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Glossary · Local Life & Customs

Sopaipilla

A puffed, deep-fried pastry served in New Mexican restaurants.

Sopaipillas are made from leavened wheat dough that is rolled, cut into squares or triangles and deep-fried so that it puffs up, ideally into a hollow pocket. New Mexican cuisine counts them among its signature foods. They can be a dessert or a stuffed main course.

Sources

Questions people ask

Why does a sopaipilla puff up?

Frying makes the dough puff into a hollow pocket.

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