Hornazo
The name hornazo is given to a series of food preparations from many areas of Spain. In general, they have in common that they are made in the oven (hence their name) with greased bread dough. Another common feature is that they are usually eaten either just before Lent, a period when eating meat or eggs was not allowed, or immediately after, at the end of Easter.
Often, it is a kind of empanada filled with butcher products, mainly: loin, ham, chorizo, etc. that are baked together with the dough in the oven. In certain places the hornazo is sweet or, at least, sprinkled with sugar on top.
Among the best-known hornazos are those made in the days after Easter that include hard-boiled eggs in their composition. Sometimes, it is only the dough with the egg and, other times, the egg is added to the empanada content. This is because, in the past, eggs were considered meat, so they could not be eaten during Lent, although the chickens, of course, continued to lay eggs. Eggs were kept boiled and eaten after Easter. Hence the hornazos and many other customs, around this date, which include the hard-boiled egg (Easter or painted eggs, cakes and Monas de Pascua from the Valencian and Catalan communities...). For the same reasons, eggs are also eaten at Carnival time (especially on Lardero Thursday), since it was not convenient to keep them throughout Lent.
Andalusia
Almeria
The hornazo of Vera, Antas, Garrucha, Turre, Mojácar, Pulpí and Cuevas del Almanzora is very similar to that carried out in the other provinces of Eastern Andalusia. There is a long tradition of consuming it in the celebration of Old Women's Day, right in the middle of Lent, and it consists of a kind of long sweet bread, with a braid on top that encloses a hard-boiled egg.
Cadiz
The hornazo is a homemade pastry, typical of Olvera, although today it is also industrial, made up of a cake base, called Quasimodo Monday Cake, with a hard-boiled egg, and decorated in a wide variety of ways, with all kinds of sweets and giving different shapes with various types of cookies. The different components of the hornazo are glued with tostadillo (molten sugar).
It is a typical sweet on the dates close to the Pilgrimage, called Quasimodo Monday, which is celebrated on the 2nd Monday after Easter Sunday. In it, children and adults enjoy together both in its preparation at home, and in its consumption in the Pilgrimage.
There are also hornazos contests on Quasimodo Monday, in which the most ingenious and skillful create and display their works of art with cake, cookies and trinkets, thus creating masterpieces such as "La facade of the Santuario de los Remedios", "La Plaza de Toros" or "El Camino con sus Carrozas", etc.
Córdoba
Originally, in Pozoblanco the hornazo was an oil bun into which, during cooking, an egg was inserted, cooking at the same time. Traditionally it constitutes a treat that the godmothers give their godchildren in view of the pilgrimage to bring the Patron Saint, the Virgin of Luna. Later this present evolved, turning the bun into a butter cake similar to a dog, with two hard-boiled eggs, painted in bright colors and decorated with royal icing. Meringue decorations such as bow ties, nests, mice, kittens, etc. are placed on the egg, this presentation being the most traditional today. Likewise, there are multiple variants, which present, for example, the effigy of the Virgin in sugar paste, or a chocolate acorn with the Virgin engraved, or the boiled eggs are replaced by chocolate eggs. They are also made in the form of a sweet that is reminiscent of a small cake for one person. In the center is a chocolate egg or two. The hornazo is given to children on the occasion of the pilgrimage of the Virgin of Luna in the month of February. In addition to the hornazo, it is also typical to give an olive oil cake, a chocolate tablet and a few oranges, all to go to the pilgrimage and enjoy the day with the family there. Tradition says that children have to offer their hornazo and their bun to the Virgin upon their arrival in Pozoblanco, in the so-called Arroyo Hondo with the phrase: "Virgin of Luna! ! Do you want my oven? If not, I'll eat it! Virgin of the Moon! Do you want my bun? If not, I'll eat it!".
