Bolivian empanada salteña
In a previous blog post we’ve talked about the inmense geographic, ethnic and cultural diversity in Bolivia. The gastronomy in Bolivia is in consequence, also very diverse, every geographic area has its own culinary traditional specialties. But there are a few dishes that are enjoyed by all Bolivians, everywhere throughout the country, one of them is the Bolivian empanada salteña.
You probably already know some kind of Latinamerican empanadas, they are made all throughout Latin America (their origin is Spain), but the Bolivian salteñas are special empanadas. They are so tasty, just mouthwatering delicious! A true delicacy. Why are they unique? The salteña is oven baked, the dough is a bit sweet, it has a hard crust and it is juicier than every other empanada. Trust us!
The salteña is the iconic baked juicy empanada from Bolivia. It is a savory pastry with a juicy filling called “jigote”. The filling is usually made with chicken but also with beef or pork, mixed in a sweet spicy or non-spicy (your choice) sauce containing olives, raisins, peas, carrots, boiled eggs and potatoes. Vegetarian (and vegan) salteñas are also available, yay!
A little bit of history:
The salteña originates in the early nineteenth century when Ms. Juana Manuela Gorriti, settled in the city of Potosí in Bolivia and began preparing broth empanadas. Manuela, nicknamed the “salteña” (for its place of origin: Salta, Argentina) started baking these empanadas. Some people think that the ‘British pasty’ was her inspiration. In time the recipe evolved and adapted in accordance to Bolivian tastes becaming very popular in Potosí, where eventually they began to be called “salteñas”. Later the salteña got consolidated as Bolivian empanada and you can find it included in old recipe books.
Over time the salteñas became a Bolivian tradition and nowadays they can can be found in any town or city throughout the country, with some variations in each area. Bolivians use to enjoy salteñas as a mid-morning snack, you can eat them for breakfast or lunch as well, they are served from early morning until noon in the so called “salteñerías”, small bars where you can have your fresh baked salteña (or two or three) with a cup of coffee or fresh made fruit juice, frapuccino or ‘mocochinchi’ (cold Bolivian sweet beverage made with dried peaches).
How to eat them?
The Bolivian empanada salteña is very juicy, it is like a stew in a pastry! The trick to eating them is to hold them upright, nibble the top corner and work your way down without spilling any of the hot juices. You can also try biting the end off and drinking the gravy before eating the rest. If you don’t spill anything at all, you are a pro! Try salteñas when you visit Bolivia, you will love them! Buen apetito!
How to bake them?
What about bringing the salteñas to your own kitchen and baking them yourself! It will take some work and the dough can be tricky (it must have the right consistency to keep all the juice inside) but it is all worth it!
- Bolivian-style beef salteña recipe
- Video salteña spicy version (Spanish with English subtitles), or salteña non-spicy version
- Here you can learn how to seal (“repulgar”) salteñas with a “braided” seam. NOTE that the empanadas salteñas are baked in an upright position, rather than on their side, so the seal is placed on top.
Looking for salteñas in your area? There are restaurants all over the world including salteñas in their menus, some of them can even ship frozen salteñas to you.
