Join us for a tour of the sweet bread of Mexico, Latin and South America as we take a new pastry each week to discuss and share history, our favorites, and other fun facts! Call store for availability.
Perhaps a little too close to our week 11 pan dulce (the cortadillo) – we encounter a delicious piece whose outside is covered in butter in sugar. This sweet bread however has a little surprise inside!
The two pieces of bread, held together by a dollop or two of bavarian creme, resemble the traditional toy yoyo, with the filling just peeking out of the bread. This pastry is also known as a ‘beso’ (kiss), for its two “lip” halves.
Now back to butter. A 2017 book by Elaine Khosrova (Butter – A Rich History) details the history of this versatile food. A book review from “The Salt” provides some interesting tid-bits.
Even though the first written evidence of butter appeared around 4,500 years ago, it is likely an accidental discovery on the back of a sheep (or yak or goat), whose milk in a strapped-on sheepskin had curdled after a long journey.
Throughout history butter has been associated with a range of ideas from barbarism, to cosmetic, and sacred traditions. In fact, an early student protest in the US occurred at Harvard in 1766 when students became ill from a meal with rancid butter and lobbied for better food! Maybe not the best image to leave you with, as you savor this traditional pan dulce, but certainly a fun fact!
Let us know if you have read the book – it is on our list!