Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies, flatbreads, sandwiches, or omelettes.
Usually, it refers to:
-
a cake or pie in most of Europe, most of Latin America, and southern Philippines;
-
a flatbread in Spain;
-
a type of sandwich in Mexico;
-
a type of omelette in northern Tagalog-speaking areas of the Philippines.
Etymology
The word comes from Late Latin
torta, an abbreviation of
torta panis ("twisted bread"). Other related terms are
English language tart and
Welsh language torth ("loaf").
In US English, it is generally understood to be a loanword of Spanish torta ().
Cakes
Latin America and Spain
In some countries of
Latin America, the word
torta, in a very common usage, is for sweet
(
), such as a
Wedding cake or
birthday cake. This meaning is also present in other European languages. For example, the
Italian language torta,
German language Torte or
French language . In Mexico, "torta" refers to a sandwich and the sweet cake is normally referred to as
pastel, which is also used in other parts of
Latin America with this meaning.
Huevo en torta (not to be confused with
torta de huevo) is a typical pastry from
Sobrarbe,
Aragon, Spain.
Philippines
In the southern
Philippines, in the
Visayas and
Mindanao islands,
torta is generally used to refer to small cakes. It usually refers to
mamón or
torta mamón, a native porous sponge cake delicacy (traditionally made with
lard and palm wine) that resembles a large
cupcake with butter, sugar, and/or cheese on top, traditionally served with
sikwate (a thick, hot drink made of ground roasted cacao seeds) for afternoon snack or merienda.
Europe
In Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Slovene, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Swedish, Italian, Macedonian and Bulgarian, it is a word for cake, typically made with
layer cake and cream, chocolate or fruit filling. In Portugal, it designates specifically a
Swiss roll.
Middle East and North Africa
Sweet tarts in Arabic are called تورتَه (transliterated: twrtah)
[ tart. Cambridge English-Arabic dictionary]
Flatbreads
Spain
Torta in Spain originated in different regional variants of
flatbread, of which the
torta de gazpacho and
torta cenceña still survives in certain areas of Central
Spain. Tortas are also mentioned in
Leviticus 24:5-9, in the Spanish translation of the
Bible. Presently, however, the word
torta is also applied to different kinds of
bread and
pastry products according to the region.
Historically, the difference between torta and bread was its round and flat shape, as well as the use of baking soda/powder as the proofing agent instead of yeast. In most regions, a torta was traditionally considered an inferior form of bread, as the well known Spanish aphorism expresses:
- A falta de pan buenas son tortas.
|
- Where there is no bread tortas will do.
|
Latin America
In Mexico, a variation says:
A falta de pan, tortillas ("Where there is no bread,
tortillas"). However, the term "torta" in Mexico typically refers to a sandwich made with bread (see Mexico section, below, for more details).
Torta frita is a fried flatbread eaten in Uruguay, Argentina and the Chilean Patagonia.
Omelettes
Philippines
In the northern
Philippines, particularly among
Tagalog language-speaking provinces and islands,
torta refers to a class of
made by mixing eggs with various ingredients.
Tortas can be served any time during the day. There are many variations on Filipino tortas, such as:
-
Tortang alamang or tortang hipon
-
Tortang carne norte - an omelette made with corned beef.
-
Tortang giniling or tortang picadillo – an omelette with ground meat (usually beef or pork) and sautéed vegetables.
-
Tortang gulay – an omelette with peppers, mushrooms, onion, and garlic.
-
Tortang kalabasa – an omelette made with finely julienned calabaza, eggs, flour, and salt.
-
Tortang kamote – an omelette made with mashed sweet potato, eggs, flour, and salt.
-
Tortang sardinas - an omelette made with sardines and tomato sauce.
-
Tortang talong – an eggplant fritter.
-
Tortang okra – an omelette with thinly sliced okra, onion, and garlic.
Spain and Latin America
Tortilla de huevo is a small fried mixture of
scrambled eggs, usually eaten sandwiched in bread.
Pies
Italy
In Italian, "torta" means either
cake or
pie, however sweet or savoury.
The Italian torta is differentiated from crostata by the filling: a crostata has an inconsistent chunky filling, whereas a torta has a consistent filling made of blended ingredients.
