Barquillo is a crispy rolled

wafer A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. They frequently have a waffle surface pattern but may also be patterned with insignia of the foo ...

pastry originating in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is made from the basic

cookie A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...

ingredients of flour, sugar, egg whites and butter rolled out thinly and then shaped into a hollow cylinder or a cone. It was traditionally sold by roadside vendors known as ''barquilleros'' who carried a characteristic red

roulette Roulette (named after the French language, French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italy, Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various grouping ...

tin (the ''ruleta de barquillero''). It was introduced to

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

during colonial times. In Spain and former Spanish colonies, barquillos are commonly regarded as a type of

Christmas cookie Christmas cookies or Christmas biscuits are traditionally sugar cookies or biscuits (though other flavours may be used based on family traditions and individual preferences) cut into various shapes related to Christmas. History Modern Christm ...

. It is also popular during various fiestas. It spread to neighboring countries and today is extremely popular in

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

n countries.

Names

The Spanish name ''barquillo'' means "little boat". It is derived from the ancient tradition of heating the biscuits in convex or boat-shaped molds. Barquillos are also known by a variety of names. In English it is also known as biscuit roll, cookie roll, crispy biscuit roll, egg roll, crisp biscuit roll, or love letter. The Chinese name for this snack, "蛋卷", can be directly translated into English as "egg roll". However, the food item known in the West as

egg roll The egg roll is a variety of deep-fried appetizer served in American Chinese restaurants. It is a cylindrical, savory roll with shredded cabbage, chopped meat, or other fillings inside a thickly wrapped wheat flour skin, which is fried in ...

is very different.

Description

Chulapo barquillero en el rastro de madrid

Barquillos are thin

s made from flour, sugar, egg whites and butter that is rolled into the shape of a long hollow tube or a cone. They can also be sold simply folded over twice in a fan shape. In Spain, it was traditionally sold by roaming roadside vendors known as "barquilleros" (or "barquilleras") during festive events. In

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, barquilleros are particularly associated with the fiesta of San Isidro Labrador, where the vendors typically dress in ''

castizo ''Castizo''Pronunciation in Latin American Spanish: (fem. ''Castiza'') was a racial category used in 18th-century Spanish America to refer to people who were three-quarters Spanish by descent and one-quarter Amerindian. The category of ''casti ...

'' ('' chulapo'') attire. Barquilleros carry a characteristic red tin known as the ''ruleta de barquillero'' which has a

spinner at the top. Buying barquillos typically involve a small game, where the buyer pays to spin the roulette. Depending on where the ticker lands, the buyer can either have one or two barquillos for the same price. The buyer can also pay a slightly larger amount to continue spinning the roulette and getting barquillos until it lands on one of the four golden markers. The tradition of barquilleros almost became extinct during the dictatorship of

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

. Today, barquillos are most popular in Asia which has a larger population than Spain. Barquillos are traditionally eaten plain. Modern versions, however, can flavor it with ingredients including

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). ''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

, grated

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

, and lemon juice. Barquillos are also commonly dipped or coated in

milk chocolate Milk chocolate is a form of solid chocolate containing Chocolate liquor, cocoa, sugar and milk. It is the most consumed types of chocolate, type of chocolate, and is used in a wide diversity of chocolate bar, bars, tablets and other confectione ...

or have a chocolate center. Due to their similarity to

ice cream cone An ice cream cone (England) or poke (Ireland) is a brittle, cone-shaped pastry, usually made of a wafer similar in texture to a waffle, made so ice cream can be carried and eaten without a bowl or spoon. Many styles of cones are made, includ ...

s, they are also commonly sold as containers for frozen treats. Similar recipes to barquillos also exist in other countries in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, like the '' parizske pecivo'' of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, the '' pirouettes'' of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and ''

krumkake (; meaning 'curved cake'; : ) is a Norwegian cookie made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and cream. A special decorative two-sided iron griddle similar to a waffle iron is traditionally used to bake the thin round cakes, similar to Italian p ...

'' of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. Flat versions are known as '' wafle'' in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, '' goro'' in

, and '' pizzelle'' in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, among others.

By region

Latin America

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, cylindrical barquillos filled with

dulce de leche ''Dulce de leche'' (), caramelized milk, milk candy, or milk jam is a confection commonly consumed after slowly heating sugar and milk over several hours. The substance takes on a spreadable, sauce-like consistency and derives its rich flavour ...

, chocolate, or other sweet fillings are known as '' cuchuflís'' (Chile) or ''cubanitos'' (Argentina).

Asia

Barquillos in the

lack the grid-pattern of traditional Spanish barquillos. They are thinner and are usually rolled into elongated cylindrical shapes. Philippine barquillos are most strongly associated with the city of

Iloilo Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...

, particularly to the Deocampo bakery in the district of Jaro, which has been commercially mass-producing barquillos since 1896. A notable variant of barquillo is the Filipino ''barquiron'' (also spelled ''barqueron''), which are barquillos filled with

polvorón A polvorón (From , the Spanish word for powder, or dust) is a type of heavy, soft, and very crumbly Spanish shortbread made of flour, sugar, milk, and nuts (especially almonds). They are mostly produced in Andalusia, where there are about 70 f ...

and crushed peanuts, cashew nuts, or

pili nut Pili may refer to: Common names of plants * ''Canarium ovatum'', a Philippine tree that is a source of the pili nut * ''Heteropogon contortus'', a Hawaiian grass used to thatch structures Places * Pili, Camarines Sur, is a municipality in th ...

s. It originates from the city of

. Other variants of Philippine barquillos include those flavored with ube,

pandan leaves Pandan may refer to: Plants *''Pandanus'', a genus of tropical trees, the screw-pines **''Pandanus amaryllifolius'', a tropical plant used in Southeast Asian cuisine Places Brunei * Kampong Pandan, Brunei Malaysia * Pandan-Tebrau, a location ...

, and

carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in colour, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild ...

s, which are bright purple, green, and orange in color, respectively. In

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, biscuit rolls are made of

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of common wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ...

, butter, egg, sugar, and

flavour.

Gallery

File:File-Ruleta de barquillero-Madrid (detalle).jpg, A ''ruleta de barquillero'' from

File:Flan con helado.jpg, ''Flan con helado'', a Spanish dessert with a barquillo File:Cuchuflis y barquillos Artesanales. 04.JPG, Barquillos and cuchuflís from

Image:Barquillos.jpg, Filipino barquillos File:Filipino chocolate-filled barquillos 01.jpg, Filipino chocolate-filled barquillos File:Syrup sponge pudding with custard at the White Hart Inn, Moreton, Essex, England.jpg, A syrup sponge pudding dessert with a biscuit roll from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

File:Love Letters (food).jpg, Hong Kong love letters are commonly sold in tin cans

References

External links

* {{Cantonese cuisine Hong Kong cuisine Philippine pastries Biscuits Spanish cuisine Vietnamese cuisine Chilean cuisine Argentine cuisine