Argentine Empanadas: Pastries from Buenos Aires

Argentine Empanadas: Pastries from Buenos Aires

Empanadas are Argentine fried or baked pastries filled with beef, onion, olives and egg. Every Argentine province has its own recipe, and the crimp pattern encodes the filling.

History of the dish

Empanadas originate in Galicia (Spain) but in Argentina became a dish in their own right. Salta province is famous for small fried empanadas, Tucumán for baked ones. The 'criollo' filling with raisins and olives is the classic.

Key ingredients

Dough: flour, lard or butter, egg, salt, water. Criollo filling: beef mince, fried onion, spring onion, hard-boiled egg, olives, raisins, cumin, paprika, salt.

How to cook at home

The dough should not be stiff — soft and elastic. Crimp the edges with 'repulgue' (a twisted braid) — the Argentine style. Bake at 200°C for 20–25 minutes until golden.