Some wrongly believe that an Italian crust torta is a combination of layered cheeses and tomatoes to be spread onto bread. Italian torta is a pie similar to quiche and served as a brunch item. However, torta is different than quiche as the crust is mostly made of cheese, not egg. The crust can also be made from pizza dough. Ingredients vary as there are many variations of this torta. Traditional Italian torta usually includes ricotta, parmesan, parsley, and onion. There are also variations that contain meat and some that are completely vegetarian. These vegetarian torte sometimes contain artichokes and spices for flavor. This torta is made in a springform pan instead of a traditional pie pan.
Brazil
Torta in Portugal, Brazil and other Portuguese speaking countries refers to a moist cake or a pie which can be a sweet or savory dish.
Malta
Torta in Malta means a pie, which can be sweet or savoury.
Most "tortas" are generally savoury, with a classic Maltese language dish being "torta tal-lampuki" (Mahi-mahi, singular lampuka, are a type of common fish found in Maltese waters).
A common example of a sweet Maltese torta is "torta tal-lewz" (lewz, singular lewza, means almonds in Maltese. Almonds are a very common ingredient in Maltese cuisine, although some people prefer to use marzipan over almonds, either because of ease, taste preference or cost.
South America
In
Venezuela,
Ecuador,
Chile, and
Uruguay, people typically refer to dessert cakes as "tortas."
Sandwiches
Mexico
In
Mexico, a
torta is a kind of
sandwich,
[" Mexican Torta recipe"] served on one of two types of white
sandwich rolls. The first is similar to a small
baguette, and may be referred to as a
bolillo, birote, or
pan francés depending on region. The second is a flat, oblong, soft roll also called a
sandwich roll, also referred as a telera. Tortas can be eaten cold or hot, and grilled or toasted in a press in the same manner as a
Cuban sandwich.
Garnishes such as avocado, chili pepper (usually poblano, chipotle or jalapeño), tomato, and onion are common. The dish is popular throughout Mexico, and is also available anywhere with a large Mexican population. In Northern Mexico, the torta is very frequently called lonche by influence of the English "lunch", as it may be eaten during lunch break.
The sandwich is normally named according to its main ingredient:
-
Torta de jamón, ham-filled torta
-
Torta de aguacate, avocado-filled torta
-
Torta de adobada, adobo meat-filled torta
-
Torta de huevo, scrambled eggs-filled torta
-
Torta de milanesa, torta filled with a milanesa (breaded fried cutlet)
-
Tortope, chicken sope-filled torta
A few tortas have names whose connections to their fillings is less clear. The torta ahogada (meaning "drowned" torta) of Guadalajara is smothered in a red sauce. Different fillings are available and they may be mixed to create an original torta. Meanwhile, the torta cubana ("Cuban torta") is stuffed with a variety of meats, the identity of which varies across Mexico. This torta is unrelated to the Cuban sandwich served in Florida and Cuba and is not believed to have any connection to Cuban cuisine at all; instead, it seems to have been named for the place of its invention, Calle Republica de Cuba (Republic of Cuba Street) in Mexico City.
Due to the practicality of being hand-carried, tortas are sold at massive events, such as football matches, parades, and outdoor concerts, but they are also available for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at dedicated establishments or sold as street food by .
The origin of the torta is unclear, but some claim it sprouted in Puebla due to Spanish-French interaction; others argue it was a late-arriving example of American influence.
Gallery
File:Torta Chicharrones-Galicia.jpg| Torta de chicharrones from Galicia, Spain
File:Tortas de aceite.jpg| Tortas de aceite in Seville, Andalusia, Spain
File:06.Torta de Huevo 02.JPG|Packed torta de huevo, from Sobrarbe, Aragon, Spain
File:Houghton LAC8.Ib170.839t - Trages y Costumbres 6.jpg|An 1839 drawing of a woman selling tortas
File:01.Torta.JPG|Torta from Ribagorza, Aragon, Spain
File:TortaImperial-P1090313.JPG|Torta imperial, Spain
File:TortaFrita.jpg| Torta frita from Uruguay and Argentina
File:Torta verde.jpg| Torta verde from Ventimiglia, Italy
File:Tortas Oaxaquenas.jpg|Tortas being prepared on a griddle in Oaxaca, Mexico
File:TORTA DE HUEVO.jpg|Mexican torta de huevo
See also
External links
