Chocolate con churros: A Spanish delicacy

On Monday 28th November we will be taking our students to enjoy chocolate con churros, a Spanish delicacy, just one of the many free activities we offer our students every day of the week. Churros are a fried-dough pastry served thin, long and sprinkled with sugar. Traditionally they are eaten for breakfast and dipped in a cup of hot or melted chocolate. If you have a sweet tooth then this activity is perfect for you!

The origin of churros is unclear but it is thought that possibly they were first made in China and then brought to Europe by the Portuguese. On return from their trip to the East the Portuguese brought along many other new culinary techniques such as altering dough for youtiao. The idea of churros quickly travelled across the border into Spain where the dish was altered into what we eat today. Another theory suggests that churros actually originated in Spain and were created by shepherds as a substitute to fresh bakery goods as churro paste was easy to make and cook in the basic mountain ovens.

Wherever they were created, churros rocketed in popularity and are now eaten in Spain, Portugal, France, the Phillipines, most of South America and parts of the United States. However, each region has different methods for preparing churros. All are fried until they become crunchy, however the shape and size vary. Here in the Basque Country they are sometimes referred to as porra, a slightly thicker variant to normal churros. In parts of Andalusia thinner dough is used meaning they have a smoother surface as opposed to the typical ridges that are usually formed on the surface of each churro. In South America churros are often straight and filled with a variety of fillings such as chocolate and vanilla.

If you would like to sample this famous delicacy then do not hesitate to come join us on Monday 28th November. We will be meeting at Instituto Hemingway at 16:00 and will then go on to a café where they serve the best churros in town! If you are not a student, but are interested in learning Spanish while exploring Spanish and Basque culture, then send us an email at info@institutohemingway.com.

We hope to see you soon!