Pambazo
Encyclopedia
Pambazo is the name of a Mexican white bread. It is also the name of the dish or antojito
(very similar to the torta
) made with this bread dipped in a red guajillo pepper sauce and filled with papas con chorizo (potatoes with chorizo
).
The bread used for pambazos is white and lacks a crispy crust. This particular bread is made of flour, lard, eggs, and is tougher and drier than the similar bolillo
(also used for sandwiches), which allows it to retain its shape while being soaked in sauce. Pambazos are usually found in Mexican bakeries where they are sold just as any other white bread. However, since its exterior surface is a bit dry and fragile, is usually reserved for other uses than a meals companion.
It is unclear when or why the pambazo is prepared and filled in a very specific way. While other similar dishes changed the fillings or toppings, the pambazo recipe remains almost the same. The bread is dipped in warm red guajillo pepper sauce which gives the bread it's notorious orange-red sprinkled coloration. Once the bread has been soaked and the excess of sauce eliminated, is sliced in two and used as a sandwich, filling it with papas con chorizo (potatoes with chorizo
) or longaniza
and frijoles refritos (refried beans
). It is then garnished with shredded lettuce
, salsa
(sauce), crema (cream
) and queso fresco (fresh cheese
).
In the Mexican State of Veracruz, the pambazo is also partially covered with white flour and ham or polish meat are also used instead of the traditional potatoes and chorizo. In other regions, Pambazos are filled with meat, vegetables or cheese. In Mexican parties or social events, small sized pambazos are served instead of canapes. These are known as pambacitos, which literally means "little pambazo".
Antojito
An antojito is a Mexican street snack designed to satisfy a craving . Many antojitos have become regional icons of Mexican cuisine and can be found in almost every region of Mexico, although there are a few local variants that are exclusive to a specific place.It is widely accepted that an antojito...
(very similar to the torta
Torta
Torta is a Spanish word with a huge array of culinary meanings depending from the area and period of history in question. It originated in different regional variants of flatbread, of which the torta de gazpacho and torta cenceña are still surviving in certain areas of central Spain. Tortas are...
) made with this bread dipped in a red guajillo pepper sauce and filled with papas con chorizo (potatoes with chorizo
Chorizo
Chorizo is a term encompassing several types of pork sausages originating from the Iberian Peninsula.In English, it is usually pronounced , , or , but sometimes ....
).
The bread used for pambazos is white and lacks a crispy crust. This particular bread is made of flour, lard, eggs, and is tougher and drier than the similar bolillo
Bolillo
A bolillo is a type of savory bread traditionally made in Mexico, where it originates. It is a variation of the baguette, and is often baked in an horno de piedra....
(also used for sandwiches), which allows it to retain its shape while being soaked in sauce. Pambazos are usually found in Mexican bakeries where they are sold just as any other white bread. However, since its exterior surface is a bit dry and fragile, is usually reserved for other uses than a meals companion.
It is unclear when or why the pambazo is prepared and filled in a very specific way. While other similar dishes changed the fillings or toppings, the pambazo recipe remains almost the same. The bread is dipped in warm red guajillo pepper sauce which gives the bread it's notorious orange-red sprinkled coloration. Once the bread has been soaked and the excess of sauce eliminated, is sliced in two and used as a sandwich, filling it with papas con chorizo (potatoes with chorizo
Chorizo
Chorizo is a term encompassing several types of pork sausages originating from the Iberian Peninsula.In English, it is usually pronounced , , or , but sometimes ....
) or longaniza
Longaniza
Longaniza is a Spanish sausage similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region...
and frijoles refritos (refried beans
Refried beans
Refried beans is a dish of cooked and mashed beans and is a traditional staple of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, although each cuisine has a somewhat different approach when making the dish.-Ingredients and preparation:...
). It is then garnished with shredded lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
, salsa
Salsa (sauce)
Salsa may refer to any type of sauce. In American English, it usually refers to the spicy, often tomato based, hot sauces typical of Mexican and Central American cuisine, particularly those used as dips. In British English, the word typically refers to salsa cruda, which is common in Mexican ,...
(sauce), crema (cream
Cream
Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...
) and queso fresco (fresh cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
).
In the Mexican State of Veracruz, the pambazo is also partially covered with white flour and ham or polish meat are also used instead of the traditional potatoes and chorizo. In other regions, Pambazos are filled with meat, vegetables or cheese. In Mexican parties or social events, small sized pambazos are served instead of canapes. These are known as pambacitos, which literally means "little pambazo".
History
The pambazo bread got his name from the pan basso or low class bread from Mexico's viceregal period. During that period, there were bakeries in Mexico dedicated solely to this type of bread named 'panbasserias' (pambacerías).- "On this type of bread, inferior quality flour or flour from deteriorated wheat were mixed to produce the pan basso. Bakeries produced minimal quantities of pan basso, a maximum of 4% of all flour in Mexico City"
- Virginia García Acosta, Las panaderías, sus dueños y trabajadores. Ciudad de México. Siglo XVIII.