Ensaïmada
 Ensaïmades |
|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Spain |
| Region or state | Balearic Islands |
| Details | |
| Course | Pastry |
| Serving temperature | Cold |
| Main ingredient(s) | Dough |
The Ensaïmada (Catalan pronunciation: [ənsə.iˈmaðə], pl. ensaïmades; Spanish: ensaimada) is a pastry product from Majorca, Spain. It is a common cuisine eaten in most former Spanish territories in Latin America and the Philippines, which has been continuously made and eaten for a very long time. The first written references to the Majorcan ensaïmada date back to the 17th century. At that time, although wheat flour was mainly used for making bread, there is evidence that this typical pastry product was made for festivals and celebrations.
The ensaïmada de Mallorca is made with strong flour, water, sugar, eggs, mother dough and a kind of reduced pork lard named saïm. The handmade character of the product makes it difficult to give an exact formula, so scales have been established defining the proportion of each ingredient, giving rise to an excellent quality traditional product. The name comes from the Catalan word saïm (pronounced: [səˈim]), which means 'pork lard' (from Latin sagimen, meaning 'fat').
In Ibiza there is a sweet called greixonera made with ensaimada pieces left over from the day before.[1]
[edit] Variants
Among the variants of ensaimada the most common are:
- Llisa (literally plain) with no extra ingredient.
- Cabell d'àngel (literally angel's hair), the stringy orange strands found inside pumpkins are cooked with sugar to make a sweet filling that is rolled inside the dough.
- Tallades (literally sliced) covered with Sobrasada and pumpkin, obtaining a bittersweet taste. It is typical of Lent days.
- Filled with sweet cream, chocolate or turrón paste.
- Covered with apricot.
Ensaïmades produced far from Balearic Islands of Spain usually taste very different, mainly because the same kind of reduced pork lard is not used outside these islands or the nearby areas with similar culinary traditions, like Valencia or Catalonia. To tell whether pork lard has been used, if one can't tell by taste, a true ensaïmada must stain a piece of paper with the pork lard (which when heated has a similar texture to oil).
In the Philippines, a Spanish colony for over 300 years; the Majorcan ensaïmada (commonly spelled ensaymada in Tagalog and Cebuano) has evolved over the centuries and is perhaps one the most common delicacies in that country, the ensaymada is a brioche made with butter instead of lard, and topped with grated cheese (usually aged Edam, known locally as keso de bola) and sugar. Upscale versions of ensaymada are also topped with butter cream and sugar. It is extremely popular throughout the islands, especially during the Christmas season, when it is often, although not always, eaten with hot chocolate (Antonio Pueo is most popular) and strawberries.
In Puerto Rico, another Spanish colony until 1898, the ensaïmada is called mallorca and is traditionally eaten for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The ensaimada Report by MallorcaWeb, in English
- Pastisseria Marroig Artisan baker and ensaïmada chef, in English
- [1] General interest about ensaïmadas and vegetarianism, in English
- Traditional ensaïmada recipe Take a taste of Mallorca, in Spanish
- Traditional Ensaimadas of Pampanga, Philippines
