Exploring Mexican Churros: Ingredients and Heritage

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Exploring Mexican Churros’ Ingredients and Heritage

Mexican churros are a delicious crunchy sweet very popular in Mexico and also around the world.

Churros are fried long-shaped pieces of dough sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

You can also add other ingredients for decoration, such as condensed milk, caramel, or chocolate syrup.

In Mexico, it is customary to accompany churros with a delicious drink such as a rompope, atole, hot chocolate, or a good cafe de olla.

How to make Mexican churros

Traditional Mexican churros are prepared with flour, sugar, butter, egg, cinnamon, and water.

It is the result of a dough that is fried and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

This recipe is easy and does not require the “churro machine” generally used to make this crunchy sweet.

It is very economical, and its ingredients are easily found in any market.

Churros recipe

Utensils

• 1 pot or pan
• Sleeve or plastic bag
• Wooden paddle

 Ingredients

• 90 grams of butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1 cup flour
• Oil
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon powder
• 1 cup sugar

Step-by-step preparation

1. Place the water, salt, and butter in a saucepan, cook over medium-low heat, and stir so the butter can dissolve.
2. Add the flour and a tablespoon of sugar before it starts to boil. Then lower the heat. With the help of a wooden paddle, mix well until everything is integrated and a smooth dough is formed, which can be easily removed from the pan.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and add the eggs (slowly). Then mix until everything is well blended. Next, place the dough in a piping bag with a star-shaped dough stick, or use a plastic bag.
4. Then, heat the oil in a pan and place the dough pressing the sleeve so it has the traditional shape of a strip or spiral. Move the churros around until they are browned. This will take about 40 seconds approximately.
5. Once your Mexican churros are ready, drain well with the help of paper towels to remove excess oil. Then sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

That’s it! You can now enjoy some delicious Mexican churros.

Mexican churros history

Some people believe this dessert originated in Mexico but is actually from China.

It was first introduced to Europe thanks to Portuguese merchants, who tasted the “youtiao” -also known as “fried devil” or “stick in oil”- during their voyages.

Some versions suggest that ancient European merchants recreated this delicacy in the Iberian Peninsula with a star shape and different ingredients, such as sugar instead of salt.

Years later, this snack was adopted by Spanish communities, especially by evangelical ministers, who called it “churro sheep” because of its alleged resemblance to the horns of a goat.

Other testimonies suggest that churros began to be consumed in Catalonia at the beginning of the 19th century, but it is not known who invented them.

Churros were introduced in Mexico after Hernán Cortés and his soldiers arrived.

This food of such varied evolution began as a thin stick with little flavor.

It evolved to its most exotic and fascinating Mexican variants: churros filled with cheese, blackberry, chocolate, dulce de leche, cajeta, and even guava, to mention a few.

Have you tried churros? Please share your comments below!