In Fernán Núñez the hornazo is sweet, very similar to what is known as Cordobés cake. The traditional one consists of a butter and sugar cake, filled with angel hair, although it can also be filled with cream or chocolate. A hard-boiled egg is placed in the center. The hornazo of Fernán Núñez is typical of the Jueves Lardero festivity, which is celebrated on the Thursday after Ash Wednesday and dates back to the Reconquest. On this day, since 2004, the custom of making a giant hornazo (Hornazo Guinness) of more than three meters in diameter has been established.
The hornazo in Priego de Córdoba is a figure (traditionally chickens) made of dough with a hard-boiled egg inside. It is eaten on Good Friday morning on the ascent of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno to Calvary, after giving the blessing.
In Villanueva del Duque, on Easter Sunday there are no Easter processions, since it is celebrated on Hornazos Day, in which family and friends go out to the countryside to eat the traditional sweet together, and thus celebrate the Resurrection of Christ as the end of Holy Week Villaduqueña. For the hornazo, prepare refried oil, heat it until it boils and when it is hot add the green anise (also known as anís, hierbadulce i> and sweet seed) and let it cool. Dried orange peels can also be added when it is boiling. The refried oil is added to the bread dough and, later, everything is mixed with brandy. Then it is put in the oven but just before it is smeared with the beaten egg and a little sugar on top. The time it should remain in the oven will be until it is seen to be golden. As a decoration, a boiled egg is usually placed in the center.
Grenade
The hornazo from Granada is eaten on April 25, the day of the San Marcos festivity and on Easter Sunday it varies according to the locality. It is traditionally consumed in the Vega de Granada, although it is also typical in the areas bordering Málaga and Córdoba. It consists of a roll (the size of an individual loaf) or a small bun (small loaf of bread) made with oil dough (oil bread is typical in the province of Granada). The hornazo is made by giving the oil bread dough the desired shape, in its center a raw egg is placed and attached to the dough with two strips of the same dough forming a crosshead. Next, the hornazo is cooked in the oven, thus leaving the egg also cooked.
It is typical to eat it accompanied by green beans, Serrano ham, bacon, cod, etc.
The custom in the area is to go on excursions or have a picnic in the countryside to "crash the egg". This consists of each one taking the boiled egg from their oven and cracking it on someone's forehead as a joke. To do this, you have to hit the thickest end of the egg on the victim's forehead.
In the Alpujarra on Easter Sunday, in the town of Ugíjar, a pilgrimage is celebrated with this name: Los Hornazos, where people from all the towns of this region participate. It consists of spending a day in the countryside, with the specialty of wearing a hornazo that is only made during this time, the hornazos manufactured in a neighboring town, Válor, being very famous. In this place it is usually accompanied by chocolate that together with the hornazo oil bread becomes a delight for the palate. Also on this day, Easter Sunday and on Monday a pilgrimage is held in the town of Dúrcal and around mid-afternoon they eat the hornazo, which is accompanied by sausages, fruit and chocolate.
Huelva
This is a very typical Huelva sweet during Holy Week. Huelva's hornazo has little or nothing to do with others, since it is a dough, spread like a cake, baked and with a top layer of eggs, almonds and angel hair. This sweet is said to originate from the Huelva town of Trigueros, but the truth is that it has become a benchmark in the province, being found in many other towns such as Moguer or in the capital itself.
Jaen
The hornazo from Baeza, Úbeda and Torreperogil is a bakery product consisting of an olive oil cake that usually contains aniseed and a hard-boiled egg in the center. It is usually eaten during Holy Week at any time of the day. The typical hornazos have a chicken egg but you can also find smaller hornazos that instead of a chicken have a quail egg. They can be found in two varieties, white hornazos (brushed with egg) and ochio hornazos (brushed with paprika and extra virgin olive oil).
Other typical bakery products from Baeza, Úbeda and Torreperogil are the hochío and the oil cake (it is the same as the hornazo but without eggs, and unlike it, the oil cake is consumed throughout the year).
Castile-La-Mancha
Atlantic
In the province of Albacete, hornazo is called a product similar to that of the province of Ávila that is consumed on Jueves Lardero, which in this case is celebrated on the Thursday before Carnival. It consists of a baked bread cake with an egg, a sardine, a chorizo and some strips of pepper placed on it. All the ingredients except the egg can vary, although this is the most traditional recipe. It is customary to consume it in the countryside or in one of the largest parks in the capital.
