In the early afternoon in Boca del Rio, just after school lets out, the relative calm of village life is broken by the squawk of a loud speaker...Hay pan! Pan calientito! Bien rico y sabroso!
Victoria, the bread lady, is ready for business!
Most of you reading this post have an oven in your kitchen. That's not such a common thing in this part of the world! A small village, the size of Boca del Rio, might only have half a dozen ladies who have gas stoves. Some families have crudely constructed brick ovens in their yards, but an indoor gas oven is very uncommon! The majority of the family's meals are prepared over fire in an outdoor kitchen or perhaps over a small, table-top gas burner.
Fresh bread is something people don't get everyday...unless some dear lady in the village like Victoria decides to make some to sell.
There are a couple of different varieties which are common. White bread is called pan de harina while whole wheat is called pan integral. The most popular bread in our area is called pan de mujer, which literally means "bread by women". This bread is fairly flat and usually has a filling of piloncillo, which is similar to brown sugar. Victoria also makes bread with cooked squash -- like pumpkin -- inside. Yummy!
Some afternoons, she makes empanadas, too! We compare empanadas to PopTarts, but waaaaay better!!! If you'd like to try to make empanadas at home, you can check out this recipe with instructions and photos, too!
Victoria's bread is a "must try" when you come down here! It was definitely a hit with our friends from California who were down last month!!!
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