| Almojábana | |
| National Cuisine: | Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Puerto Rico |
| Region: | Latin America |
| Type: | Bread |
| Main Ingredient: | Corn flour, butter or margarine, eggs, cheese, sugar, leavening agent |
Almojábana is a type of bread made with cuajada cheese and corn flour.[1] [2]
An almojábana is a small, bun-shaped bread with a tart flavor. It has some variations between Hispanic America and Spain.
The etymology stems from Andalusī Arabic and that in turn from classical Arabic المُجَٰبَّنة "almuǧábbana" (made of cheese) the measure II passive participle of the root ج-ب-ن, the same root as جُبْن "jubn" (Cheese).[3]
Almojábanas are made with masarepa or pre-cooked white cornmeal, cottage cheese, butter, baking powder, salt, eggs, and milk.
In Puerto Rico almojábanas are small fried round balls eaten in the northwest part of the island. They are made with rice flour, wheat flour, sugar, milk, butter, baking powder, salt, eggs, and fresh white cheese called queso de país. A sweeter version is served on Christmas using coconut milk and vanilla. Sweet almojábana are rolled into cinnamon-sugar and served with a guava sauce. The Almojában Festival is celebrated in Lares, Puerto Rico in October.[4]
Spanish almojábanas do not use cheese; they are made with wheat flour, olive oil, salt, eggs, and honey or sugar or both. They are typical from southern Aragón, southern Alicante, Murcia and La Gomera island.