Empanadas argentinas, or Argentinian empanadas, make up a group of traditional Argentinian pastries filled with a variety of ingredients, from meat to cheese and vegetables. Although they are mostly enjoyed in their savory form, there are sweet dessert varieties filled with ingredients such as dulce de leche and quince.
The dough, typically made with wheat flour, is rolled thin and folded over a filling, and the resulting parcel is then baked or fried to golden perfection. Traditional empanadas often feature ingredients such as ground beef, onions, and spices, giving them a robust and savory flavor.
VARIATIONS OF Empanadas Argentinas
MOST ICONIC Empanadas Argentinas
View moreOne of the most common fast food items in Brazil is known as pastel, a deep-fried, stuffed pastry. This half-circle or rectangle-shaped miniature pie is stuffed with a variety of ingredients, most commonly shredded chicken, ground beef, mozzarella, or small shrimps.
Sweet varieties also exist, and they are usually made with chocolate, bananas, or guava jam, but they are not as common as their savory counterparts. The exact origin of the dish is not familiar, but it is believed that pastel evolved from the Chinese spring roll, which was brought to Brazil by Japanese immigrants.
MOST ICONIC Pastel
View moreThese empanadas are a specialty of the region of Tucumán, and they are quite different than numerous empanadas found in Buenos Aires. Tucumanas are typically handmade according to old, traditional recipes, and are characterized by a crispy dough and ideal proportions of dough and fillings.
The dough is made with wheat flour and beef fat, and it is then usually filled with beef, chicken, or tripe, along with other ingredients such as onions, hard-boiled eggs, paprika, and cumin. Authentic Tucumanas should be baked in a clay oven, and it is best to enjoy them with a glass of local wine on the side.
MOST ICONIC Empanadas Tucumanas
This empanada variety originates from Córdoba in Argentina, hence the name. It is sweet and savory because it's filled with beef, raisins, potatoes, olives, and white sugar. Other ingredients include hard-boiled eggs, onions, garlic, red wine, paprika, and cumin.
These empandas are also juicier than most other varieties because they include tomatoes in the mix. The filling is enclosed in dough consisting of flour, egg yolks, lard or pork fat, water, and salt, just like most empanadas. Empanadas cordobesas are fried in hot oil or baked in the oven until browned.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Most commonly, Chilean empanadas are made with wheat flour dough that is filled with onions, ground beef, olives, raisins, and hard-boiled eggs. These semicircular pies are typically baked in the oven. Although they are prepared and consumed throughout the year, Chilean empanadas are especially popular during the Fiestas Patrias in September.
During the Easter festivities, beef is forbidden due to religious reasons, so these empanadas are usually filled with cheese and seafood in that period. It is recommended to pair Chilean empanadas with a glass of red wine.
MOST ICONIC Empanadas chilenas
Golfeados is the Venezuelan take on famous cinnamon rolls. This cheesy, sticky pastry typically consists of milk, yeast, sugar, flour, eggs, butter, and grated cheese. It is flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, and star anise. Halfway through the baking, golfeados are glazed with melado – a simple syrup based on panela.
As a result, these pastries are slightly crunchy on the exterior, while the interior remains soft, cheesy, and buttery. It is recommended to serve golfeados with a cup of robust coffee.
MOST ICONIC Golfeados
These soft crescent rolls are regarded as the Argentinian take on traditional French croissants. Even though they are very similar to the French variety, medialunas are slightly more moist, smaller, and a bit sweeter. There are two traditional types of medialunas; the larger version made with butter, and the smaller version made with lard.
Both varieties are usually prepared plain, with a rum-and-sugar glaze on top. They are traditionally eaten for breakfast, ideally accompanied by a cup of strong coffee with milk, or as an afternoon snack served with yerba mate, a traditional Argentinian herbal tea.
MOST ICONIC Medialunas
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Picarones are a staple of Peruvian street food, the tasty, deep-fried treats that are also often referred to as the "Peruvian doughnuts". The dough is shaped into a ring and fried in hot oil, and picarones are then drizzled with a sweet cane syrup.
It is believed that they were first prepared during the Spanish Viceroyalty in Lima and they were probably based on the Spanish buñuelos. The recipe was adapted by the locals who added sweet potatoes and squash to the dough, and a new dish was created.
MOST ICONIC Picarones
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These crispy Argentinian pastries are typically star-shaped, while the center is filled with quince or sweet potato preserve (dulce). They are usually deep-fried and then brushed with a sugar glaze. Optionally, they can be filled with dulce de leche and topped with colorful sprinkles.
Pastelitos are traditionally enjoyed on May 25, a day commemorating the May Revolution and the establishment of the first independent Argentinian government.
Salteñas is the name of the national dish of Bolivia consisting of crescent-shaped, filled pockets of dough. The name is derived from the first known baker of these delicacies, who was born in the city of Salta, but he was later exiled to Potosí.
Oven-baked and filled with meat (typically chicken or beef), salteñas are commonly served for breakfast or consumed as a mid-day snack. The sweet pastry and its braided crust have a unique color and flavor that is of key importance to authentic Bolivian salteñas, due to the crushed seeds of the adobo bush, along with added spices such as cumin and oregano, called achiote spice.
MOST ICONIC Salteñas
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TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 22 South American Pastries” list until February 14, 2025, 1,823 ratings were recorded, of which 1,108 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.