 | |
| Type | Sandwich |
|---|---|
| Course | Appetizer, snack, or main |
| Region or state | South America |
| Associated cuisine | Argentine |
| Main ingredients | Ham, cheese, puff pastry |
| Ingredients generally used | Sugar, egg white |
A jesuita (Uruguay) or fosforito (Argentina, lit. "matchstick") is a baked sandwich commonly eaten in parts of South America and considered a classic of Argentinian cuisine. [1] [2] [3] [4] It consists of two pieces of puff pastry filled with thin slices of ham and cheese. [1] [2]
The origins of the dish are European, brought to Argentina by colonizers. [3] Although long commonly available in Argentinian bakeries, their popularity had waned until an interest in home baking and professional interest among pastry chefs in traditional dishes resurged in 2020. [3]
The puff pastry is typically lightly glazed with a sugary egg-white mixture similar to royal icing. [1] [2] Some recipes call for the sandwiches to be assembled with the pastry raw, brushed with the glaze, and baked until the puff pastry is browned and crispy and the cheese has melted. [2] [3] Others call for baking the pastry separately and filling the baked sheets with ham and cheese. [3]
They are small in size and often served as a party food; they also can be served as an appetizer, snack, or meal. [2] [3] They can be served hot or cold. [3] The flavor is both sweet and salty. [2] [3]
A similarly-named sweet pastry known in Portugal, Spain and parts of South America, the jesuit , consists of puff pastry filled with custard. [5] In Germany, Jesuitermützen are a custard-filled pastry traditionally cut into triangles. [5] In France the pastry is filled with frangipane and called a jésuite. [6]
Argentine cuisine is described as a blending of cultures, from the Indigenous peoples of Argentina who focused on ingredients such as humita, potatoes, cassava, peppers, tomatoes, beans, and yerba mate, to Mediterranean influences brought by the Spanish during the colonial period. This led to cultural blending of criollos, Indigenous, and sub-Saharan African in the cuisine. Later, this was complemented by the significant influx of Italian and Spanish immigrants to Argentina during the 19th and 20th centuries, who incorporated plenty of their food customs and dishes such as pizzas, pasta and Spanish tortillas.
Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as bakers' confectionery. The word "pastries" suggests many kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder, and eggs. Small tarts and other sweet baked products are called pastries as a synecdoche. Common pastry dishes include pies, tarts, quiches, croissants, and pasties.
Hungarian or Magyar cuisine is the cuisine characteristic of the nation of Hungary, and its primary ethnic group, the Magyars. Hungarian cuisine has been described as being the spiciest cuisine in Europe. This can largely be attributed to the use of their piquant native spice, Hungarian paprika, in many of their dishes. A mild version of the spice, Hungarian sweet paprika, is commonly used as an alternative. Traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, bread, and dairy products.
An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spain, other Southern European, Latin American countries, and the Philippines. The name comes from the Spanish empanar, and translates as 'breaded', that is, wrapped or coated in bread. They are made by folding dough over a filling, which may consist of meat, cheese, tomato, corn, or other ingredients, and then cooking the resulting turnover, either by baking or frying.
A profiterole, cream puff (US), or chou à la crème is a filled French choux pastry ball with a typically sweet and moist filling of whipped cream, custard, pastry cream, or ice cream. The puffs may be decorated or left plain or garnished with chocolate sauce, caramel, or a dusting of powdered sugar. Savory profiterole are also made, filled with pureed meats, cheese, and so on. These were formerly common garnishes for soups.
A mille-feuille, also known by the names Napoleon in North America, vanilla slice in the United Kingdom, and custard slice, is a French dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream. Its modern form was influenced by improvements made by Marie-Antoine Carême.
Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies, flatbreads, sandwiches, or omelettes.
Custard tarts or flan pâtissier/parisien are a baked pastry consisting of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard.
Uruguayan cuisine is a fusion of cuisines from several European countries, especially of Mediterranean foods from Spain, Italy, Portugal and France. Other influences on the cuisine resulted from immigration from countries such as Germany and Scotland. Uruguayan gastronomy is a result of immigration, rather than local Amerindian cuisine, because of late-19th and early 20th century immigration waves of, mostly, Italians. Spanish influences are abundant: desserts like churros, flan, ensaimadas yoo (Catalan sweet bread), and alfajores were all brought from Spain. There are also all kinds of stews known as guisos or estofados, arroces, and fabada. All of the guisos and traditional pucheros (stews) are also of Spanish origin. Uruguayan preparations of fish, such as dried salt cod (bacalao), calamari, and octopus, originate from the Basque and Galician regions, and also Portugal. Due to its strong Italian tradition, all of the famous Italian pasta dishes are present in Uruguay including ravioli, lasagne, tortellini, fettuccine, and the traditional gnocchi. Although the pasta can be served with many sauces, there is one special sauce that was created by Uruguayans. Caruso sauce is a pasta sauce made from double cream, meat, onions, ham and mushrooms. It is very popular with sorrentinos and agnolotti. Additionally, there is Germanic influence in Uruguayan cuisine as well, particularly in sweet dishes. The pastries known as bizcochos are Germanic in origin: croissants, known as medialunas, are the most popular of these, and can be found in two varieties: butter- and lard-based. Also German in origin are the Berlinese known as bolas de fraile, and the rolls called piononos. The facturas were re-christened with local names given the difficult German phonology, and usually Uruguayanized by the addition of a dulce de leche filling. Even dishes like chucrut (sauerkraut) have also made it into mainstream Uruguayan dishes.
The ham sandwich is a common type of sandwich. The bread may be fresh or toasted, and it can be made with a variety of toppings including cheese and vegetables like lettuce, tomato, onion or pickle slices. Various kinds of mustard and mayonnaise are also common.
Pionono describes different sweet or savory pastries from Granada, Spain, the Philippines, South America, and the Caribbean. It is named after Pope Pius IX's name in Spanish, Pío Nono.
A Jésuite is a triangular, flaky pastry filled with frangipane cream and topped with sliced almonds and powdered sugar. The pastry originated in France and the name refers to the triangular shape of a Jesuit's hat.
Miguelitos are a type of cream filled puff pastry, which can also be referred to as a cake. Originated in La Roda, in Castilla–La Mancha, Spain. Manuel Blanco the creator of these flaky desserts, was born in La Roda in 1925. After being a part of the military in 1960 he migrated to a place called Pamplona where his masterpiece was created. The name Miguelito came, after he decided to give his friend Miguel the first bite of his creation, from there the name had stuck. La Roda de Albacete started to be known with various pastry chefs throughout Spain, causing the expansion of the dessert.
Sorrentinos are a type of Argentine ravioli, but larger, more circular and originally wraped without fluted edge. The dough is made with flour and eggs, and the filling of the original recipe consists of York ham and mozzarella.
