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 Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

. The word sopaipilla is the

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

of sopaipa, a word that entered Spanish from the Mozarabic language of Al-Andalus. The original Mozarabic word ''Xopaipa'' was used to mean bread soaked in oil. The word is derived in turn from the Germanic word ''suppa'', which meant bread soaked in liquid.Correa, Adriana
Comida de larga tradición
Diario de Cuyo A sopaipilla is traditionally made from

leavened Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made food ...

wheat dough (or a mixture of wheat flour and masa harina) to which some shortening such as butter is added. After being allowed to rise, the dough is rolled into a sheet that is then cut into circular, square or triangular shapes, 8–10 cm in size for the longest dimension (if intended for a dessert) or 15–20 cm (if intended to be stuffed for a main course). These pieces are then deep-fried in oil, sometimes after being allowed to rise further before frying: the frying causes them to puff up, ideally forming a hollow pocket in the center.

History

Fried cakes have been made by humans since the earliest pottery vessels were developed that could hold oil or fat, around 5000 to 3000 BCE. In ancient times, frying cakes was a primitive substitute for baking, requiring only fire and a simple vessel. Every culture has developed some form of the dish. Sopaipilla is a version found in Latin American cuisine, Tex-Mex cuisine and the cuisine of the Southwestern United States.

Variations

There are yeasted and quick bread variations of sopaipillas. Some batters are enriched by the addition of pumpkin ( es, zapallo).

Argentina

In Argentina, this pastry is known under other names apart from sopaipa, supaipa and sopaipilla including '' torta frita'', ''kreppel'' (from regional German ''

Kreppel Kreppel is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Amie Kreppel, American political scientist * Paul Kreppel (born 1947), American actor and director See also * Berliner (doughnut) A Berliner is a German doughnut with no cen ...

''), and ''chipá cuerito''.

Chile

In Chile, sopaipillas (or sopaipas) are known to have been eaten at least since 1726. Although traditional Chilean sopaipillas made in central Chile include cooked ground pumpkin in their dough, this is typically not the case in the south. Depending if they are served as a pastry or bread Chilean sopaipillas are traditionally served with either pebre (a sauce of chili pepper, onion, garlic and coriander) or boiled in ''

chancaca Chancaca is a typical Bolivian, Chilean and Peruvian, warm, sweet sauce made of raw unrefined sugar from sugarcane. It is often flavored with orange peel and cinnamon, and is consumed on sopaipillas or picarones. Chancaca is also a synonym for ...

'' sauce (a homemade hot syrup cooked with panela, orange peel and cinnamon, and then they are called ''sopaipillas pasadas''). They are also served with mustard, ketchup, hot butter, avocado or cheese. In Chile sopaipillas are traditionally homemade and eaten during days of heavy rain, as well as enjoying widespread popularity as street food, especially during winter. Chilean sopaipillas are round and flat, sporting holes pricked through the centre of the dough, usually by a fork. Sopaipillas chilotas en reitimiento

From Chiloé Archipelago to the south, sopaipillas have rhomboid form. They are a relevant ingredient in '' reitimientos'', a traditional feast related to rendering fats after a pig slaughter.

Peru

In Peru, the name for this fried pastry is ''cachanga'', and it may be either sweet or sour. Generally prepared during breakfast time, this traditional food of the Peruvian cuisine is prepared differently depending on the region, with one of the recipes involving the usage of cinnamon. The main difference between this form of sopaipilla and the other versions is that they are larger, thinner, and more rigid.

United States

Sopaipillas in New Mexican cuisine are pillow-shaped fried pastry dough, distinct from Latin American variations. Similar to Native American frybread, they are typically served as a bread, and used to mop up sauces, scoop up tidbits, dab up flavors, or are shredded into stews. It has been called "the doughnut of the Southwest", while other authors have said "this non-yeasted, simply flavored bread is definitely not a donut, but it's not really a fritter either". In New Mexico, they are often filled with savory ingredients such as ground beef or chicken, covered with chile and cheese, and served with lettuce and tomato as an entree. They are also eaten as a dessert, drizzled with honey or

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and ta ...

syrup. Sopaipillas in Tex-Mex cuisine are a puffed pastry, but otherwise similar to New Mexican-style sopaipillas, except that they are always served as a dessert item, coated with cinnamon sugar and served with honey. Many Tex-Mex restaurants in Texas and Oklahoma will serve dessert sopaipillas as part of the complimentary "set-up": chips and salsa served before the meal, along with sometimes queso sauce, pickled vegetables and flour tortillas and sopaipillas served at the end of the meal. Sopaipilla and strudel were together designated as Texas' state pastries from 2003 to 2005.

Uruguay

In Uruguay, a variant of the sopaipilla is known as torta frita. Tortas fritas are made of flour, salt and water and shortened with

cow fat Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, includin ...

, stretched into a thin large shaped dough (20-25 cm) and deep fried in cow fat. They are usually salty, but it is a common custom to cover them with sugar or quince cheese and eat them as a snack. They are commonly prepared on rainy days.

Notes

References

External links

"sopaipilla"
''

Webster's New World College Dictionary ''Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language'' is an American dictionary first published in 1951 and since 2022 published by Harper Collins Publishers. Overview The first edition was published by the World Publishing Company of Cl ...

''
Chilean-Style Sopapillas, or Pumpkin Fritters
from The Spruce Eats

{{Chilean bread American desserts Argentine cuisine Bolivian cuisine Chilean breads Cuisine of the Southwestern United States Doughnuts New Mexican cuisine Peruvian cuisine Quick breads Tex-Mex cuisine Uruguayan cuisine Mexican desserts Mexican cuisine Mexican breads