The Empanada: A Delicious Retrospective

Pillowy pastry stuffed with deliciously seasoned meat? Yeah, we're in.

The empanada is an icon of Argentine cuisine, but its roots stretch back to the 1500s in Spain and Portugal. Brought to the Americas in colonial times, the empanada is actually derived from a very similar dish called the empada, a large meat pie that served the working class.

Jump ahead a few centuries to today, and the empanada is made in all corners of the globe. But, you'll be hard-pressed to find one that rivals the Argentine version. Each province has its own style, but generally empanadas are either fried or baked. (The latter style is unique to Argentina.) Empanadas can be stuffed with chorizo, beef or even seafood. The Argentine version typically has a repulgue, a specific pattern added to the fold of the pastry to identify the type of meat inside.

A simple, delicious starter food stuffed with loads of history and culture.