Piñonate
Spanish dessert
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Piñonate is a traditional artisan sweet of Spanish origin, typical of the town of Aracena in the Province of Huelva, Andalusia. Regional variants are also produced in Cortegana, Linares de la Sierra, Priego de Córdoba and Herreruela (Province of Cáceres). The sweet is also found in Latin America — in several countries of Central America under the same name and, in Venezuela, in the San Juan Bautista civil parish of Margarita Island.[1]
Piñonate from the San Juan Bautista parish, Margarita Island, Venezuela. | |
| Course | Dessert / sweet |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Spain (origin); Venezuela, Central America |
| Region or state | Originally Aracena (Andalusia, Province of Huelva); now also produced in San Juan Bautista, Margarita Island, and parts of Central America. |
| Serving temperature | Cold |
| Main ingredients | Vary by region (see § Preparation) |
Origin
The sweet was traditionally prepared for Easter Sunday in Spain. It is likely that inhabitants of Linares de la Sierra brought the recipe to the parish of San Juan Bautista on Margarita Island, since both villages share a similar Christian tradition and a common dedication to John the Baptist as their patron saint. The two localities also share a similar mountain location: both lie on the slopes of a hill locally known as La Sierra and have a parish church likewise dedicated to John the Baptist.[2] Piñonate is believed to have reached Central America during the colonial period; in Costa Rica, for example, it is typical of the Pacific coast.[3]
Preparation
The recipe varies considerably between regions:
- In Linares de la Sierra and the Andalusian town of Jimena de la Frontera, piñonate is made with honey from nearby beehives, flour, eggs, olive oil, distilled spirit, almonds, pine nuts, sesame, cinnamon, clove, anise and orange peel.[4][5]
- In the San Juan Bautista parish on Margarita Island, piñonate is made with panela (unrefined cane sugar known locally as papelón), orange, pineapple and papaya, sharing only the orange with the Andalusian versions.[2] Local production is concentrated in the hamlet of Fuentidueño, at the foot of Cerro Copey. The papayas — used green and including their seeds — are grated in a wooden container known as a canoa; the resulting pulp (corcha) is mixed with sugar, papelón and water in a copper pan over a wood fire and stirred continuously with large paddles for three to four hours until it thickens. The mixture is then beaten for a further two hours, poured onto a table to set, and cut into pieces wrapped in dried plantain leaves (cachipos) for storage.[1]
- In Central America, piñonate is generally a kind of papaya preserve.[3]