What is a Churro? I am hearing all this hype recently about something called a churro. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had one, but the pictures sure look good. I was wondering if the Cinnamon Twists that I love from Taco Bell were one. And the answer is yes. They just look a little different than the other ones called Churros at other fast food stores.
Where did they come from?
The history is a bit unclear. Some give credit to the Spanish shepherds. They say that since they lived high in the mountains, they had no access to stores or bakeries. And so, they created the churros because they could easily be made in the frying pan over the campfire. Supporting this theory is the fact that a breed of sheep was called a “Churra” that had horns that resembled this fried pastry.
The Portuguese sailors also claim credit for its discovery, saying that a similar pastry from Northern China called “You Tiao” was the source. These sailors brought them home with them. At home similar dough was passed through star-shaped dough presses and then fried. Hence the ridges on today’s churros.
Maybe the credit for them should go all the way back to China as some people believe.
So What Is A Churro?
Basically, a churro is a bit of fried dough in the shape of a column with ridges. The thickness can vary from slim to long and thick, with the dough fried in oil. They might then be sprinkled with sugar or dipped into chocolate or champurrado. Champurrado is a thick Mexican hot chocolate sauce. Churros also are often stuffed with chocolate, mango, guava, and cream cheese as well as ice cream.
How do I get a churro?
Churros have long been a favorite snack at fairs, expos, and the like during the summer, but their popularity is changing that. Now they are springing up on fast-food menus and there is even a small restaurant called the Dulce Churro Cafe here in the Phoenix area. You can also book a gourmet Churros food truck.
I just looked on Walmart’s grocery site and there are a dozen different boxed varieties of churros. I can’t believe I never saw them or knew about them.
Also, home recipes for them abound. There are even videos on youtube for them.