Argentinean Pastries

Argentina is not known for much more than economic distress, military coups and Evita. As an exchange student who's supposed to promote cultural understanding, I figure I should write about one of Argentina's good sides: the pastries.

I'm accustomed to the processed, lard-laden Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks muffins, so eating the homemade stuff here tastes very special. There are a few traditional Argentinean pastries which are particularly yummy.

Medialunas: croissant-shaped but with a heavier, cinnamon bun-like dough. Sometimes, if you're lucky, the medialuna is filled with dulce de leche. I think Al Qaeda should consider promising seventy medialunas to the martyrs instead of seventy virgins.

Alfajores: the most authentic Argentinean desert. Three graham cracker-like cookies with mousse or dulce de leche in between, all bathed in either dark or white chocolate. Each region has a special alfajor; the Litoral's special alfajor is white chocolate sprinkled with coconut.

Carasucia: a spongey dough topped with a thick layer of brown sugar. "Carasucia" literally means "dirty face;" the brown sugar is a bit messy.

Facturas: the word for a whole host of pastries. The most common factura is a traingular-shaped pastry made of layers of (what I think) is filo dough. It's glazed and coated with sugar on the top. Other facturas are filled with jelly or cream.

Facturitas: mini-facturas. These pint-sized pastries are great for a small snack with coffee in the afternoon. For a foreigner like me, facuritas allow me to sample many of the delicious facturas.