Heating up my pan of corn oil in the morning is not a really normal morning I would say. Usually it would be the coffee machine or perhaps a blender to do its morning chore for a breakfast. It is not only regionally the case but also in my house; in Spain the situation would be all together different, like heating up the pan with oil to deep fry Churros, a delicate pastry eaten with hot chocolate in the morning.
Churros are a slowly coming more popular as a sweet or snack, especially in Nord America where it actually “travelled” from Spain with early explorer of this continent. In the US there are all kind of companies and cafes who offer those treats but here in the Middle East or even in Asia I have not seen those offered. Not many people in this part of the globe know Churros. Even I came across Churros while preparing a buffet for a Spanish delegation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Clearly an understated, poor-man’s doughnut which disserves further development. 

There are many flavors of Churros nowadays but originally they are plain and often rolled in castor sugar. I made some variety of those sweets; Vanilla, Maracaibo, Hazelnut, Green Tea, Mocha, Passion fruit with Black Sesame and Cherry served with white chocolate Ganache, Hot chocolate Fondant, Strawberry Jam and caramelized fresh Figs.

Churros are traditional Spanish desserts developed centuries ago by Spanish shepherds. Up high in the mountains, fresh baked goods were impossible to come by, so the ingenious, nomadic folk of the hills came up with a delicious cake-like, cylindrical, daily staple which they could easily cook in a pan over an open fire. This was the birth of Churros.

Originally churros were about the size of a breadstick, and they were eaten plain or rolled in cinnamon sugar. In Spain, churros are still a very popular breakfast, snack or dessert. But something this tasty wasn’t destined to remain in its country of origin.

It was only a matter of time before churros traveled to South America and other Hispanic countries and communities, eventually making their way to North America.

Once churros were adopted by peoples outside of Spain, they continued to evolve. Instead of being eaten plain, or rolled in sugar, a hollow, jumbo-sized churro was created, and stuffed with all kinds of delectable fillings such as chocolate, dulce de leche and fruit.

Churros are typically fried until they become crunchy, and then are sprinkled with sugar. The surface of a churro is ridged due to having been piped from a churrera, a syringe with a star-shaped nozzle. Churros are generally prisms in shape, and may be straight, curled or spirally twisted.

Like pretzels, churros are often sold by street vendors, who often will fry them freshly on the street stand and sell them hot. In Spain, Mexico, and Argentina, they are available in cafes for breakfast, although they may be eaten throughout the day as a snack as evident in Nicaragua. Specialized churrerías can be found in the form of a shop or a trailer during the holiday period. In Colombia they can be found in the streets but they are thin and shaped like a ring.

The dough is prepared similarly to Choux pastry; water, butter and flour are heated and stirred into a firm ball, and then eggs are beaten into the hot paste.