An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Southern European, Latin American, Indonesian and Filipino cultures. The name comes from the Spanish verb, and translates as "enbreaded", that is, wrapped or coated in bread. They are made by folding dough over a filling, which may consist of meat, cheese, corn, or other ingredients, and then cooking the resulting turnover, either by baking or frying.
Origins
Empanadas trace back their origins to the northwest region of Spain, Galicia. A cookbook published in Catalan in 1520, Llibre del Coch by Robert de Nola, mentions empanadas filled with seafood in the recipes for Catalan, Italian, French, and Arabian food.
By country and region
Argentina
empanadas are often served during parties and festivals as a starter or main course. Shops specialize in freshly made empanadas, with many flavors and fillings. During Lent and Easter, empanadas de Cuaresma fillings with fish are popular.
In Belize, empanadas are known as panades. They are made with masa and typically stuffed with fish, chicken, or beans. They are usually deep fried and served with a cabbage or salsa topping. Panades are frequently sold as street food.
Cape Verde
cuisine features the pastel, as well. Cape Verdean pastéis are often filled with spicy tuna fish. One particular variety, the pastel com o diabo dentro, is particularly spicy, and is made with a dough made from sweet potatoes and cornmeal.
In Chile, empanadas are a staple part of the national cuisine. Commonly consumed in large quantities during the country's national day celebrations, many Chileans consider this to be their most representative dish. The most common type of Chilean empanada is what is referred to as the empanada de pino, it is a baked empanada filled with diced or ground beef sautéed with onions and spices, half of a hard boiled egg, an olive and raisins. In the coastal regions of the country, seafood empanadas are also very popular.
In Indonesia, empanadas are known as panada. In the North Sulawesi version, panada has thick crust made from fried bread, filled with spicy tuna and chili, curry, potatoes or quail eggs. This dish almost similar to karipap and pastel.
Philippines
empanadas usually contain ground beef, pork or chicken, potatoes, chopped onions, and raisins in a somewhat sweet, wheat flour bread. There are two kinds available: the baked sort and the flaky fried type. To lower costs, potatoes are often added as an extender, while another filling is kutsay. Empanadas in the northern part of the Ilocos usually have savoury fillings of green papaya, mung beans, and sometimes chopped Ilocano sausage or longaniza and egg yolk. There have also been people who make empanada filled with mashed eggplant, scrambled eggs, and cabbage, which they call poqui poqui. In Bulacan, empanada de kaliskis, uniquely has a flaky multilayered crust resembling scales, hence the name. In Cebu, empanada Danao is a characteristically sweet-savory variant. It is filled with chopped chorizo and chayote, deep-fried, and dusted in white sugar before serving. In Zamboanga, empanada Zamboangueño is filled with chopped sweet potato, garbanzo beans, and served with a sweet vinegar dipping sauce. Among the Tausūg people, empanada is known as pastil. It was introduced to the Tausūg via the Spanish in Zamboanga, and the name is derived from Spanish pastel. It can have a variety of fillings, including togue, chicken Philippine adobo, various vegetables, and uniquely also pancit bihon. It is served with a sweet and spicy sauce. Dessert versions of empanada also exist. Notable ones include empanaditas, which commonly has a filling of latik, honey and nuts, or peanut butter. Kapampangan versions of empanaditas have a yema and cashew nut filling. In Cebu, sinudlan empanada is a small deep-fried empanada with bukayo filling.
The 'Mpanatigghi are stuffed, consisting of halfmoon-shaped panzarotti filled with a mixture of almonds, walnuts, chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and minced beef. These are typical of Modica, in the province of Ragusa, Sicily. They are also known as impanatiglie or dolce di carne. They were probably introduced by the Spaniards during their rule in Sicily which took place in the sixteenth century; this is suggested from the etymology of the name which comes from the Spanish "empanadas or empanadillas", as well as from the somewhat unusual combination of meat and chocolate, which occurs several times in the Spanish cuisine. In past centuries for the preparation of 'mpanatigghi game meat was used but today beef is used.
United States
Empanadas, mainly based on South American recipes, are widely available in New York City, New Jersey, and Miami from food carts, food trucks, and restaurants. Empanadas are usually found in U.S. areas with a large Hispanic population, like San Antonio and Los Angeles.
Similar foods
The empanada resembles savory pastries found in many other cultures, such as the pirozhki, calzone, samosa, knish, kreatopitakia, Khuushuur, and pasty. In most Malay speaking countries in Southeast Asia, the pastry is commonly called karipap
