Dear Mr. Gold:
6024 Hazeltine Ave.
Van Nuys, CA 91401
Category: Restaurant > South American
Region: San Fernando Valley
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Salteñas are called that because they are the empanada style of the province of Salta, squarely in Argentina. Sure, they eat them elsewhere, but calling them Bolivian would be like saying that Tex-Mex music is kinda from Arizona!
—Gustavo T., down the hall and three offices to the left
Dear Gustavo:
I've never seen salteñas in Argentine restaurants, and they are the one food everybody associates with Bolivia, but I defer to your patriotism and superior knowledge.
You would think the presence of salteñas at the Argentine restaurant Empanada's Place right around the corner from the Weekly might have tipped me off. Even if they are translated as "Cheesy Spicy Beef.''
But come to think of it, they taste nothing like the salteñas I know, which are bigger, sweeter and typically come without cheese, but with a payload of raisins, olives and hard-boiled eggs. The Bolivian ones are juicier too, viciously juicy, almost like the South American equivalent of xiao long bao.
A lot of sources seem to indicate that the recipe was originated by novelist and patriot Juana Manuela Gorriti. She was born in Salta, and her family supposedly supported itself while in political exile across the border in Bolivia by selling the pastries in the town of Tarja. Gorriti's nickname was supposedly "la Salteña,'' the girl from Salta, thus the name. The story sounds rather too pat — it's like ascribing Ring Dings to the kitchen of Washington Irving, or spaghetti to Marco Polo. (Although Thomas Jefferson did in fact introduce french fries to the United States, so there is precedent for this sort of thing.)
Gorriti was married at 14 to a future president of Bolivia, wrote her first novel before she was 18 and spent a lot of her time raising children, liberating Peru from the Spanish, inventing the Argentine novel and whatnot, so it's hard to see where she would have had the time to also invent the salteña. Maybe it was created in her honor, like Peach Melba, or Dolly Madison cake.
Then again, Gorriti did write a cookbook late in life — a cookbook that includes several empanada recipes, but nothing resembling a salteña. This probably brings us right back to the Bolivian salteñas at Beba's Restaurant. You're the porteño with the Ph.D. in English literature. You tell me.
BEBA'S RESTAURANT | 6024 Hazeltine Ave., Van Nuys | (818) 786-1511
We love salteñas!!! They are delicious, and a great example of the variation of special regional differences in cuisine across Argentina. Daniel Neilson recently discovered them during his travels around the country, along with many other interesting regional foods: http://www.therealargentina.co...
Dear Mr. Gold:
I think the reason why empanadas are called "salteñas" in Bolivia is geagraphical rather than historical. Salta is in northern Argentina, close to the Bolivian border. There is a great influx of people from Bolivia to Argentina, with Salta as a compulsary point of transit.
So, although all Argentine provinces produce delicious empanadas, I think Bolivians, in a generalization, call empanadas "salteñas" just because Salta is the Argentine province they are most closely in contact with.
Something similar happened elsewhere, with names of food, or even people. The Greeks have always called themselves "Hellens", but the Romans started calling them "Greeks", just because the Greeks were the first Hellenic tribe they came into contact with.
Here is another example. In Argentina we have the nasty habit of calling people from Spain "gallegos", just because there was a wave of immigration from Galice at the beginning of the 20th Century. So, a person from Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao or Seville will inevitably be called "Gallego" in Argentina, even though their place of origin has nothing to do with Galice.
But this is just my theory.
Kind regards from Salta, Argentina.
Hi Marcelo,Bolivians certainly know, bake, and eat empanadas. But there is nothing incredibly special to Bolivians, especially paceños, about an empanada.Salteñas are a whole different story. Bolivians take great pride in their salteñas. The first thing you have to know is that they are often prepared spicy. You will not find the same brand of spicy sauce called "llajua" (aymara) or "hallpallwallka" (quechua) anywhere else in Argentina, Chile, or Peru. Salteñas are made with black olives, diced hard-boiled eggs, diced potatos, peas, raisins, Andean herbs, and either chicken or beef. The dough must be perfect and the "repulgado" impecable, or the crust will burst while baking. The outside is glossy with egg-white, and the color just a tint toasted. You really have to have eaten Bolivian salteñas to know what is being talked about here. Most corner vending booths or grand restaurants in La Paz serve them prior to or for lunch. Salteñerías (specializing on salteñas) are an obligatory stop at least once a week to any self-respecting paceño. Some office workers skip out a few minutes in the morning to eat one. Some school children (neeever me) have been known to play hokie to eat a couple. Every restaurant gives their salteñas their own distinctive look and taste; some are sweeter, some are spicier, some have a harder crust, some are small and compact, some are large and loose, etc.When Bolivians migrate to far away places (as many of us do), the first task is to find a restaurant or an individual who bakes salteñas. My dad would always eat them with a spoon, which is the refined way of eating them. The true test of a Bolivian is to eat a salteña without spilling the broth (nasty stain on your white shirt). Eating a salteña without spilling the broth is an art requiring nimble fingers to spin and tilt the salteña to sip the broth, and resilient lips to bite the edges without getting your mouth burned.Don't get hung up with the name and it's likeness to Salta. La Paz is closer to Lima than to Salta. The salteña is a central item in Bolivian cuisine. My ancestors migrated from Salta in the late 1700s, but we haven't been there for 200 years (although I love zambas). I have never heard a good reason why they are called that, but the story of Mrs. Gorriti sounds plausible. It really doesn't matter. Do yourself a favor and find a salteñería, and treat yourself to a couple of hot ones with a cold beer. Mmm, just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
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