Torta de Santiago (in Galician) or Tarta de Santiago (in Spanish), literally meaning ''cake of St. James'', is an
almond
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genu ...
cake
Cake is a flour confection 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 elaborate ...
or
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), brown sugar ( sugar pie), sweete ...
from
Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
with origin in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
and the
Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O CamiƱo de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Sai ...
.
The filling principally consists of ground almonds, eggs, and sugar, with additional flavouring of
lemon zest
Zest is a food ingredient that is prepared by scraping or cutting from the rind of unwaxed citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, citron, and lime. Zest is used to add flavor to foods.
In terms of fruit anatomy, the zest is obtained from ...
, sweet wine, brandy, or
grape marc, depending on the recipe used.
Background
The
Galician for cake is tarta whilst it is often referred to torta, which is the Spanish word for it. It is a round shape and can be made with or without a base which can be either
puff pastry or
shortcrust pastry.
The top of the pie is decorated with
powdered sugar
Powdered sugar, also called confectioners' sugar, or icing sugar, is a finely ground sugar produced by milling granulated sugar into a powdered state. It usually contains between 2% and 5% of an anti-caking agent – such as corn starch, p ...
, masked by a silhouette of the
Cross of Saint James
The Cross of Saint James, also known as the Santiago cross, ''cruz espada,'' or Saint James' Cross, is a heraldic badge that is cruciform in design. The cross, shaped as a cross fitchy, combines with either a cross fleury or a cross moline. Its ...
(''cruz de Santiago'') which gives the pastry its name.
The origin of the cross being decorated on the cake dates to 1924 when the "Casa Mora" began to adorn the almond cakes with the silhouette.
In May 2010, the
EU gave Tarta de Santiago ''
PGI'' status within Europe. To qualify, the cake must be made in the Autonomous Community of Galicia and contain at least 33% almonds, excluding the base.
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]
See also
* List of almond dishes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarta De Santiago
Cakes
Galician cuisine
Sweet pies
Almond dishes
Spanish products with protected designation of origin
Santiago de Compostela
Spanish cuisine
Spanish desserts