Churros: from Andalusia to the Americas

Churros are a type of fried dough the origins of which can be traced to Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. Made from choux pastry piped into hot oil through a star-shaped nozzle using a churrera, the dough forms ridged, prism-like shapes that may be straight, curled or spirally twisted. Fried until crisp, churros are often sprinkled with sugar, though regional recipes differ, and some incorporate potato, butter, milk or eggs.

In Spain and much of Latin America, they appear in cafés at breakfast but are eaten throughout the day as snacks. Specialised churrerías, operating as permanent shops or temporary trailers, often emerge during holiday periods, while in Portugal, churros are associated with carnivals, fairs and other public celebrations.

The name “churro” is onomatopoeic, imitating the sound of frying. Its precise origin is uncertain. Food historian Michael Krondl notes that modern churros resemble flour-and-water fritters recorded in the Roman cookbook Apicius from the first century AD, with similar recipes in Ancient Greece.

Some theories suggest they were created by Spanish shepherds as a substitute for baked goods, although the oil required for frying makes this unlikely. Another hypothesis, sometimes considered a hoax, claims Portuguese sailors introduced a variant of Chinese youtiao to Europe, which was later adapted in Spain with the star-shaped nozzle.

During the Islamic rule of the Iberian Peninsula from 711 to 1492, wheat-based fritters resembling churros were documented in Andalusian cookbooks. The 13th-century Kitab al-Tabikh describes zalábiyya, wheat dough extruded through a perforated tool into hot oil, forming ridged fritters. In Seville, thicker variants known as calientes or calentitos de rueda are fried in continuous spirals, while thinner doughs in eastern Andalusia produce smooth churros without sugar. The standard churro is sometimes called calentitos de papas, reflecting a softer texture.

Churros have spread across the globe in diverse forms. Sweet fillings appear in Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela, including guava, chocolate, dulce de leche, cajeta, arequipe or sweetened condensed milk. In Uruguay, savoury versions with melted cheese exist. In the Philippines, churros are straight, U-shaped, or circular, often served at Christmas, while in Thailand they are known as patonggo, derived from Chinese youtiao. In the United States, they are common at theme parks and street fairs, usually coated in cinnamon sugar or other flavours.

While Cyprus does not have churros in the traditional sense, the island’s culinary heritage includes several fried dough pastries with similar textures and sweet toppings. Pischies, thin strips of dough fried in olive oil and brushed with honey or sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, provide a comparable crunch. Glydjista from Kilani village features interwoven strands of fried pastry dipped in syrup, forming a braided, elongated shape. Loukoumades, small honey-soaked dough balls, and xerotiana, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon, offer further variations that echo the satisfaction of the fried-dough tradition. Churros Amigos in Lakatamia, Nicosia offers a selection of the traditional sweet.