mahi ( ) or common dolphinfish (''Coryphaena hippurus'') is a surface-dwelling ray-finned fish found in off-shore temperate, tropical, and subtropical waters worldwide. It is also widely called dorado (not to be confused with ''Salminu ...

, singular lampuka, are a type of common fish found in Maltese waters). A common example of a sweet Maltese torta is "" (, singular , means

almonds The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the sh ...

in Maltese. Almonds are a very common ingredient in Maltese cuisine, although some people prefer to use marzipan over almonds, either because of ease, taste preference or cost.

South America

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, and

, people typically refer to dessert cakes as "tortas."

Sandwiches

Mexico

, a ''torta'' is a kind of

, served on one of two types of white

rolls. The first is similar to a small

baguette A baguette (; ) is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. A baguette has a diameter ...

, and may be referred to as a

bolillo A ''bolillo'' () (in Mexico) or ''pan francés'' (in Central America) (meaning "French bread") is a type of savory bread made in Mexico and Central America. It is a variation of the baguette, but shorter in length and is often baked in a stone o ...

, birote, or ''pan francés'' depending on region. The second is a flat, oblong, soft roll also called a

sandwich roll Sandwich rolls (), often referred as or Mexican sandwich rolls, are a type of white bread usually made from wheat flour, yeast, water and salt, used in various Mexican sandwiches. Etymology and terms A crusty french-style sandwich roll is oft ...

, also referred as a telera. Tortas can be eaten cold or hot, and grilled or toasted in a press in the same manner as a

Cuban sandwich A Cuban sandwich () is a variation of a ham and cheese sandwich that likely originated before the turn of the 20th century in cafes catering to Cuban workers in Tampa or Key West, two early Cuban immigrant communities in Florida centered on the ...

. Garnishes such as

avocado The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

(usually

poblano The poblano (''Capsicum annuum'') is a mild chili pepper originating in Puebla, Mexico. Dried, it is called ancho or chile ancho, from the Spanish word ''ancho'' (wide). Stuffed fresh and roasted, it is popular in chiles rellenos poblanos. W ...

chipotle A chipotle ( , ), or chilpotle, is a smoke-dried ripe jalapeño chili pepper used for seasoning. It is a chili used primarily in Mexican and Mexican-inspired cuisines, such as Tex-Mex and Southwestern United States dishes. It comes in differen ...

jalapeño The jalapeño ( , , ) is a medium-sized chili pepper Fruit, pod type cultivar of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. A mature jalapeño chili is long and wide, and hangs down from the plant. The pungency of jalapeño peppers varies, but is usual ...

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

, and

are common. The dish is popular throughout Mexico, and is also available anywhere with a large Mexican population. In Northern Mexico, the ''torta'' is very frequently called ''lonche'' by influence of the English "

lunch Lunch is a meal typically consumed around the middle of the day, following breakfast and preceding dinner. It varies in form, size, and significance across cultures and historical periods. In some societies, lunch constitutes the main meal ...

", as it may be eaten during lunch break. The sandwich is normally named according to its main ingredient: * ''Torta de jamón'',

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

-filled ''torta'' * ''Torta de aguacate'',

-filled ''torta'' * ''Torta de adobada'',

adobo or (Spanish language, Spanish: marinade, sauce, or seasoning) is the immersion of food in a stock (or sauce) composed variously of paprika, oregano, Edible salt, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. The Portuguese cu ...

meat-filled ''torta'' * ''Torta de huevo'',

-filled ''torta'' * ''Torta de milanesa'',

milanesa ''Milanesa'' is a variation of the Lombard veal Milanese, or the Austrian Wiener schnitzel, where generic types of breaded cutlet preparations are known as ''milanesa''. ''Milanesa'' was brought to the Southern Cone by Italian immigrants betw ...

meat-filled ''torta'' * ''Tortope'', chicken

sope Sope may refer to: People * Barak Sopé (born 1951), Vanuatu politician * Sope Aluko (born 1975), Nigerian-born British American actress * Sope Dirisu (born 1991), British Nigerian actor * Sope Johnson * Sope Willams Elegbe (born 1975), Nigerian p ...

-filled ''torta'' A few ''tortas'' have names whose connections to their fillings is less clear. The '' torta ahogada'' (meaning "drowned" ''torta'') of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

is smothered in a red sauce. Different fillings are available and they may be mixed to create an original ''torta''. Meanwhile, the ''torta cubana'' ("Cuban ''torta''") is stuffed with a variety of meats, the identity of which varies across Mexico. This ''torta'' is unrelated to the Cuban sandwich served in Florida and Cuba and is not believed to have any connection to

Cuban cuisine Cuban cuisine is largely based on Spanish cuisine with influence from India, African and other Caribbean cuisines. Some Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish, Taino and African cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and ...

at all; instead, it seems to have been named for the place of its invention, ''Calle Republica de Cuba'' (Republic of Cuba Street) in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. Due to the practicality of being hand-carried, ''tortas'' are sold at massive events, such as football matches, parades, and outdoor concerts, but they are also available for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at dedicated establishments or sold as

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

food cart A food cart is a mobile kitchen set up on the street to prepare and sell street food to passers-by. Food carts are often found in cities worldwide selling food of every kind. Food carts come in two basic styles. One allows the vendor to sit ...

s. The origin of the torta is unclear, but some claim it sprouted in

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

due to Spanish-French interaction; others argue it was a late-arriving example of American influence. ''Teleras'' (the bread usually used in tortas) were inspired by French baguettes.

Gallery

File:Torta Chicharrones-Galicia.jpg, ''Torta de chicharrones'' from Galicia, Spain File:Tortas de aceite.jpg, '' Tortas de aceite'' in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

, Spain File:06.Torta de Huevo 02.JPG, Packed ''torta de huevo'', from

, Spain File:Houghton LAC8.Ib170.839t - Trages y Costumbres 6.jpg, An 1839 drawing of a woman selling tortas File:01.Torta.JPG, Torta from Ribagorza, Aragon, Spain File:TortaImperial-P1090313.JPG, Torta imperial, Spain File:TortaFrita.jpg, ''

'' from

and

File:Torta verde.jpg, ''Torta verde'' from

Ventimiglia Ventimiglia (; , ; ; ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located west of Genoa, and from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia river, w ...

, Italy File:Tortas Oaxaquenas.jpg, Tortas being prepared on a griddle in

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

, Mexico File:TORTA DE HUEVO.jpg, Mexican ''torta de huevo''

References

External links

Spanish Dictionary: Torta
{{Omelettes Cuisine of the Western United States Flatbreads Mexican cuisine Omelettes Filipino cuisine Sandwiches Spanish words and phrases Unleavened breads

Etymology

Cakes

Latin America and Spain

Philippines

Europe

Middle East and North Africa

Flatbreads

Spain

Latin America

Omelettes

Philippines

Spain and Latin America

Pies

Italy

Brazil

Malta

South America

Sandwiches

Mexico

Gallery

See also

References

External links