Growing up adjacent to Pennsylvania Dutch country, I craved their ingenious concoction of the funnel cake, served at every single carnival, festival, fete, boardwalk, and car show. It wasn’t until much later that I had my first churro and my mind was duly expanded. How’d we get to the glorious heights of the churro? And whose feet do I have to kiss in gratitude? What is a churro, really? Let’s find out.
What are churros?
A churro is a fried dough treat shaped into long strips or curved into teardrops or hearts. They are frequently covered in cinnamon sugar or filled with some delectable sweet filling.
The churro lives in the same dessert realm as donuts, funnel cake, beignets, fritters, and elephant ears. And there are tons of international versions of fried dough treats: loukoumades from Greece and Turkey, smoutebollen from the Netherlands, zeppole from Italy, bamiyeh from throughout the Middle East, banh ran from Vietnam, and cascaron from the Philippines.
And that list is a mere amuse-bouche of the fried dough varieties to get your hands all sticky.
What are churros made of?
The simplest recipe for churros is just three ingredients: water, flour, and salt. After these ingredients are mixed, the dough is piped in a long log shape—usually with a star nozzle—directly into hot oil. The cooking time is short, after which the churros are allowed to drip out excess oil. They’re rolled in cinnamon sugar or any other flavorings, depending on where they’re from.
Many churros made throughout North, Central, and South America may contain butter, eggs, or milk in the batter. (The famous Disneyland churros are in this camp.) In Spain, it’s common to eschew the cinnamon sugar topping and just eat them as is or dipped into dark, melted chocolate.
Where are churros from?
The churro we know and love here in America is thought to have originated in Portugal and Spain, but it is believed that the technique of frying dough was influenced by Chinese cuisine, particularly the youtiao (another treat to add to the list), which you’ll often see eaten with congee.
European imperialism brought the churro to the Americas, where each culture put their own spin on the original.
Are churros vegan? Are churros gluten free?
The average churro you encounter in the United States will likely be neither vegan nor gluten-free. You might have a better chance finding a vegan one, since the offending ingredients aren’t necessarily required for the dough. However, I imagine you’d be hard-pressed to find them made with wheat flour alternatives.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!