Empanada History

The empanada goes far back in history and may have originated in the Middle East, but they were carried throughout the world by travelers and traders.
The first references seem to be centered around Persia many centuries before Christ. From there it was probable that it migrated into Arabia with the traditional “fatay” or “esfiha”, made with meat and corn very similar to the more modern empanada. Later, the occupation of Spain by the Muslims provided a path to the Spanish culture. It is then safe to assume the conquerors, traders and colonizers brought them to the Americas.

 Though they are commonly found in all continents, there are many types of “empanadas” in the different countries around the world; an empanada is essentially a stuffed pastry. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Usually the empanada is made by folding a thin circular-shaped dough patty over the stuffing, creating its typical semicircular shape. Empanadas are also known by a wide variety of regional names like calzone, somosa, simbusak, pasty, turover, fatay, esfiha, etc.

Some of the countries that have empanadas as part of their cuisine are, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay, Spain, Venezuela, and many others, each one with their own varieties, flavors and cooking methods.