What are fried flowers and how to prepare them

Spain has a traditional sweet for every month of the year, if not two. Our historical culinary legacy has left all kinds of desserts and sugary condumios that are well worth undergoing a slimming time in exchange. Fried flowers are one such treat that have come down to us after centuries of popular delight.

Easter desserts

From the beginning of the year until the arrival of summer, we have a list of
popular sweets
in our traditional recipe book that would allow us not to leave the kitchen or the dietician’s office for a long time.

Whether it is Carnival, Lent, Easter or the saint’s day, in Spain we always find a good reason to take out of the pan a homemade dessert loaded with sugar to the delight of the staff. And it is clear that, in the absence of other dishes, here we have always opted to replace the missing calories, caused by the lack of ingredients or because the season imposed it, with sweeter and tastier treats.

It doesn’t matter if they are pestiños, buñuelos de viento, torrijas or churros, which are popular all year round, the truth is that pan sweets are one of the favorite traditional desserts of the Spanish people.

What are fried flowers?

Fried flowers are one of these popular desserts that can be seen in the showcases of some of the most prestigious confectioneries in the country. It is a fried sweet in the shape of a flower, made with flour and sugar.

They are very popular throughout Spain. In Galicia they are known as “flores de Entroido” and are prepared during Carnival, while in Extremadura and the two Castillas they are more of Easter. The truth is that, although it is not known where they come from, there are places where they are more emblematic, as is the case of Calatrava, in Castilla La-Mancha. There it shows a cross that is a military emblem and that is the usual distinctive of the fried flowers.

Spain is not the only place where fried flowers are prepared. Portugal, Mexico and Colombia also have their own version of this sweet.

How to make fried flowers

Ingredients

• 250 ml milk
• 1 egg
• Salt
• 30 ml sweet anise liqueur
• Half orange zest
• 200 gr wheat flour
• Sunflower oil
• Sugar
• Ground cinnamon

Preparation of fried flowers

This recipe will yield about 12 units.

• Beat the egg in a bowl. Mix with the milk, aniseed and orange zest. Slowly add the flour and stir so that there are no lumps.
• Spread the dough on a tray and let it rest covered for half an hour.
• Meanwhile, heat enough sunflower oil in a frying pan. Place the mold in the oil to heat it, as this is important for the dough to stick to it.
• Remove the dough and stir it. We introduce the mold halfway, without covering all the flower, into the batter and transfer it to the pan. We move the mold inside so that the flower comes off. We can help us with a fork.
• Brown the flower on both sides, remove it and let it rest on absorbent paper.
• Once all the dough is finished, sprinkle the flowers with sugar and cinnamon.

It is not advisable to clean the mold with a scouring pad if we do not want the dough to stick to it the next times. It is better to clean it with a piece of paper.

The recipe requires some expertise in baking, so if you don’t want to mess with your head, you can always come and try fried flowers at Casa Mira, in our stores in the center of the capital, or buy some of our best products in the online store.