Happy Tuesday, lovelies! It’s again the time of the month where I show different recipes from all over the world. This time, I wanted to share what we Chileans crave when the temperatures are low. What would that be? The answer is simple. Sopaipillas! You might ask yourself, what is that? Well, I’m here to explain you. Not only the story behind, but also how to make them.
A sopaipilla is a fried bread made of pumpkin. It’s very versatile at the moment of how you want to eat them. It can be as a bread or a pastry. I personally prefer them as a pastry since I have a sweet tooth. If you eat it as bread, you can serve them with pebre (Chilean version of pico de gallo), avocado, butter, and some people even eat them with ketchup. But if you prefer the sweet version, then you can add a homemade hot syrup cooked with panela and other species. I’ll show you how to make it later in the post.
The story behind sopaipillas
The recipe came to Chile in the 1700s, along with Spanish colonizers who called them “sopaipa”, a word of Arab origin that means bread dipped in oil. The Araucanians or Mapuches (Chile’s indigenous people) named them sopaipillas in honor of a bird of the region. The Chilean contribution, was to give the sopaipillas a chancaca bath, a typical product of Chilean pastries made with unrefined sugar and molasses, flavored with cinnamon and orange peel.
In Chile, people sell them in the streets through trolleys with large pans filled with boiling oil. With the possibility of adding pebre, chili, or even mustard and ketchup. They are a must every winter!
Ingredients for sopaipillas
Bread:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, margarine or butter, melted
Syrup:
- 1 square of Chancaca or Panela or Piloncillo
- 2 cups water
- Lemon or orange peels
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions for Sopaipillas
Bread:
1. Place the flour, baking powder and salt in food processor and pulse a few times to mix, add the remaining ingredients and pulse until a dough forms, should be smooth and pliable.
2. Take out of the food processor and knead a couple of times. Let stand for 20 minutes. After waiting, use rolling pin to stretch the dough.
3. Now it’s time to make the circles! For this I used one side of a mug, but you can use whatever you want. Just don’t make them too big. And don’t forget to pinch the circles with a fork before frying them.
4. Heat oil to 180C or 350F. And fry for 2-3 minutes per side. They should be golden brown.
5. Put them on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil.
6. Serve warm.
Syrup:
Place the water, panela, orange peel, cinnamon and cloves in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until brown sugar is melted. Boil gently for 15 minutes. After that, add the cornstarch dissolved in cold water and stir until thickened.
You can drizzle the sopaipillas with sauce or soak into the sauce and serve warm.
So what do you think? It is something you would try? Let me know in the comments!
And if you want more recipes from South America, click here.
Kim says
This has pumpkin in it?! How perfect for the Fall season (for us on the Northern hemisphere)! Looks delicious!
Kim
Simply Lovebirds
Melissa Cruz says
Yes! It is perfect for the fall and winter season.
dreamofadventures says
This is definitely something I would try!! Looks delicious =o)
https://dreamofadventures.com/
Melissa Cruz says
Let me know if you make them! They are worth it.
Dara @ The Southern Thing says
These look delicious! I’d love to try some authentic sopaipillas!
Melissa Cruz says
They are soooo good! Especially with the syrup
Amanda @ A Good Hue says
What an awesome use for pumpkin puree- these look super tasty!
Melissa Cruz says
Yes! They totally are.
Maegan Clark says
These. Look. DeLISH! But, can you just come over and make them for me?
Melissa Cruz says
Hahaha I would love to!
Seersucker Sass says
These look SO good! I’ve had sopaipillas in restaurants, but I doubt they were as delicious as these. Keep the Tasting the Culture posts coming!
XO, SS || Seersucker Sass
Melissa Cruz says
Thank you! I will definitely will <3
Jiawun says
These look freaking amazing!! Thanks for the super easy to follow recipe, I’m probably going to have to make these now!
Melissa Cruz says
And I hope you do! They are really fun to make!
thesophiadiaries says
oh, it’s so cool that you made it yourself!!! that seems like a cool recipe too, I might have to try this in the future!
Melissa Cruz says
I hope you do! They are very yummy!
Alexandra Hollander says
Wow those look so delicious, need to make these this week!
Melissa Cruz says
Let me know if you make them! <3
Theresa says
This looks so yummy! I have never heard of these here in Europe but I really want to try them now!
Sending love from Austria, Theresa
Melissa Cruz says
You should totally try to make them!
Taylor Mead says
I absolutely love the “taste of culture” post idea! It’s so unique and so important to share!! These look absolutely delicious, too! I can’t wait to try them out.
xo, Taylor || The Millennial Sprinkle (thesprinkle.tayloramead.com)
Melissa Cruz says
It’s for sure something that gets me excited every time!
Amanda Faber says
This looks delicious!!!! I haven’t had a chance to try this yet but now I must!
Melissa Cruz says
You totally should!
Rachel @ STCL says
Ooh this looks really good! I’ve never heard of these before!
Melissa Cruz says
They are! So perfect for when it’s cold!
Kuleigh says
These look really good! I tend to stay away from cinnamon and cloves but these look perfect for the fall season!
Melissa Cruz says
Oh totally! You can avoid them. They are not really necessary.
Megan says
I love this. My family has something similar every year at Christmas. They are pumpkin fritters kinda like pancakes. I’ll have to try make these for them and see what they think!
Melissa Cruz says
Yeees! That’s a great idea, Megan! <3
Logan Elizabeth Abbott says
These look amazing, I’m definitely going to have to try to make them next time I make a run to the grocery store 😍
Melissa Cruz says
Let me know if you make them!
Christine Martinez says
These sound good! This reminds me of buñuelos in the mexican culture!
Melissa Cruz says
Totally similar! Like picarones from Peru!
Allison Ellzey says
This literally looks so yummy right now!
Melissa Cruz says
And they aaaare!
Tilley says
Um I thought I had tried sopaipillas but I was wrong! These look way different and also sound amazing! Sending this recipe to my mom so she can get her act together and stop making whatever fake version she has been passing off as sopaopillas 🙈🤦♀️
Christine Martinez says
Omg! hahaha! I’m literally dying at your comment. 😂😂
Melissa Cruz says
Omg 😂😂😂 there are similar versions though! We get them from Spain.