Tarta de Santiago

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Tarta de Santiago
Tarta de Santiago-2009.jpg
Typical presentation with the Cross of the Order of Santiago
Alternative namesTorta de Santiago (in Galician)
Coursedessert
Place of origin Spain
Region or state Galicia
Serving temperaturechilled/room temperature
Main ingredientsground almonds

Torta de Santiago (in Galician) or Tarta de Santiago (in Spanish), literally meaning cake of St. James, is an almond cake or pie from Galicia with its origin in the Middle Ages and the Camino de Santiago. [1] The ingredients mainly consist of ground almonds (almond flour), eggs, and sugar, with additional flavouring of lemon zest, sweet wine, brandy, or grape marc, depending on the recipe used. [2]

Contents

Background

The Galician for cake is torta whilst it is often referred to as tarta, which is the Spanish word for it. It has a round shape and can be made with or without a base which can be either puff pastry or shortcrust pastry. [3] [4]

The top of the pie is decorated with powdered sugar, stencilled by a silhouette of the Cross of Saint James (cruz de Santiago) which gives the pastry its name. [1] The origin of the cross being decorated on the cake dates to 1924 when the "Casa Mora" began to adorn the almond cakes with the silhouette. [5]

In May 2010, the EU gave Tarta de Santiago PGI status within Europe. To qualify, the cake must be made in the Autonomous Community of Galicia and contain at least 33% almonds, excluding the base. [2]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Tarta de Santiago". Baking Mad. 26 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 'Tarta de Santiago' |EC No: ES-PGI-0005-0616-03.07.2007". Official Journal of the European Union. 16 September 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  3. "Resolución de 3 de marzo de 2006, Indicación Geográfica Protegida «Tarta de Santiago»" (PDF). número 69 (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado. 22 March 2006. pp. 11254–11255.
  4. Bilotta, Carmen (2 October 2017). "Tarta o torta di Santiago, l'antico dolce dei pellegrini di Santiago di Compostela" [Tart or cake of Santiago, the historic sweet of the Way of Saint James]. La Gazzetta del Gusto (in Italian). Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  5. "Postres del Mundo. Galicia: La Tarta de Santiago". Viajar Y Celebrar (in Spanish). 8 August 2017.