Churros can be described as a thin but long bread-like tube or something similar to your classic donut, but it is usually slimmer than your normal donuts. It has ridges instead of smooth sides.
Churros are part of Spanish and Portuguese cuisine, and we already know how much of these baked goods have been absorbed into the American cuisines. Churros are different from your conventional baked goods because of how you eat them and what they taste like.
What do churros taste like? Churros taste like cinnamon donuts and taste so good because of their contrast in texture. Churros are crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside, like a donut. When freshly made, churros can have an extremely delicious taste and people have found different creative ways to enjoy them. Churros are usually eaten with a dark chocolate sauce that makes it a great dessert option.
Many people make the mistake of thinking churros are from Mexico. If you go to Mexico, you might find hot churros in the tourist centers. But churros are native to the Spanish. Churros are pastry sticks with ridges coated in cinnamon and sugar then dipped into a dark chocolate sauce.
Nutritional Benefits of Churros
Churros might be made with fried dough, but they have some nutritional benefits to offer the body. Churros contain minerals like fiber, cholesterol, protein, sugar, fats, saturated fats, sodium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and carbohydrates.
Churros are usually made with white refined flour and table sugar that can upset your blood sugar levels and digestion processes. You can make them healthier by substituting the sugar with something healthier like sweeteners and using gluten-free flours instead.
Churros are usually coated in cinnamon, or some people have cinnamon mixed into the dough. Cinnamon has many health benefits including antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and abilities that help boost the immune system. If you want to have cinnamon in there, you can add cinnamon to the batter and still coat the churros with cinnamon.
Cinnamon is known to have medicinal properties, for thousands of years, it hasn’t been seen as just a delicious spice, they have health benefits that have scientific backing. Cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants, having cinnamon in your churros means that you benefit from the health benefits that churros have in store.
The antioxidants in cinnamon outrank the ones you have in “superfoods” like garlic and oregano. The large amounts of polyphenols in cinnamon protects cells in the body from damage by free radicals.
The presence of cinnamon can also help reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the body’s response to tissue damage and body infections. When you get injured, that part of your body inflames to protect it. When inflammation goes on for too long, it can cause chronic diseases. Cinnamon has potent anti-inflammatory properties that can be very useful. You can get all these health benefits when you eat churros.
Culinary Uses of Churros
When you start eating churros, it is quite hard to stop, especially if you have a sweet tooth. Aside from eating churros as it is, there are several creative ways you can enjoy churros. You can complement the flavor of the classic churros and create something unique for yourself. One perfect combination you should try out is the combination of churros and Nutella. The combination of both flavors combined is epic. But this isn’t the only way you can eat your churros.
If you love having fun with your food, you can have your churros coated with Funfetti, or have it mixed into the batter. They would not only make a pretty sight, but they would also be fun to eat. The traditional way of eating churros is to have them dipped in dark chocolate sauce. But it doesn’t have to be limited to dark chocolate. You can enjoy them in milk chocolate or white chocolate. Any type of chocolate that suits your palate will work just fine.
Who says you cannot have a churro ice cream sandwich. You can have ice cream sandwiched between two pieces of churros. If you can have churros and ice cream, you can drink a churro milkshake. There are different ways you can enjoy churros, you can always bring life to any recipe by being adventurous.
What is the Origin of Churros? How to Procure Them?
Churros are a part of Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. But the origin of how churros came into being is murky. One theory says that churros are a Chinese invention brought to Europe by the Portuguese during their travels to the Orient. Churros might be an alteration of the Chinese youzhagui or youtiao.
There are recipes in Roman cookbooks that date back to the 1st century AD. The recipe is very similar to that of Churros and there are other recipes with Greek origins that are even older. Churros can be gotten in some grocery stores or, you can look up a recipe online and try making some with healthier ingredients.
What Are Churros Similar to?
Churros are similar to Chinese crullers or Chinese oil sticks which are known locally as youtiao. However, instead of having it with a chocolate sauce, these slightly salted oil sticks are dumped in soy milk or rice porridge and enjoyed as breakfast.
Facts You Don’t Know About Churros
- According to the dictionary of the Spanish language, “Churro” is onomatopoeic.
- Churros are usually sold in stands by street vendors like pretzels, they are usually sold freshly made, while they are still hot.