Who Is Who On Our Streets: What can be sweeter than churros?

By Natalie Taylor

On the corner of Insurgentes and Pepe Llanos, where the buses make a stop, a small stand calls attention to itself with the lovely aroma that emanates from it. At the far edge of Plaza Zaragoza you can buy small bags of freshly fried churros, either plain or rellenos—filled with chocolate or dulce de leche.

The stand is attended by Marlene and Carlos, sister and brother, whose grandfather began the business. Jose Remedios Navarro and his wife, María Elena, came from the rural community of La Laguna Escondida, some thirty minutes from San Miguel de Allende, in 1980. Jose Raúl, their youngest son, is Marlene and Carlos' father and he began selling ice cream and cotton candy in front of the Oratorio when he was about nine, and later brought ready-made churros in a cart. Eventually, he secured the current spot and bought the machine, which they use to this day, piping out the dough directly into the hot oil. Once fried to a golden brown color, the churros get dipped in either plain sugar or with the addition of cinnamon, which adheres nicely to the ridges and makes them perfectly crispy on the outside and a gooey yumminess inside.

Most claim that churros originated in Spain and were brought to México and other Spanish colonies in the 1500s. But these sublime little sticks of fried dough appear in different guises in many other cultures as a fritter, cruller, doughnut, beignet, or even the Chinese youtiao. And their history goes much further back than the 16^th century. Arabic recipes of fried dough date back to the 8^th century, which makes it very likely that they were introduced by the Arabs during their conquest of Spain. But there are documents even earlier than that, with a recipe for a flour and water fritter—the basic ingredients of a churro—in a Roman cookbook from the 1^st Century CE.

As far as the name, most sources claim that these curly sticks of fried dough were prepared by Spanish shepherds in the field. The shape reminded them of the horns of the Churra sheep, so they began calling their fried treats churros, and the name stuck. They became very popular in the 16^th century, turning into a common street food and a sweet staple at fairs. It is here that the shape of the churro contributes to its popularity; it is much easier to eat a hand-held, small cylindrical shape while walking than a large blob like a doughnut!

In México, they are often filled with a variety of fillings such as pastry cream, fruit cream, chocolate, or dulce de leche. And they are frequently served with a wonderful, thick cup of chocolate—a beautiful meld of Spanish and Native American cuisines. Like a caterpillar transforming into a magnificent butterfly, a pale, sticky lump of flour and water metamorphoses into a shimmering, outrageous deliciousness, still retaining its caterpillar-like shape.

And that is exactly what Marlene and Carlos do at their stand on Insurgentes. When interviewing them, they could not have been kinder and more generous with their time. They told me the family history, and I stopped each time a customer came by. Carlos even called his father to get the exact dates of their business. I had eaten breakfast, so I got some churros for the following day and asked Marlene how best to reheat them. She did not know, so I suggested I would try refrying them and report back. When I tried to pay for the churros, they absolutely refused any payment, insisting that it was a gift.

So if you ask me what is sweeter than churros, Marlene and Carlos at their stand! Beautiful young people who enrich San Miguel with their charm and the delicious fried treats that are part of the city’s tradition.

By the way, refrying the churros worked quite well! Fried in a bit of oil (without a sugar coating), for a short time brought them back to their crispiness, when dipped in sugar, they were almost as good as fresh. But, honestly, nothing compares to these sweet, freshly fried tubes of dough eaten on the go from the little paper bags they put them in. Go on and try them yourself at the stand on Insurgentes: Buen provecho!

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