Rosquillas

It seems that rosquillas were brought to Spain by the Romans… a long time ago. We typically eat them at Carnival time.

In Galicia you will find aniseed rosquillas in ferias and romarías and in some bakeries. They are sold in see-through bags or with a branch put through the rosquilla’s holes and the ends tied up. Some can have just icing sugar on top (like the ones I make) or the hard icing sugar that sticks to them. Whichever you try, they will be great either way.

I don’t call them donuts mainly because people confuse them with American donuts and the dough and texture of the two are completely different. So as to avoid confusion, I keep it as Rosquilla so people looking for American donut recipes don’t get drawn to the wrong recipe.

I’m very fond of rosquillas because of the pure memory it brings to me. I used to make this A LOT with my mum. We spent many hours in the kitchen making these and sharing time. I guess for her it was just a matter of keeping me (and even my brothers when they joined in) busy. But for me, it was more than that. Yes, it was fun creating the dough and shaping the rosquillas but it was the time she put in with me that mattered. And the smell of Anís El Mono (an aniseed based drink used commonly in baking) brings me back to that point in time every time.

But it is also a memory of my dad never being able to walk away from any type of fair or festival without buying a packet or two of them. He had to have them and the first thing he’d do when he got home was having one… and that brings a smile to my face when I think of it.

So please, enjoy this recipe that comes all the way from my kitchen to you.