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An empanada is a type of baked or fried
turnover Turnover or turn over may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *''Turn Over'', a 1988 live album by Japanese band Show-Ya * Turnover (band), an American rock band *"Turnover", a song on Fugazi's 1990 album '' Repeater'' *''Turnover'', a Japane ...
consisting of pastry and
filling Filling may refer to: * a food mixture used for stuffing * Icing (food), Frosting used between layers of a cake * Dental restoration * Symplectic filling, a kind of cobordism in mathematics * Part of the leather crusting process See also

* Fi ...
, common in Spanish, other Southern European, Latin American, and Iberian-influenced cultures around the world. The name comes from the Spanish (to bread, i.e., to coat with bread), and translates as 'breaded', that is, wrapped or coated in bread. They are made by folding dough over a filling, which may consist of meat, cheese, tomato, corn, or other ingredients, and then cooking the resulting turnover, either by baking or frying.


Origins

The origin of empanadas is unknown but they are thought to have originated in
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 ...
, a region in northwest Spain. A cookbook published in
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
in 1520, ''Llibre del Coch'' by Robert de Nola, mentions empanadas filled with seafood in the recipes for
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
, Italian,
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, and
Arabian The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...
food.


By country and region


Argentina

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
empanadas are often served during parties and festivals as a starter or main course. Shops specialize in freshly made empanadas, with many flavors and fillings. Every region of Argentina has its own characteristic variant. Those of Salta are small, juicy and spicy, and contain potatoes, peppers and ground chili. The Jujuy variant adds peas and garlic. Its filling is called "recado" and the repulgue (the way of closing the empanada) "simbado". The La Rioja variant includes hard-boiled egg, red bell pepper, olives, and raisins. In Jujuy, there are two variants: "creoles" and "arabs". Those of Santiago are considered especially juicy. Those of Catamarca are similar but smaller. Tucumán is known for the empanada Creole; an annual "National Empanada" festival is held in Famaillá. Those of Famaillá are made with matambre and fried in good fat, competing with the "entreveradas" (mixed-grated), in which the matambre is mixed with chicken breast, garlic, ground chili, hard-boiled egg and cumin. Those of Mendoza are large and include olives and garlic. Those of San Juan have a higher proportion of onion, which made them juicier and slightly sweet, olives are also common and sometimes fat is also added to the "recado" or the dough. In San Luis they are big, seasoned with oregano and hot pepper, and kneaded with pork fat. In Córdoba, they were called "federal cake" or "empanadas de Misia Manuelita", famous because pears boiled in wine with cloves were added to their filling. Today they are not so sweet but it is tradition to sprinkle them with sugar. In Traslasierra they add carrots and potatoes. In the Litoral, where immigrants from various parts of the world predominated, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos and Corrientes fill them with river fish, being delicious the surubí, dorado or with white sauce and Goya cheese. In the Cordillera of Patagonia, they are made with lamb and on the coast with seafood. In Buenos Aires, the Creole empanada is so important that it has been declared a Cultural Heritage of Food and Gastronomy by the Argentine Ministry of Culture.


Belize

In Belize, empanadas are known as ''panades''. They are made with masa (corn dough) and typically stuffed with fish, chicken, or beans. They are usually deep fried and served with a cabbage or salsa topping. Panades are frequently sold as street food.


Chile

Empanadas are a staple part of Chilean cuisine. Commonly consumed in large quantities during the country's national day celebrations, many Chileans consider this to be their most representative dish.


Colombia

Empanadas have been known in the country since colonial times, and the ingredients used by the original inhabitants were incorporated into their elaboration. The first to introduce ''empanadas'' were Spanish colonizers. They have a relatively homogeneous character that makes them synonymous with Colombian gastronomy. In each region the dough is made with ground corn or with wheat or corn flour. The fillings vary between mashed potatoes with ground meat, peanuts, cheese, pumpkin, squash candy, stews of meat or chicken with rice and vegetables. They are usually yellow, small in size, shaped like a crescent and deep-fried.


