Mantecados Means Christmas in Spain
Saturday November 25, 2006
Say Mantecado to a Spaniard and watch his or her face light up with joy and anticipation of the treat. Mantecados are rich, crumbly cakes that come in different flavors hidden in brightly colored wrappers. These cookies are truly synonymous with Christmas in Spain. Try our recipe for these little cakes that literally melt in your mouth and see why Spaniards love mantecados.
(c) 2006 L. Sierra licensed to About.com, Inc.
Comments
Mantecados may signify Christmas in Spain but these pastries from Estepa actually mean ‘made from fat’ because they are traditionally based on pork fat.
The Spanish ones will say in the list of ingredients “manteca de cerdo” or “manteca de Cerdo iberico”. This means ‘fat of pig’ or ‘fat of iberian pig’.
The origin of these patries is typically Christian, and eating them was a public sign of faith since muslims and jews were not able to take pork.
At the time when moors were being driven out of Spain there was a lot of symbolism to show the Christian faith.