The Language of Alfajor

Every Friday of my childhood, my mother used to made alfajores. It was an experience that became the best part of the afternoon after school.

She baked the dough, boiled the milk to make a "dulce de leche" that I still miss. Her alfajores were special, a semi-crispy biscuit, abundantly filled and finished with slices of coconut and spices that made "tea time" a true gift.

As in many homes in Latin America, she learned about alfajores from my grandmother and she did from her mother. Whether from Argentina, Peru or the Dominican Republic, this cookie has been present in the heart of Latin kitchens for more than 300 years and, today, is a food that transcends from sweetness to a cultural expression.

The alfajor tells its own story, the story of human migrations. It was born in the Middle East where it was called Al-Hasú -which means stuffed-, it passed to Spain (Andalusia) and then from the Iberian Peninsula to Latin America with the first migratory waves in the 16th century.

In our continent, it was in Argentina where the Alfajor took on a greater prominence, to the point that last year more than 40 thousand tons were consumed.

The life of the Argentinian Violeta Edelman, founder of Dolcezza, is inseparably linked to this food. "For me the alfajores are my childhood, the school recess, the kiosks. Sunday with my grandmother."

As a migrant Violeta knows that there are things to bring back with home, and that is why the alfajor generates its own language. "It's what we want it to be" tells us Diego Felix, executive chef of Grand Cata. Each family in Latin America has its recipe, its secret. It is a space to tell your own story. The alfajor is undoubtedly part of the genetic code of Latin cuisine.

Katriel Menéndez, owner of the Nativo company and Tango Pastry, believes that there is something else inside of this cookie and that the "alfajor is one of the most obvious demonstrations of affection".
And it is love and affection, according to my mother, the secret ingredient to make the best alfajor. And as is universally known, you never question to your mother.