Buñuelo

A buñuelo is a Colombian fritter of cheese-flavoured dough, deep-fried until round and crisp. Buñuelos are a classic Colombian snack, commonly eaten at Christmas and during Holy Week. The name is shared with other fried doughs in Spanish-speaking countries, including sweet fritters in Mexico and Spain, so a menu should say clearly which kind it is.

What it really is

The dough is made mainly from cassava flour or cassava starch, often with wheat flour, mixed with grated cheese and egg. The mixture is shaped into small rounds and deep-fried until the outside is crisp and golden and the inside stays soft and light. Cassava gives the fritter its chewy, slightly elastic texture, while the cheese supplies the salt and most of the flavour. The cheese is mixed into the dough itself, so the fritter is savoury rather than filled.

How it's served

• Hot or warm, straight from the fryer, while the outside is still crisp.
• Whole and eaten by hand, usually several to a person.
• Often with a hot drink, such as hot chocolate, during Christmas and Holy Week.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the cheese and the dough, for example "cheese buñuelo made with cassava and wheat flour".
• Flag wheat if any wheat flour is used, and note that a dough made only with cassava contains none.
• Flag eggs and milk, since the cheese is dairy.
• Say the fritters are deep-fried in oil, and whether the fryer is shared with breaded or battered items.
• Give the count per portion, since buñuelos are usually sold by the piece.