Pionono


Pionono describes different sweet or savory pastries from Granada, Spain, the Caribbean, South America, and the Philippines. It is named after Pope Pius IX's name in Spanish, "Pio Nono".

By country

Spain

Piononos are small pastries traditional in Santa Fe, a small town adjacent to the city of Granada, Spain. A pionono has two parts: a thin layer of pastry rolled into a cylinder, drenched with different kinds of syrup which give the pionono a sweet and pleasant texture, and crowned with toasted cream. It is typically eaten in one or two bites.
The most famous producer in Granada is "Pastelerías Casa Isla", whose have many shops around the city.

South America and Cuba

In various South American countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Cuba, piononos are prepared using a dough made of flour, eggs, and sugar, which is baked in a thin sheet then rolled around a filling of dulce de leche sometimes with walnuts, or fruits like strawberries with chantilly cream, or in the case of savory piononos with cured ham, cheese, tomato and mayonnaise, or a savory salad, such as ham salad with asparagus and lettuce, chicken salad or even tuna. In Cuba and in several other countries it is also called "Brazo de Gitano" or "Brazo Gitano".

Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rico, piononos are prepared using yellow, or sweet, plantains as the "bread" around a savory filling. It is usually stuffed with a meat filling called picadillo or seafood with cheese; the whole sandwich is dipped in a batter made from flour and eggs and then deep-fried.

Philippines

In the Philippines, pionono is more commonly spelled as pianono. It is a rolled sponge cake and is more accurately a type of jelly roll. It consists of a layer of pastry made from eggs, sugar, and sifted flour baked in a sheet. Once cooled, jelly or other types of filling is spread over the pastry. It is then rolled from one end to the other. Its most common traditional filling is simply sugar and butter, similar to the other forms of the Filipino mamón. Modern versions, however, are commonly frosted and can include a variety of fillings.

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