Street Vendor · Fried Dough

Churros con Chocolate

Photo: Oscar Nord / Unsplash · Unsplash License

Churros are piped through a star-shaped nozzle before frying — the ridges it leaves behind help each stick fry up extra crisp.

Ridged sticks of dough are piped straight into hot oil, fried until golden and crunchy, then rolled in sugar. In Cuba they're a common evening treat from street vendors and roadside stands, usually sold plain in paper cones; the cup of thick chocolate for dipping is the Spanish pairing and turns up mainly in cafés.

Why it's made this way: Frying the dough to order lets street vendors serve churros hot and crisp on the spot, and the snack came to Cuba with the Spanish along with the café habit of dunking them in chocolate.

Full guide: what Churros con Chocolate is and how to make it, on the Churros con Chocolate page from Spain.