Mexico: Como pan caliente

'Como pan caliente' meaning 'like hot bread'

 In my last blog, we talked about France's engrossing and enthralling history with bread. We discussed about the middle ages that led to the creation of preferment bread called Boule and the qualities of  a good French bread. We also talked about some of the varieties of French breads. Today, let us talk about Mexican breads. 

The history of Mexican breads is linked to the Spanish conquest. The colonists brought the wheat. The locals or the natives worked on those wheat farms to provided breads for the colonists which resulted in them eventually eating the bred themselves out of necessity. Juan Garrido, an African explorer and a freed slave harvested one of the first wheat plantation on Hernán Cortés's land, which was later given to him. He is also one of the first bakers of the colonial era. The people of Mexico thought that the bread tasted quite bland until an inventive viceroy dipped a piece of bread in hot chocolate, which changed the course of breads in Mexico.

However, when the production of bread took place, that is in around 1524, two types of breads were prepared - flowered (made with refined flour) and pan bazo (made with wheat bran). These breads were sold to the local Mexicans in pulperías (grocery stores) and gradually, improved the quality and the process of bread making which led to varieties of Mexican breads. 

Mexican sweet breads

Like it is mentioned earlier, an inventive viceroy, when consumed a piece of bread dipped in hot chocolate, gave the Mexicans a bread more suitable to their palates. The influence of the French during the 19th century created a desire for sweet and delicious breads among the Mexicans. At the end of viceroyalty, when the French took over, they introduced the art of bread making and pan Francés (French breads) like baguettes, bread rolls and other sweet pastries. Thus, several French bakeries opened and the impact of the same spread all over.

Although the French were defeated in 1862, they left behind a legacy of sweet pastries and breads, which, with time, helped Mexicans establish their own bakeries. Many panaderos (bakers) adapted French techniques of preparing a dough, however the flavours and textures of these breads are contrasting since they consist of lard or margarine. Nowadays, butter is used more, but traditionally, lard or margarine were used. To give it a touch of Mexico or to make it their own, these panaderos added Mexican ingredients like corn flour, chocolate, vanilla, native fruits and vegetables. Consuming sweet pastries for breakfast or mid-afternoon snack is known as merienda and has been a tradition since the 16th century. 

Today, it is said that there about 500 to 2000 varieties of bread in Mexico. With all the flavours the panaderos had come to love and all the techniques they had learnt and practiced over the years, they started experimenting and shaping the bread doughs into beautiful, creative designs and were named according the designs of the bread, for instance, bigotes (moustache), conchas (seashells), polvorones (shortbread), and many more. 

Corbata (bowties or neckties)

The sweet bread, called as pan dulce, has countless (500-2000) types in Mexico. Let us discuss about some of these rich and appetizing breads:

Conchas: Conchas are these pan dulce that are prepared using a rich, fatty, brioche dough. This rich bread roll is topped with a cookie crust of a sugar pastry (usually made with white flour, sugar and butter. Sometimes also with chocolate and cinnamon). The meaning of 'concha' is seashell, because of the way it is scored, the name is as such. It is eaten at breakfast and is quite fluffy. 

Cuernos: Cuernos are rolled pastry shaped in a form of a bull's horn. They look similar to a croissant, although the dough is not as rich. This bread is available in every panaderias (bakeries) and are topped with sugar and filled with cheese. It is also served in All Saints day. The horns of the bull symbolically 'prod the sinner.'

 

Pan de Muerto: Pan de Muerto is a bread that is prepare and consumed at home or in a graveyard or shrine (also known as ofrenda) on  Día de los muertos, November 1st and 2nd. It is an egg based sweet bread that is decorated with skulls or bone figurines to represent the departed souls (difunctos/difunctas). The dough prepared for this bread is very rich, consisting of eggs, butter and milk. It is lightly flavoured with anise and orange glaze is brushed after it is done baking, sometimes the dough is flavoured with these ingredients too.

Pan de Muerto 

Buñuelo: A fried dough pastry, Buñuelo is a wheat based dough which is thinly rolled, like a disk. It becomes crispy and light after frying. It is often sprinkled with icing sugar, or a combination of cinnamon and icing sugar or dipped in pilloncillo, a hot sugarcane syrup. Buñuelo is served during Christmas, at carnivals and fairs. It is a tradition in Oaxaca to break the clay plates and make a wish once you eat the Buñuelo. 

Chorreada: A soft, whole wheat yeasted dough which is filled with crumbled pilloncillo, which results in a sweet, syrup-like filling. It can be topped with icing sugar, cinnamon, raisins, orange zest, etc. Chorreada is eaten in the morning usually with cafe de olla or champurrado (hot chocolate). 

Other pan dulce are Rosca de Reyes, Empanadas, Yoyos, El Volcán, Bolillo, Tortillas, Oreja, Empanas, Garibaldi, etc.

Thus, to conclude, the colonials brought the wheat to Mexico. The indigenous worked as labors to harvest and cultivate the wheat and prepared breads, until, gradually, they started eating it too, out of necessity. Juan Garrido was the one of the first people to harvest the wheat and he was also one of the first bakers of the colonial times. During viceroyalty, an inventive viceroy dipped a piece of bread in hot chocolate, which became a custom and caught soon among the Mexicans.

 Soon after the end of viceroyalty, the French took over which largely influenced the bread making in Mexico. Since 1862, panederios (bakeries) opened up and these bakeries sold several pan dulces. Since then, there has only been developments taking place in the breads of Mexico. 

The images given above are not mine, credits to the respective owners/photographers of the images. 

Copyrights to Tanya Kumar, 2021.