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Pain au chocolat is a French viennoiserie roll made with a combination of rectangular, yeast-leavened dough and a few chocolate sticks or chocolate ganache. The filled dough is rolled, baked, then served, ideally while still hot or warm. This flaky pastry can be bought at numerous French bakeries and supermarkets.
Interestingly, another name for pain au chocolat is chocolatine, and it is mostly used in the southwest of the country. In Bordeaux, there is even a case where customers had to pay more if they ordered a pain au chocolat rather than a chocolatine.
Empanada de cordero is a type of Spanish empanadas originating from the Balearic Islands. Unlike their Galician counterpart, Mallorcan empanadas have a dough that’s prepared without yeast. The dough is made with a combination of egg yolks, lard or butter, flour, salt, olive oil, and lukewarm water.
Each empanada is typically filled with a mixture of diced lamb, chopped bacon, salt, and black pepper. The pastries are baked until lightly browned and the filling is fully cooked. Once prepared, empanadas de cordero are served warm or at room temperature.
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Tortos is a traditional dish originating from the Asturias region. This humble dish is made with a combination of corn flour, ground pork that’s seasoned with paprika (picadillo), and eggs. The tortos (corn fritters) are made with a combination of corn flour, wheat flour, salt, water, and olive oil.
Although they can be made with corn flour only, the wheat flour is usually added for better consistency. The dough is shaped into balls which are then left to rest in the fridge for a few hours. Later on, the dough is flattened and fried in hot olive oil on both sides until golden.
Elongated, crispy, crunchy and intensely fragrant, churros consist of deep-fried yeast dough encrusted with sugar. Although some may argue against consuming these sweet treats, warning others about the dangerous effects of sugar and fat on human bodies, the popularity of churros throughout the world doesn't seem to wane.
Originally invented by Spanish shepherds who could easily cook them in a pan over an open fire, today these unusually shaped, cinnamon sugar sprinkled twists are most commonly eaten in Spain and Latin America as a hot breakfast food, accompanied by a strong cup of coffee or a cup of thick hot chocolate.
MOST ICONIC Churros
View moreBest described as little pockets with hot fillings; empanadas are crescent-shaped, flaky pastry dough pies found throughout Latin America that are easy to prepare, inexpensive, and convenient. The name of the dish stems from the Spanish empanar, which literally translates to covered with bread or breaded.
Empanadas are likely to have originated from Galicia, Spain, where they were prepared as a portable and filling meal for working people, providing energy and nutrients needed for a day of hard labor. Baked and fried until golden, they are usually filled with a variety of spiced meats and vegetables, depending on regional preferences.
MOST ICONIC Empanadas
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Ensaimada de Mallorca is a spiral-shaped sweet pastry made with yeast dough that is combined with eggs and lard. This type of pastry has been made on the island of Mallorca since the 17th century and the recipe has remained unchanged to this day.
The word ensaïmada comes from saïm, meaning lard, which is the essential ingredient in this recipe. The base recipe for ensaimada de Mallorca is very simple and includes only flour, sugar, eggs, yeast, and water.
However, there are many variations of this recipe which had been developed during the centuries, including the likes of those with pumpkin, cream, or chocolate.
MOST ICONIC Ensaïmada de Mallorca
Piononos are traditional Spanish pastries originating from Santa Fé in Granada. This syrupy sponge cake filled with cream and cinnamon is rolled up into a cylinder, drenched with rum-laced syrup, and crowned with toasted cream and sugar.
The pastry was invented by pastry chef Ceferino Isla, who wanted to pay tribute to Pope Pius IX (Pio Nono). That's why the pastry has the name pionono and it also visually recalls the Pope – a cylindrical and chubby appearance, served in white paper that represents the cassock, and the upper part which represents the solide with which the Pope covers his crown.
MOST ICONIC Piononos
Cocarrois is a traditional vegetable turnover originating from the Balearic Islands. The dough is similar to the island’s empandas de cordero, but it’s enriched with orange juice and sugar. Other ingredients used to make the dough include flour, olive oil, egg yolks, and lard or butter.
The filling is typically made with vegetables such as Swiss chard, cauliflower florets, and scallions, along with parsley, pine nuts, and raisins. The dough is stuffed, then closed and shaped into a half-moon. The pastries are baked until lightly browned, then served warm or at room temperature.
Considered the star of Catalan baked goods, coca is a traditional pastry prepared in a few varieties: sweet, savory, open, and closed. Depending on the variety, coca may take on various shapes and forms and resemble a flatbread, a pizza, or even a cake.
The sweet variety usually consists of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, and it is typically topped or filled with candied fruit, marzipan, cream, or pine nuts. The savory variety is prepared in the same way, but sugar and eggs are replaced by yeast and salt.
VARIATIONS OF Coca
MOST ICONIC Coca
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Rosquillas are traditional Spanish deep-fried donuts, characterized by their fluffy texture and a hole in the middle. They are typically prepared during the Holy Week festivities. Although there are many varieties of rosquillas, the classic ones are prepared with a combination of eggs, sugar, milk, oil, lemon zest, flour, baking powder, and anisette, which imparts a unique flavor to these tasty donuts.
Another classic variety of rosquillas is made with sweet muscat wine (moscatel), and those donuts are known as rosquillas de vino. After they have been deep-fried, rosquillas are typically served as a sweet snack, topped with cinnamon sugar.
VARIATIONS OF Rosquillas
MOST ICONIC Rosquillas
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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 28 Spanish Pastries” list until March 21, 2025, 2,633 ratings were recorded, of which 2,195 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.