# Pastries that are not oversweetened - is this a Hispanic style of food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817 "2010-11-16T03:06:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/21 "2010-11-18T01:32:04Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I just had pan dulce at lunch today. Those conchas (the shell-looking breads) are not only un-sweet, they’re flavorless, dry, and totally consumed out of proportion to their worth. I agree… they’re pretty bad. I live in an area with a heavily Latino population and the stuff is everywhere. I don’t presume to get it. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/22 "2010-11-18T01:41:37Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Seriously? Churros are pretty ordinary fair or ballpark food, in my experience. I wouldn’t expect to get one at a panaderia, though. Yup, they sell them out of carts in NYC everywhere, not just hispanic neighborhoods. 2 for $1 in Astoria, Queens last weekend (a neighborhood known for its Greek population). ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/23 "2010-11-18T03:28:10Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Pretty much the sweetest thing I’ve seen at a Mexican bakery is a churro. But they’re still less sweet than, say, a zebra cake. I wouldn’t consider a zebra cake to be a pastry any more than I’d consider Orange Fanta to be orange juice. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/24 "2010-11-18T04:31:17Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I wouldn’t consider a zebra cake to be a pastry any more than I’d consider Orange Fanta to be orange juice. I just had zebra cakes on the brain at the time. But there are people who would consider it a pastry, even if you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/25 "2010-11-18T04:34:01Z")
Since this is about food, let’s send it over to the Cafe. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/26 "2010-11-18T04:41:25Z")
Here in Panama, bakeries have plenty of non-sweet breadlike snacks, and also somewhat sweet cakes and pastries. But there are also some cloying sweet things too, like jelly rolls with icing. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/27 "2010-11-18T05:13:28Z")
I think the less sweetened pastelles date to a more medieval mentality and the European tradition of a sparse economy of surga and its expense. Maybe it’s the difference between Hot Cross Buns and Cinnamon Rolls… lots of the influence of the best franco-germanic historic pastry ideas to get to the American Cinnamon Roll. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/28 "2010-11-18T05:54:36Z")
Refined sugar is also probably rarer in an aboriginal culture that has rich fruit and sucrose/fructose sources. The sweet fruit entirely or partially substitutes for sugar, and the sugar is considered an “accent” or “enhancer”. I like sweet things, but I don’t like my teeth to hurt. There certainly is a middle between sucky Mexican pastries and delicious American pastries. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/29 "2010-11-18T06:06:36Z")
Two of the biggest Mexican brands of packaged baked goods here in the US are Bimbo (say beam-bo) whose mascot is a white bear with a bakers hat. The other is Mariela. The former makes the stuff you describe, the later makes things similar to Hostess in taste and, IMO, sweetness. Edited to add: I seem to recall Bimbo has a pronunciation guide next to the logo. I’m surprised they didn’t change their name but things seem to be working out ok. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/30 "2010-11-18T06:59:54Z")
Between Hostess and Little Debbie, I would rather have a Dolly Madison Zinger. ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/31 "2010-11-18T08:06:06Z")
There is nothing like a good concha. Finding a bakery that makes them right (not Safeway) is a wonderful experience. The local Costco here sells churros. i always thought of them in the US as being more of a “Disneyland” kind of food. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/32 "2010-11-18T12:42:46Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Seriously? Churros are pretty ordinary fair or ballpark food, in my experience. I wouldn’t expect to get one at a panaderia, though. I’ve never seen them at ballparks, but (1) I only ever go to Comerica Park, and (2) I hate baseball so I spend my time looking for the one Labatt stand amongst the 10 Budweiser stands! I also don’t see them at the other Detroit stadiums. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist; I’ve just assumed they don’t. As for fairs, it seems to be dominated by elephant ears. And here all this time I thought I was one of the very few gringos who even knew what a churro was! (And probably the only one who’s actually made them at home.) > [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](#): > > Two of the biggest Mexican brands of packaged baked goods here in the US are Bimbo (say beam-bo) whose mascot is a white bear with a bakers hat. Fun fact: Bimbo owns the Thomas’ English Muffins brand, and just (in the last couple of days) bought Sara Lee brands. I think that acquisition has made it the largest bakery company in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/33 "2010-11-18T13:01:17Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > I’ve never had pastries from a non-kosher bakery, so I lack a point of reference, but I’m curious as to what stuff you thought was like Spanish baked goods. The possibility of me remembering the name of some stuff I had in 1997 and 1998 ran to zero a while back, but the mass was like the one used in soft [trenzas](http://www.google.es/images?q=trenza+pasteler%C3%ADa), [roscones](http://www.google.es/images?q=rosc%C3%B3n) or in the pastry part of [culecas](http://www.google.es/images?q=culeca). The crust is soft, the pastry’s white, fluffy heart itself is pretty flavorless; there can be a filling of unsweetened whipped cream or of crema, or glazed fruits. Egg white is used to get sugar stuck to the surface. (Culeca is a local variant of a term meaning “a hen that wants to nest”, hence the whole egg - the spelling of the general term is clueca). ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/34 "2010-11-19T17:11:06Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I’ve never seen them at ballparks, but (1) I only ever go to Comerica Park, and (2) I hate baseball so I spend my time looking for the one Labatt stand amongst the 10 Budweiser stands! I also don’t see them at the other Detroit stadiums. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist; I’ve just assumed they don’t. As for fairs, it seems to be dominated by elephant ears. Maybe it’s regional. I don’t even know what an elephant ear is. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/35 "2010-11-19T18:14:25Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Oh, very definitely Hispanic _and_ non-American. Even in places where you’d think that the desserts (pre-packaged or at restaurants/bakeries) would be decadent (say, Germany or France) have a _lot_ less richness to them than in the USA. Some of this has to do with not putting sugar in whipping cream, as I recall. German pastries look wonderful, but are usually disappointing to American tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/36 "2010-11-19T18:18:31Z")
The only place I’ve ever seen a churro is a stand at Downtown Disney’s West Side in Orlando. Which is good, because those things are yucky. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817/37 "2010-11-19T21:05:41Z")
Check out Mediterranean or Greek restaurants if you want slightly sweetened desserts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastries-that-are-not-oversweetened-is-this-a-hispanic-style-of-food/560817.md?page=1)