FROM SHEPHERDS AND CONQUISTADORES TO YOUTIAO AND CHURROS

Churros. Who was first to savor these yummy treats? It’s a long, messy history with lots of versions.

While many of us believe churros came from Mexico, its colorful story reaches way back in time.

Churros are deep-fried dough. Food historians report that evidence of fried dough can be traced back to the ancient world, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Israelites in Canaan. Many of their recipes evolved into some of today’s favorite fried doughs, like fritters, funnel cake, doughnuts, zeppole, and Middle-Eastern zalabia.

Where do churros fit in?

Head to Spain in the Middle Ages. Nomadic shepherds lived high in the mountains, tending their herds. They needed a food that was tasty, nutritious, and easy to cook over an open fire. Mixing flour, water, and salt, the shepherds fried the dough in a pan and sprinkled it with sugar (when available). The proof is in the name. They called it churro because the shape was like the horns of the Navajo-Churro breed of sheep (see below).

Hang on.

Maup van de Kerkhof, in the History Cooperative, maintained that “churros are believed to have evolved over time from the Moors.” Since the Moors occupied Spain for almost 800 years (see below), it’s not a stretch. He suggests that it was a “collective effort, impossible to credit one specific individual with inventing churros as they evolved over centuries.”

Then there’s youtiao – a long, golden-brown, deep-fried dough also known as Chinese crullers, breadsticks, or doughnuts. They’re very popular in Asia. (see below) Van de Kerkhof speculated that Portuguese explorers discovered youtiao in China. They brought the recipe back to Spain and people loved it.

Some people consider this theory a hoax.

Wherever their origin, Spanish chefs improved churros by using a star-shaped nozzle that made the outside crispier.

When Spanish conquistadores explored the Americas, they brought along their recipes. Legend says that in 1528, Hernando Cortez brought chocolate back from the Americas to Europe.

According to Coeur de Xocholat, chocolate was a bitter drink consumed by the Aztecs. “In Spain, it evolved into a sweet, thickened drink – perfect for dunking churros . . . This custom, known as chocolate con churros, soon became a Spanish staple.”

Others argue that Christopher Columbus was the first to introduce chocolate to Europe.

Coeur de Xocholat summed it up perfectly. “[churros] is a timeless treat with a rich legacy . . . bridging cultures and generations, enjoyed by people from all walks of life . . .  connecting a shared culinary past.”

You might call it a messy history.

Close your eyes and choose your story. Today you can find churros in fairs, street vendors, carnivals, restaurants, frozen, pre-cooked, packaged, and instant mixes. People eat them at breakfast, as a snack, or a delightful dessert. They can be plain, with chocolate, or with fillings like Nutella, vanilla cream, caramel, or anything a creative chef may conjure.

In Cuba, churros are often filled with guava paste. Chile and Argentina may serve them with dulce de leche – a rich caramel sauce. Go to Korea for a churro dog on a stick; Philippines for churros and mango sauce; or sweet and crispy Tel Aviv street food with churros, fresh strawberries, and chocolate.

While you’re munching, consider the Guinness World Record for the longest churro, made in Edmonton, Canada. It was 252 feet long and weighed 66 pounds. You can check out churro maker machines and cookers (manual or electric) on Amazon, books like A.V. Vega’s mystery novel Death by Churros, and hundreds of churro recipe books. There are also churro dog toys, churro plushies, and Ashlee Craft’s Charlie the Churro.

Wherever you are around the world – America, Europe, Mexico, Israel, or China – there’s a version of churros.

Enjoy!