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Fried Breads From Around The World
by
Dennis Weaver
When we started this project,
we envisioned an overview of fried breads from
around the world with a handful of accompanying
recipes. We soon realized that this was a project
with no end, that every culture seems to have
fried breads with never ending iterations. We
ended up with a sampling of breads. We hope that
this whets your appetite. Do a little research
and experimenting. Fried breads are wonderful—especially
in the summertime when we may not want the oven
on.
North America
Pancakes and waffles are the most popular fried
breads in North America. Typically served for
breakfast or brunch they can also be made as savory
cakes and served with sauces for lunch or dinner.
There are many other variations of fried breads
in America. Of course, many donuts and pastries
are fried and therefore qualify as fried breads.
Yeasted dough is fried at home or sold in food
stands, carnivals, and fairs. Yeasted fried
is often called fried dough and in some areas
of the country, scones. These are usually served
with butter and syrup or honey or dusted with
powdered sugar. Fried yeasted
is also known as elephant ears, flying saucers,
and in Canada, beavertails.
In Mexican restaurants in the United States, you
will often find fried
served as sopadillas though they are unknown in
Mexico. These breads can be made with yeast or
baking powder and are deep fried.
There is also a history of fried
among the American Natives. When the American
Indians were located to reservations in the 1800’s,
they were often in dire straits and learned to
make
from not much more than flour and water. From
this came their style of fry bread. The dough
is pressed flat and can be leavened with either
yeast or baking powder. Often these
pieces are topped with beans, ground beef, salsa,
and cheese to make Indian or Navajo tacos.
Central and South America
While Mexicans may not have sopadillas, the Chileans
do. Theirs are often from a dough including pumpkin
or squash. Sopadillas are also popular in Argentina
though these may be baked in an adobe oven, not
fried. Both wheat and corn flours are used in
these South American sapodillas.
South American sopadillas are used as either side
dishes or desserts. For side dishes, they are
often salty. For desserts, they are sweetened
with cinnamon and maybe a little orange.
Buñuelos are made in Latin America. Traditionally,
they are pretzel-shaped and covered in anise caramel
or served with a cinnamon and sugar topping.
Churros originated in Spain but are popular in
Latin America and the Caribbean. They have found
their way to the United States and can be found
in Hispanic neighborhoods, ball parks, and fairs.
Churros are extruded through a nozzle creating
an eight-pointed star. They’re fried to a crispy
consistency as doughnuts are and can be straight
or twisted. Depending on the size and sweetness,
churros are used as a sweet snack or a dessert.
Scotland
Bannock originated in Scotland but like so many
fry breads, has evolved considerably. Traditionally,
a bannock was an oatcake but in Eastern Canada
where bannock is quite popular, it is made with
wheat flour.
Bannock was a staple for Western and Canadian
fur traders, the
that accompanied their pemmican. Today, bannock
works for backpackers and canoeists. For these
campers, the flour, baking powder, and oatmeal
are mixed in a bag before leaving home with dried
fruits and nuts added. At camp, enough water is
added to make a stiff dough, the dough is shaped
into patties and fried. If you are going to do
some camping, consider making a bannock mix.
Italy
Zeppole are small, light, fried cakes from Italy.
These sweet cakes are sold on the streets, given
as gifts, and consumed on holidays. They can be
filled with custard, jelly, or honey-butter and
covered with powdered sugar.
We looked at a number of recipes, many of which
were too complicated for the home baker. The following
recipe is easy though maybe not authentic. Authentic
or not, these are decadently good.
Eastern Europe
Crepes are thin pancakes that originated in Eastern
Europe but have migrated to America. They can
be made in a frying pan though if you use a specially
made pan intended for crepes, it’s a little easier.
Crepes are filled with cheese and sometimes fruit
fillings to make blintzes.
India
Chapatti is an unleavened griddle
similar to pita bread. In India it is cooked on
a special griddle called a tava and held over
a fire so that steam within the
puffs it up. The result is a puffy disc of flat
bread. Of course, we didn’t have a tava or a fire
in our test kitchen so we improvised. Our version
may not be authentic but it is so quick and easy,
it’s worth making.
Chapatti is made from whole grain durum flour.
We used a mixture of stone ground whole wheat
and all purpose flours. We anglicized the recipe
further by adding a touch of sugar.
In India, Chapatti is a complement to vegetables,
stews, and other dishes. We buttered them. Katie,
our teenage daughter, walked in during the session
and promptly found some jam to smear on them.
She graduated to hot buttered chapatti sprinkled
with plenty of cinnamon and sugar and declared
them scrumptious.
Portugal
Portuguese fry
is a made with baking powder but is quite similar
to the yeasted fry breads that we find in the
US. Because it is made with baking powder, it
is quick and easy.
Copyright 2003-2007,
The Prepared Pantry (http://www.prepraredpantry.com
). Published by permission in the Article
Directory: http://www.articlecube.com
Dennis
Weaver is a baker, a recipe designer, and a writer.
He has written extensively about baking including
How
to Bake, a comprehensive baking and reference
e-book--available free at The
Prepared Pantry which sells baking supplies
and has a free online baking library including
fried
recipes.
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