Churro

fried pastry food, popular in Spain, Mexico, Brazil and the USA. It is sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut or Mexican doughnut. It is also sometimes referred to as a type of pretzel. In some parts of Spain (such as Ávila or Madrid) bigger churros are called porras, and smaller and twisted ones, churros.

Some claim that the churro is named after the shape of the horns of the Churro breed of sheep which is reared in the Spanish grasslands; this may be true as it is possible that the churro was initially invented by the shepherds of this region.

The churro is typically fried to a crunchy consistency. Its surface is ridged due to being extruded from a churrera, a syringe with a star-shaped nozzle. Churros are generally prisms in shape, but instead of being straight they may be curled or spirally twisted.

Its size and recipe, both of which vary considerably, may determine whether it is thought of as a kind of bread, cake or cookie.

The typical flavoring of churros is cinnamon. Churros are also often served sprinkled with sugar. Many churro connoisseurs swear by the combination of chocolate con churros, wherein the churro is dunked into a mug of piping hot chocolate.

Like pretzels, churros are often sold by street vendors who in many cases will fry them freshly on the street stand and sell them warm or hot.

Churros contain a high proportion of fat; this tends to give them a widely appreciated smell (hence their attraction to street vendors) but where they form a significant component of daily diets, they are associated with obesity-related health problems.

Churros are also to be found in Brazil, but those are usually hollow and filled with a syrup of chocolate, caramel or any other flavour.