Cooking & EatingA balanced filling that is not too sweet. Fabiana Ocaranza’s alfajor has been named the best in the world. A prestigious prize for this delicacy that is immensely popular in Argentina. Our queen also loves these cookies.
Every day, six million (!) alfajores find their way into Argentine stomachs. That’s seventy per second. From the frigid south to the tropical north, the Argentinian prides itself on having its own version: each region in the immense South American country adds its own regional twist and flavour. That means you can easily find mango, avocado, beetroot, papaya or quince in your alfajor covered in chocolate.
The originally Arabic filling of almond paste, nuts and honey gained a foothold in Latin American soil and especially Argentina via the Spaniards. It then transformed into the alfajor that can now be described as two round cookies with usually in between dulce de leche (caramel cream from condensed milk).
What is the best alfajor?
That enormous variety and pride had to be properly celebrated this year with a world championship, that was the idea of the Argentinean sweet tooth. The jury had a tough time with no fewer than 350 different alfajores that they tasted blind last weekend.
The championship lasted one day longer. The majority of the cakes came from Argentina itself, but also – among others – Brazilians, Canadians and Spaniards sent their delicacy. The jury paid attention to, among other things, the relationship between biscuit and filling, the complexity and topping, in no fewer than fifteen categories.
While she guzzled for days, twelve thousand Argentines strolled past the various producers who had proudly displayed their sweet wares on the first floor of a shopping center in the capital Buenos Aires.
The text continues below the photo of the winning alfajor
‘Like velvet to the palate’
In the end, the ‘Mousse al licor’ of the brand Milagros de cielo (‘Wonders from heaven’) was crowned the winner. “All senses were well stimulated. The chocolate mousse filling had the right moisture and was not sticky. The chocolate was very good. This is a very balanced and harmonious alfajor. And the mousse didn’t have too much alcohol,” said jury chairman Cristian Ponce de León. “It caressed like velvet against the palate.”
It was striking that the winner’s product does not contain dulce de leche, a trend that has been going on for some time. The world of the alfajor is also becoming more exotic and less traditional. Something that Argentines still have to get used to.
big secret
Fabiana Ocaranza, the winner – overjoyed – has been in the business for 22 years. Yet the Argentine is sparing with her explanation of the success. “We put a lot of love into it. That is besides the fun the most important ingredient. We constantly think about the consumer who just wants to eat something delicious.”
Which liqueur goes into it remains a secret. The chocolate has about 70 to 80 percent cocoa and the filling is exactly 50 grams. “It is the favorite in our range. I like the very soft sweet taste”, she beams proudly.
The text continues under the photo of the jury chairman
Royal cookies
Who has less to hide is our Queen Máxima. On her 49th birthday, she shared her mother’s recipe for alfajores on social media. “I grew up with alfajores, they are my favorite cookies,” the queen wrote. The organization of the world championship says it is proud of Máxima, who according to them is the culinary ambassador of the alfajor.
In addition to our queen’s, there are of course many recipes to be found online. Anyway, rather another attempt to get her secret from the winner of the world championship. The biscuits should be tasty and consistent with a firm but not too sweet filling. Delicate is the magic word.”
Want to make the cookies our queen likes to make herself? Read the recipe here.
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