Pan de campo facts for kids
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| Main ingredients | wheat flour |
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| Ingredients generally used | baking powder, salt, shortening, water |
Pan de campo is a special kind of flatbread from southern Texas. Its name means "country bread," "camp bread," or "cowboy bread." This bread was a very important food for cowboys and vaqueros (Mexican cowboys) in that region. It's so popular that it's celebrated at several festivals in southern Texas. In 2005, it even became an official symbol of the state of Texas!
What is Pan de Campo?
Pan de campo is a simple flatbread. It is made from basic ingredients like wheat flour, baking powder, salt, a type of fat (like shortening), and water. Traditionally, this bread was cooked outdoors in a heavy pot called a dutch oven.
The finished bread is usually round. It is about one to one-and-a-half inches thick. When you taste it, pan de campo has a flavor similar to a biscuit.
Pan de Campo in Texas Culture
Pan de campo has strong roots in Tejano culture. Tejanos are Texans who have Mexican heritage. This bread is a part of the Tex-Mex food style, which blends Texas and Mexican cooking.
In the famous novel Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, a Mexican cook makes this bread for the cowboys. This shows how important pan de campo was to the cowboy way of life.
While sourdough bread was more common on cattle drives in Texas, pan de campo was also eaten. It was enjoyed along with other breads like tortillas, hoe cakes, and cornbread. In June 2005, the governor of Texas at the time, Rick Perry, signed a law. This law officially made pan de campo the state bread of Texas.
