Salteñas

Salteñas is the name of the national dish of Bolivia consisting of crescent-shaped, filled pockets of dough. The name is derived from the first known baker of these delicacies, who was born in the city of Salta, but he was later exiled to Potosí. Oven-baked and filled with meat (typically chicken or beef), salteñas are commonly served for breakfast or consumed as a mid-day snack. The sweet pastry and its braided crust have a unique color and flavor that is of key importance to authentic Bolivian salteñas, due to the crushed seeds of the adobo bush, along with added spices such as cumin and oregano, called achiote spice. Salteñas are somewhat difficult to prepare because special skills are required to make them, but practice makes perfect, and the sweet smell of freshly baked salteñas is always worth the effort.