Empanada

food · pastry · world cuisine · savory snack

Folded dough pocket. An empanada is made by taking a piece of dough and folding it over a filling, kind of like how you'd fold a letter into an envelope. The filling can be meat, cheese, tomato, corn, or almost anything tasty you can imagine.

Popular everywhere. Empanadas are loved in Spain, Portugal, Latin America, North Africa, West Africa, South Asia, and the Philippines. This means empanadas have been adopted by people all around the world and turned into their own special versions.

Name means breaded. The word empanada comes from the Spanish word empanar, which means to wrap or coat something in bread. So the name itself tells you exactly what you're doing, wrapping the filling inside the dough.

Two ways to cook. You can make empanadas by baking them in an oven until they're golden brown, or by frying them in oil until they're crispy and delicious. Both methods create a flaky, warm pocket of yumminess.