Salteña facts for kids
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| Type | Empanada |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Bolivia |
| Main ingredients | Beef, pork or chicken |
A salteña is a tasty baked pastry from Bolivia. It's a bit like an empanada, but with its own special twist! Salteñas are filled with yummy ingredients. You can find them with beef, pork, or chicken. The filling also has a sweet and a little bit spicy sauce. This sauce often includes olives, raisins, and potatoes. Sometimes, you can even find vegetarian salteñas.
You can find salteñas all over Bolivia. Each city might have its own special way of making them. For example, Cochabamba and Sucre are famous for their salteñas. Many people also love the ones from Potosí. In La Paz, eating a salteña is a popular mid-morning snack. Shops start selling them very early, usually from 7 AM until noon. They often sell out quickly!
The Story of Salteñas
Historians say the salteña we know today was first made in the early 1800s. A woman named Juana Manuela Gorriti created this delicious dish. She later married Manuel Isidoro Belzu, who became a president.
Juana Manuela Gorriti was born in Salta, Argentina. She had to move to Potosí, Bolivia because of political problems in her home country. Her family was very poor. To earn money, they came up with the recipe for these pastries. A similar type of pastry was already known in Europe at that time.
How the Name "Salteña" Came to Be
The tasty pastry became very popular. People started calling it "salteña." This nickname came from Juana Manuela Gorriti's hometown, Salta. Historian Antonio Paredes Candia says that kids would be told, "Go get an empanada from the woman from Salta!" Over time, people forgot Juana Manuela Gorriti's name. But they never forgot the name of her delicious snack. That's how "salteña" became a Bolivian tradition.
How to Enjoy a Salteña
Salteñas are very juicy, almost like a stew inside a pastry! To make them so juicy, all the ingredients are cooked into a stew. Then, a little gelatin is added. This makes the stew firm when it's cold. When the salteñas are baked, the stew slowly melts. This trick keeps the dough from getting soggy. It also makes sure the filling is super juicy.
Salteñas are usually shaped more like a football than a flat empanada. The best way to eat them is to hold them upright. Take a small bite from the top corner. Then, carefully eat your way down. This helps you avoid spilling any of the hot, delicious juices! Many people enjoy salteñas with Llajua, which is a spicy Bolivian sauce.
See also
In Spanish: Salteña para niños
