History

Torrijas date to the medieval Sephardic Jewish kitchens of Seville, with the wine-and-honey-soaked variant appearing in 15th-century manuscripts. After the 1492 expulsion, the dish was adopted by Christian Sevillians and became the canonical Lent and Semana Santa sweet, when religious abstinence from meat made the egg-and-bread plate the working-day Lenten food. Confiteria La Campana on Sierpes and Horno San Buenaventura on Avenida de la Constitucion both bake the city's reference torrijas through Lent. The dish runs from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday.

Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Milk

Make it at home

Yield 8Hands-on 20 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 8 thick slices (3cm) day-old white bread (pan de viena or brioche)
  • 500ml whole milk
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 80g caster sugar, plus more for dusting
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 300ml olive oil, for frying
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • Optional: 100ml sweet sherry (oloroso) for soaking instead of milk

Method

  1. Heat milk in a saucepan with cinnamon stick, lemon zest and 80g sugar until just simmering. Remove from heat and infuse 10 minutes.
  2. Strain the warm milk into a shallow dish.
  3. Place bread slices in the warm milk; let soak for 5 minutes per side until saturated but not breaking.
  4. Beat eggs in a separate shallow bowl.
  5. Heat olive oil in a wide frying pan to 170C.
  6. Lift each soaked bread slice carefully, dip in beaten egg, then fry for 90 seconds per side until pale gold.
  7. Drain on paper towel.
  8. Mix ground cinnamon with extra sugar; dust the warm torrijas generously.

Tip from the editors. Use proper day-old white bread; fresh bread falls apart in the milk.

Where to eat torrijas

Torrijas in Seville

Confiteria La Campana ★ 4.7

Bakery€Daily 08:00-22:00Walk-in onlyModernist patisserie since 1885

Confiteria La Campana on Calle Sierpes in Seville is the 1885 Modernist patisserie with marble counters, plasterwork ceilings and the city's canonical.

Tip: The standing counter at front is fastest for takeaway; the back tables fill at merienda from 18:00.

Worth the queue: Tarta de yema sevillana

Calle Sierpes 1, 41004 Sevilla

Confiteria Ochoa ★ 4.4

Bakery€Daily 08:00-21:30Walk-in onlyArtisanal Sevillian patisserie

Confiteria Ochoa on Calle Sierpes in Seville opened as Granja Victoria in 1910 under Rafael Ochoa Vila, with the canonical roscon de reyes in January and tea.

Tip: Open daily; the Sierpes location is the original. Roscon de reyes sells out by 18:00 on January 5th, so buy in advance.

Worth the queue: Roscon de reyes

Calle Sierpes 45, 41004 Sevilla

Manu Jara Dulceria ★ 4.6

Bakery€Tue-Sun 10:00-14:00 and 17:00-21:00, closed MondayWalk-in onlyFrench-Andalusian patisserie

Manu Jara Dulceria on Calle Pureza in Seville's Triana is French pastry chef Manu Jara's flagship, with the palmera de chocolate that won Best Palmera.

Tip: The Pureza shop is the original; a second location runs inside the Mercado de Triana. The Christmas panettone sells out by mid-December.

Worth the queue: Palmera de chocolate

Calle Pureza 5, 41010 Sevilla

Confiteria Rufino ★ 4.2

Bakery€Mon-Sun 10:00-15:00 and 17:00-20:00Walk-in onlyAracena patisserie with Easter torrijas

Confiteria Rufino on Plaza de Cuba in Seville is the Sevillian outpost of the Aracena confiteria from 1875, opened January 2019, with the canonical torrijas.

Tip: Order torrijas the week before Semana Santa; the queue starts forming on Holy Tuesday.

Worth the queue: Torrijas de Semana Santa

Plaza de Cuba 4, 41011 Sevilla

More cities are in research. Want torrijas covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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