Marraqueta

Marraqueta

The Marraqueta bread can be divided into four pieces with the hands.
Alternative names Pan francés (French bread), pan batido (“whipped bread”)
Type Bread
Place of origin Chile
Creator French immigrants in Bolivia
Main ingredients Flour, salt, water, leavening agent
Food energy
(per serving)
 1 unit (two quarters): 267 calories for 100 grms. kcal
Cookbook: Marraqueta  Media: Marraqueta

The marraqueta (also called pan francés (“French bread”) in the south of Chile and pan batido (“whipped bread” - but see history below) in the Valparaíso Region), is a soft bread made with flour, salt, water and yeast. The Chilean marraqueta is, strictly speaking, a se-tenant pair of small rolls, baked with another pair attached, comprising four rolls in total; some confusion can be caused when ordering one marraqueta, as this may be interpreted as either two or four rolls. It has a crunchy texture,[1] and is most popular in Chile, Bolivia and Peru (where it has only two sections and is called pan francés) but can also be found in Argentina and Uruguay.

Currently marraqueta is the most widely consumed bread in Chile and is used as toast,[2] in sandwiches and as a binder for certain recipes such as pastel de carne (meatloaf). It is widely considered the quintessential Chilean staple food.[3]

History

Many historians agree that the marraqueta originated in Valparaíso, Chile in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when major Chilean ports such as Valparaíso and Talcahuano received thousands of European immigrants. The story goes the bread was invented by two French baker brothers in Valparaíso whose last name was Marraquette, and the bread went on to become very popular among Chileans in a very short time.[4] This story would explain both the marraqueta and pan francés names. In Valparaíso itself, somewhat confusingly, marraqueta means the four small rolls while half of this is called pan batido, the use of which is a shibboleth of Porteño identity (but is ignored by national supermarket chains).

An alternative theory of the bread’s origin was proposed by French naturalist and botanist Claude Gay, who suggested that marraqueta was first eaten in Chile in the 18th century.[5] This story is implausible, given the marraqueta's reliance on distinctive French baking techniques imported to Paris from Vienna in the 1830s.

Ingredients and preparation

Marraqueta is made from flour, water, yeast and salt. It does not contain fat and the proofing process takes longer than other breads. The unusual form of the four buns allows to be divided it very easily.

References

  1. ↑ "Panes del Mundo. Tradicional Marraqueta". Magazine del Pan. Retrieved 2007.
  2. ↑ Once: A guide to Chile’s oddly-named evening snack www.thisischile.cl Monday, February 06, 2012 retrieved October 08, 2013
  3. ↑ Panes del Mundo - Tradicional Marraqueta www.magazinedelpan.com June 06, 2005, retrieved July 29, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Panes del Mundo. Tradicional Marraqueta". Venezuela: Magazine del Pan. 2005. Retrieved 2007.
  5. ↑ Claudio Gay, Historia fisica y politica de Chile segun documentos adquiridos en esta republica durante doce años de residencia en ella y publicada bajo los auspicios del supremo gobierno

See also


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 13, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.