Ecuador

A sweet variety, ''empanadas de viento'' (wind, or air, empanadas), are made from thinly-rolled dough, filled with cheese, fried, then sprinkled with, or rolled in, sugar. The word "viento" refers to the air that fills the empanada as it fries, causing the final product to be hollow.


El Salvador

El Salvador is one of few countries where the empanada is made with plantain rather than a flour-based dough wrapping. A popular sweet variation, ''empanadas de platano'' are torpedo-shaped dumplings of dough made from very ripe plantains, filled with vanilla custard, fried, then rolled in sugar. They may alternatively have a filling made from refried beans rather than milk-based custard, but the flavour profile remains sweet rather than savoury.


Indonesia

In Indonesia, empanadas are known as panada. It is especially popular within Manado cuisine of North Sulawesi where their panada has thick crust made from fried bread, filled with spicy ''cakalang'' fish (
skipjack tuna The skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'') is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known as the balaya (Sri Lanka), bakulan/kayu (North Borneo), tongkol/aya (Malay Peninsula/Indonesia), aku (Hawaii), cakal ...
) and chili, curry, potatoes or
quail egg Quail eggs are eaten and considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, and North America. In Japanese cuisine, they are sometimes used raw or cooked as ''tamago'' in sushi and often found in ''bento'' lunches. In ...
s. The panada in North Sulawesi was derived from Portuguese influence in the region. This dish almost similar to
karipap A curry puff ( ms, Karipap, Epok-epok; ; th, กะหรี่ปั๊บ, , ) is a snack of Maritime Southeast Asian origin. It is a small pie consisting of curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried or baked pastry shell. The con ...
and
pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...
, although those snacks have thinner crust compared to panada.


Mexico

In Mexico, empanadas can be sweet or savory, and fried or baked depending on the state or region. In the states of
Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...
and
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, pumpkin empanadas are common: chunks of pumpkin are cooked along with piloncillo and sometimes
tequesquite Tequesquite or tequexquite (from Nahuatl ''tequixquitl'') is a natural mineral salt containing compounds of sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, and sodium sulphate, used in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times mainly as a food seasoning. It is found natu ...
and then mushed; the empanadas are filled with the pumpkin mixture and then are baked. In Colima State, in the municipality of Villa de Álvarez, empanadas are traditionally eaten from September 25 to October 4, which is the day the Catholic Church honours
Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...
. As per tradition, a person will ask someone else for an empanada by saying ''"¡Padrino, mis empanadas!"'' if addressing a man or ''"¡Madrina, mis empanadas!"'' if addressing a woman. The three traditional fillings are ''leche'' ('milk', which is similar to Bavarian cream), ''piña'' ('pineapple'), and ''coco'' ('coconut'), but nowadays other fillings such as strawberry jam, ham, cream cheese, and Nutella are used. In
Veracruz State Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
, fried fish empanadas are common, mainly during
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
.


Peru

In Peru, the traditional Empanadas are filled with fried ground beef, onions, olives, hard-boiled egg and raisins. After baking or frying, the Empanadas are sprinkled with icing sugar and, before biting into them, with a squeeze of lime juice.


