Same Food Different Taste

       Same Food Different Taste

                                           By: Elizabeth Franco

If Latin American countries make empanadas, why do they taste so different? That was the first question that popped into my head. Well I thought they all tasted the same but as I listened to my mom explain how each country has their own version of empanadas, another question came into my mind: What makes them so different? Though empanadas may look the same, they’re made accustomed to their culture, just like El Salvador, Argentina, & Mexico’s empanadas.

   

            Salvadorian                                   Argentinian                                 Mexican

    Empanadas de Platanos              Empanadas Mendocinas              Pastes Pachuqueños

The difference between Salvadorian, Argentinian and Mexican empanadas is that Salvadorians use very ripe plantains for their empanada dough. This Salvi-style empanada is considered a dessert also known as Postres de la Cipota and has a near custard-like filling that is made by rice flour and milk. While on the other hand, the Argentinian empanadas use milk in their dough to make it creamier from other empanadas. Mendocinas are typically stuffed with ground beef, a slice of hard boiled egg and a green olive slice. These empanadas come from the Mendoza region of Argentina. From the State of Hidalgo in Mexico comes an empanada known as Pastes Pachuqueños that are a tradition in Mexico especially in a small town called Real Del Monte & also Pachuca. The dough from the empanadas is made from wheat flour & is thinner. The Pastes Pachuqueños are baked with pulque (an alcoholic drink made by fermenting sap from the maguey), salt, egg, lard, and even at times, milk but as the years passed by, people have been adding more ingredients such as green chile for flavor and poblano chile and sometimes candy. Pastes Pachuqueños come in savory and sugary varieties. All things considered, I would recommend to try all three types of empanadas for that fact that each culture has their own unique taste when it comes to food.

Simon, Yara. "A Journey Through The Empanadas Of Latin America." Remezcla. 12 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.

"Pastes Pachuquenos." Nokrisscecco. 31 Mar. 2009. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.