Ah fartons and horchata – the perfect summer snack? Maybe. But we think it’s more. In fact, fartons and horchata might just be the next big holiday snack – even outpacking eggnog and Christmas cookies as the traditional Christmas combo.
We recently wrote about horchata and how to make it (we even have a quick and easy recipe that’ll get you a batch in less than an hour). But in Spain and most of Central and South America, horchata goes hand in hand with a special kind of pastry – the farton.
For starters, farton is pronounced exactly how you’d expect it to be, so if you have the humor of a 10 year old boy, go ahead and get your giggles out now. Name aside, the farton is a long pastry drizzled with a sugary icing or sometimes confectioner’s sugar that’s sprinkled on top. These delicious, spongey pastries are almost always ordered with horchata and then dipped in the beverage before chowing down.
So what are fartons and where do they come from?
Fartons were created in the 1960s in Alboraya, Spain – a small town in Valencia. Valencia is also famous for their high-quality horchata, so it’s no surprise that this idea of farton polo (or farton dipped in horchata) was born in the same region.
Because horchata is a thicker drink, fartons were created specifically to soak up some of the liquid from the sweet drinks and pair well with the light milk flavor that horchata offers. That’s also why fartons are long and slender – they’re basically designed to toss right into a tall glass of horchata. Brilliant, right?
So why fartons and horchata for the holidays?
Creamy drinks and sweet pastries are a staple of the holiday season worldwide, and as proponents of shaking off tradition and finding innovation in the kitchen, we think that fartons and horchata are a perfect substitute for traditional holiday treats. Any really, who would say no to trying a new type of pastry?
But we want to know what you think! Would you swap out your holiday menu staples to try a new twist on holiday treats? Have you ever tried fartons and horchata before? Will you be serving them this holiday season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