Philippines

Filipino empanadas usually contain ground beef, pork or chicken, potatoes, chopped onions, and raisins (somewhat similar to the Cuban ''picadillo''), in a somewhat sweet, wheat flour bread. There are two kinds available: the baked sort and the flaky fried type. To lower costs, potatoes are often added as an extender, while another filling is ''
kutsay ''Allium tuberosum'' (garlic chives, Oriental garlic, Asian chives, Chinese chives, Chinese leek) is a species of plant native to the Chinese province of Shanxi, and cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in Asia and around the world. Descripti ...
'' ( garlic chives). Empanadas in the northern part of the
Ilocos Ilocos Region ( ilo, Rehion/Deppaar ti Ilocos; pag, Sagor na Baybay na Luzon/Rehiyon Uno; tl, Rehiyon ng Ilocos) is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region I, occupying the northwestern section of Luzon and part of ...
usually have savoury fillings of green
papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...
,
mung bean The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...
s, and sometimes chopped Ilocano sausage (''
chorizo Chorizo (, from Spanish ; similar to but distinct from Portuguese ) is a type of pork cured meat originating from the Iberian Peninsula. In Europe, chorizo is a fermented, cured, smoked meat, which may be sliced and eaten without cooking, or ...
'') or
longaniza Longaniza (, or ) is a Spanish sausage (embutido) similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region. It is popular in the cuisines of ...
and egg yolk. This particular variant is fried and uses rice flour for a crunchier shell. There have also been people who make empanada filled with mashed
eggplant Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mos ...
, scrambled eggs, and
cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...
, which they call '' poqui poqui''. In Bulacan, empanada de kaliskis (lit. "scale empanada"), uniquely has a flaky multilayered crust resembling scales, hence the name. In Cebu, empanada Danao is a characteristically sweet-savory variant. It is filled with chopped ''
chorizo Chorizo (, from Spanish ; similar to but distinct from Portuguese ) is a type of pork cured meat originating from the Iberian Peninsula. In Europe, chorizo is a fermented, cured, smoked meat, which may be sliced and eaten without cooking, or ...
'' and chayote, deep-fried, and dusted in white sugar before serving. In Zamboanga, empanada Zamboangueño is filled with chopped
sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...
,
garbanzo bean The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram" or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are high ...
s, and served with a sweet vinegar dipping sauce. Dessert versions of empanada also exist. Notable ones include empanaditas, which commonly has a filling of '' latik'' (coconut caramel), honey and nuts, or peanut butter.
Kapampangan Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to: *Kapampangan people of the Philippines *Kapampangan language Kapampangan or Pampangan is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. It is the primary ...
versions of empanaditas have a '' yema'' (custard) and
cashew nut The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus ''Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cult ...
filling. In Cebu, sinudlan empanada is a small deep-fried empanada with '' bukayo'' (sweetened coconut meat) filling.


Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican Empanadas, sometimes known as Empanadillas or Pastelillos are turnovers filled with beef, chicken, cheese or even pizza toppings. These crispy empanadas can be fried or oven baked. The dough consists of flour, baking powder, water or milk, salt, eggs, white vinegar or vodka, annatto, lard or butter. The lard or butter is gently heated with annatto seeds, garlic, bayleaves, and thyme. Annatto gives empanadilla its distinctive red/orange color with a nutty taste. Once the fat has extracted flavor and color it is the strained on to the dough discarding seeds, herbs, and garlic. Boiled and mashed cassava,
breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of ''Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippi ...
, green or yellow plantains can be incorporated in to the dough.


Sicily (Italy)

The Sicilian ''mpanatigghi'' are stuffed, consisting of halfmoon-shaped
panzarotti A panzerotto (; plural panzerotti , also known as panzarotto ), is a savory turnover that originated in Central and Southern Italian cuisine which resembles a small calzone, both in shape and dough used for its preparation. The term usually ap ...
filled with a mixture of almonds, walnuts, chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and minced beef. These are typical of Modica, in the province of
Ragusa Ragusa is the historical name of Dubrovnik. It may also refer to: Places Croatia * the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa * Cavtat (historically ' in Italian), a town in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Cro ...
, Sicily. They are also known with the italianized word ''impanatiglie'' or ''dolce di carne'' (pasty of meat). They were probably introduced by the Spaniards during their rule in Sicily which took place in the sixteenth century; this is suggested from the etymology of the name which comes from the Spanish "empanadas or empanadillas" (empanada), as well as from the somewhat unusual combination of meat and chocolate, which occurs several times in the Spanish cuisine. In past centuries for the preparation of 'mpanatigghi game meat was used but today beef is used.


United States

Empanadas, mainly based on South American recipes, are widely available in New York City, New Jersey, and Miami from food carts, food trucks, and restaurants. Empanadas are usually found in U.S. areas with a large Hispanic population, such as San Antonio, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.


