Recipe: Cook Delicious Colombian Cheese Fritters Inspired by Disney’s ‘Encanto’ (2024)

FAQs

What are Colombian bunuelos made of? ›

Colombian buñuelos are made with a mixture of cassava flour and cornstarch. The ratio of these two starches varies from house to house. What is this? Cassava, tapioca, or yuca, is a root very much used in South America.

ˌbünyəˈwā(ˌ)lō plural -s. : a flat, semisweet cake made mainly of eggs, flour, and milk fried in deep fat and usually served with sugar and cinnamon or cane syrup.

Mirabel's mum Julieta has the special power of being able to heal people through food. In the film we see her cook the traditional Colombian food – arepas. Mirabel even sings about it saying 'My mom Julieta can make you feel better with just one arepa'.

Colombian buñuelos are magical cheese-based donuts that are crunchy on the outside, with a soft, pillowy angel food cake consistency, and the tiniest hint of sweetness. This post may contain affiliate links.

In Mexico, the flour-based dough is rolled out until it's paper-thin, then it's deep-fried until it puffs up. In places like Cuba and Nicaragua, they are made with yuca, the root of the cassava plant. In Colombia, buñuelos are typically made with cheese.

Buñuelos may be filled with a variety of things, sweet or savory. They can be round in ball shapes or disc-shaped. In Latin America, buñuelos are seen as a symbol of good luck.

According to the New York Times, this fritter-like treat has its origins in Spain and almost every Latin American country has its own version. While Mexican buñuelos are sweet, deep-fried, and covered in syrup, the Cuban and Nicaraguan version is made with yuca, and the Colombian ones are made with cheese.

Buñuelos are round little beignets stuffed with a variety of creamy fillings. The buñuelo dough is a choux type of dough, although it is fried instead of baked.

If you've seen Disney's Encanto movie, you know the healing power of Mirabel's mom, Julieta, and her magical arepas con queso.

Our heroine must discover what makes her special: what is her magical skill? It's certainly not her mother's gift, Maribel sighs. Her mamá can heal everyone in their village with homemade arepas, the daily bread of Colombia made from corn meal.

What are they eating in Encanto dinner scene? ›

The foods in the film are inspired by traditional Colombian fare: arepas, ajiaco, empanadas, and lush tropical fruits.

Mexican Bunuelos are fried dough fritters sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. They're usually made with a bunuelos tool into various flattened shapes such as flowers or stars, or served as flattened disks. In Mexican households, they're often enjoyed around Christmas and New Year's.

Dictionary. buñuelos noun, plural, masculine. fritters pl. doughnuts pl.

Bunuelos, a type of Spanish doughnut, are normally round or hoop shaped whereas Churros are normally long cylinders.

Traditionally, arepas are made by soaking and pounding dried corn in a pilón—a large mortar and pestle. The moist pounded dough would then be shaped into cakes and cooked. These days, most folks buy pre-cooked, dehydrated masarepa—arepa flour—that only needs to be mixed with water and salt to form a dough.

According to the 2018 census, the Mestizo and White population combined make up approximately 87% of the Colombian population, while an estimated 50-60% of Colombians are Mestizo or mixed race. A study by Rojas et al reported an average of 50.6% Amerindian, 41% European, and 8.4% African for Mestizo Colombians.

Spain

Buñuelo / Place of origin

Traditionally made with anise-spiced fried dough made from tubers (sweet potato, yuca, taro root, etc.) and often glazed with a syrup, Buñuelos en Almibar is the perfect combination of sweet and savory. If you're looking for a great breakfast dish, look no further than these delicious cuban style beignets.