Loco para Criollos

It started when we went with our professors to have an asado in Cuesta Blanca...

and now,

It's an Obsession

We tried criollitos (criollos) for the first time in Cuesta Blanca and now we eat them, think about them, dream about them... ALL THE TIME!

This is a criollito con azucar from the asado lunch in Cuesta Blanca:


Since then, we have made a point of going into a bunch of panaderias (bad, bad idea-I know!) to try their criollos. Criollos are unique to the Córdoba Province, they can only be found here.

This my friends and loved ones back home,

This is the one.

The panaderia where these are made is on the way from Spanish class to the lab. Every time I walk past, the door is open and a welcoming scent envelopes me; I mosey on in to have a look. What do you know? A pan of criollos is sitting on the counter- in the pan they were baked in. Warm, flaky, buttery, a bazillion calories- but who's counting?

These aren't just any criollos...

They are criollos hojaldre... hojaldre is puff pastry. Can you now understand my obsession? To my understanding, puff pastry is a special dough with tons of butter folded in to get that flaky texture.

Can you see the layers?

Not All Criollos Are Created Equal:

The only reason we didn't toss this one right away, was because I needed it for this post, so I educate you all on the art of the criollo (I know, I'm full of it but don't write me off yet). It was dry, hard, and not made with butter... It was made with some other type of fat. It is a criollo común.

Don't get me wrong, criollos común are very good. The ones from the panaderia on the way home are the best criollos común in Córdoba (so I was told by my professor as we stopped in one day).

This is a better example of a criollo común.





Another criollo hojaldre (from a different panaderia). Very good, but not as good as

The One.

They're supposed to be very easy to make; I will learn before coming home so you too can be

Loco Para Criollos