Venezuela

Traditional Venezuelan empanadas are made with ground corn dough, though the modern versions are made with precooked corn. The dough may have a yellow color when toasted due to the addition of annatto. The fillings are very diverse, with the most conventional being cheese,
shredded beef Shredded beef is a preparation of beef that features in dishes from various cuisines. Shredded beef is sometimes prepared using beef brisket and chuck roast. Pot roast is also sometimes shredded. List of shredded beef dishes * Burritos are s ...
, chicken, ''cazón'' ( school shark) in the Margaritan Island region especially, ham, black beans and cheese (commonly called ''"dominó"'') and even combinations of mollusks. The Empanadas have a half moon shape and are fried in oil. Sometimes, they may have more than one filling as in the case of ''Empanadas de pabellón'' which are made with the filling of shredded beef (or ''cazón'' in the Margarita Island region), black beans, slices of fried plantain, and shredded white cheese.


Similar foods

The empanada resembles savory pastries found in many other cultures, such as the
molote A molote is a filled, corn-based pastry usually served as an appetizer or snack in Mexican cuisine. It consists of a dough made from corn masa, sometimes blended with mashed potatoes, that is filled with various ingredients, then fried in lard or ...
, pirozhki,Glenn Randall Mack & Asele Surina, ''Food Culture in Russia and Central Asia'' (Greenwood, 2005), p. 138.
calzone A calzone (, , ; "stocking" or "trouser") is an Italian oven-baked folded pizza, often described as a turnover, made with leavened dough. It originated in Naples in the 18th century. A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in ...
, samosa,Patricia Yeo & Julia Moskin, ''Cooking from A to Z'' (St. Martin's Press, 2002), p. 53. knish, kreatopitakia, khuushuur, and pasty. In most
Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...
-speaking countries in Southeast Asia, the pastry is commonly called ''
karipap A curry puff ( ms, Karipap, Epok-epok; ; th, กะหรี่ปั๊บ, , ) is a snack of Maritime Southeast Asian origin. It is a small pie consisting of curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried or baked pastry shell. The con ...
'' (English: curry puff). In
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
they have deep-fried jiaozi and Vietnamese they have
bánh gối (Vietnamese for 'pillow '), also known as and , is a Vietnamese regional dumpling. The dish is a common street food in Vietnam. The main ingredients of are commonly seasoned ground meat, mushrooms, vermicelli, and diced vegetables such as carr ...
.


See also

* List of stuffed dishes *
Fatayer A fatayer ( ar, فطاير, faṭāyir) is a meat pie that can alternatively be stuffed with spinach, or cheese such as Feta or Akkawi. It is part of Levantine cuisine and is eaten in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia ...
* Pastel (food) *
Cornish pasty A pasty () is a British baked pastry, a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, South West England, but has spread all over the British Isles. It is made by placing an uncooked filling, typically meat and vegetab ...
* Chebureki *
Calzone A calzone (, , ; "stocking" or "trouser") is an Italian oven-baked folded pizza, often described as a turnover, made with leavened dough. It originated in Naples in the 18th century. A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in ...
* Kibinai * Meat pie * Turnover (food) * Samosa * Samsa (food) *
Yau gok Yau gok or jau gok are traditional dumplings found within Cantonese cuisine originating from Guangdong Province in China. They are most common during Chinese New Year and are consumed in Cantonese-speaking regions and communities, including H ...


References

{{Portalbar, Food Argentine cuisine Belizean cuisine Chilean cuisine Cuisine of the Southwestern United States Ecuadorian cuisine Galician cuisine Indonesian cuisine Italian cuisine Latin American cuisine Mexican cuisine Paraguayan cuisine Philippine cuisine Portuguese cuisine Puerto Rican cuisine Savoury pies Spanish cuisine Stuffed dishes Tapas Uruguayan cuisine Venezuelan cuisine Pascuense cuisine Guamanian cuisine