Churros piped into hot oil, rolled in sugar and cinnamon and often filled with doce de leite are sold hot from carts at Sao Paulo fairs, squares and cinemas.
The story of Churros
Churros trace to Spanish shepherds who needed dough that could be fried over an open fire on long treks, a food that travelled with Spanish migration across Latin America. Spanish traders and vendors brought churros to Sao Paulo, and the snack took hold as street food through the 20th century, sold hot from carts at fairs, squares and outside cinemas rather than served in restaurants. Vendors pipe the dough into hot oil through a star-shaped nozzle, which gives churros their ridged surface and lets sugar and cinnamon cling to the crust, and later added a filled version with a syringe-like tube that pumps doce de leite or chocolate into the middle once fried.
How to make Churros
Serves: Makes about 20 churros
Ingredients
- 250ml water
- 60g butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 300g all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- Oil for deep frying
- 100g sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, for coating
- Doce de leite, warmed, for filling, optional
Method
- Bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add the flour all at once, stirring hard until it forms a smooth dough that pulls together.
- Let cool 5 minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth and glossy.
- Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
- Heat oil to 180C and pipe 10cm lengths directly into the oil, cutting with scissors, frying a few at a time until deep golden, about 3 minutes.
- Drain, roll immediately in the cinnamon sugar, and fill with warmed doce de leite through a small hole if using.
Editor tip. Fry at a steady 180C; oil that is too hot browns the outside before the centre cooks through.
The editor picks for Churros in São Paulo are still in research. Meanwhile, see the São Paulo signature-dishes index or the São Paulo food guide.