Puertollano (Ciudad Real)
In Puertollano it is celebrated on the Sunday following Resurrection, almost the entire population of La Mancha complies with the custom of going out into the fields to take the hornazo. The tradition was to eat it on the Cerro de Santa Ana going up to the "Chimenea Cuadrá"; however, now most do it by going to the pine forest of the Dehesa Boyal de Puertollano before the Port of Mestanza, after the ENEL-VIESGO thermal. The Puertollan hornazo consists of a delicious sweet pastry cake with eggs that decorate it. Normally it has flour, oil, sugar, egg and orange juice, including a boiled egg along with the dough inside (or more depending on the size of the hornazo), and garnished and sweetened with sugar on the outside. The origin of this sweet is associated with spring, since according to some anthropologists, Easter coincides with the spring equinox, which is associated with the revival of life after winter. Likewise, the eggs used to decorate the hornazo also represent the origin of life, so this festival is related to nature.
Basin
The Hornazo de Resurrección is eaten in the snack that is made on Easter Sunday in the field of Horcajo de Santiago. It is cake garnished with hard-boiled eggs. On this day, the "peleles" made by girls and taken away by boys.
Toledo
In Santa Cruz de la Zarza (Toledo) the hornazo is sweet. The traditional one consists of a butter and sugar cake covered with a layer of egg white sweetened with sugar and another layer of anise balls and chocolate shavings. A hard-boiled egg is placed in the center, although there are ovens with up to 6 eggs. It is similar to the Easter monkey. In Santa Cruz de la Zarza, the hornazo is typical of the pilgrimage in honor of the Virgen de la Paz, which is celebrated on the second Sunday of May.
Castile and Leon
Avila
The hornazo is a typical product from the province of Ávila, consisting of a juicy bread dough filled with various local products such as chorizo, bacon, pork loin, and boiled egg. Some of the neighbors, who recount how much fun Easter Sunday is for their families thanks to their country outing, remember how their mothers and grandmothers made this tasty product especially for this date, although also at other times of the year. houses.
In the town of Pedro Bernardo, in the heart of Valle del Tiétar in the south of the province, a crescent-shaped empanada is made, known as Easter or Easter Cake. This crescent is stuffed with cured meat from the slaughter: ham, pork tongue and loin, chorizo, salty bacon, boiled egg and parsley. The dough is made from wheat flour, olive oil, salt and yeast, painted with egg to shine. It is eaten with the family on Easter Sunday. This day is popularly called "Cake Day", and is usually celebrated with an outing to the countryside.
In San Esteban del Valle and other towns in the Barranco de las Cinco Villas there is an almost identical version that they call "empaná", with the peculiarity that other variants are also produced, such as angel hair or those of cirigallote.
Salamanca
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The hornazo in the city of Salamanca, and also in the province to which it belongs, is one of its most typical and representative gastronomic products. Its initial origin could be as food for shepherds, although its popularity is linked to the celebration of the Lunes de Aguas festivity that is celebrated on the Monday after Easter Monday, from around 1543, during the reign of Felipe II. Since 2004 it has been a food protected as a guarantee brand with the name "Hornazo de Salamanca" and its preparation must comply with the provisions of its regulations.
The hornazo from Salamanca has different sausages —chorizo, loin and ham— and, sometimes, hard-boiled egg. The tradition is to eat it on Resurrection Sunday or Easter Monday in the province and the following Monday, called Water Monday, in the city of Salamanca and its surroundings. Aguas y el hornazo, sinks its roots in the year 1543 and in the reign of Felipe II. Currently, the hornazo is one of the most representative products of Salamanca cuisine.
Within the province of Salamanca, we must highlight the Hornazo de Cepeda, located in the Sierra de Francia. In this town they cover the hornazos with a layer of sugar, something quite unusual in the rest of the hornazos in the province but which adds a special appeal and a notable contrast of flavors.
Zamora
The hornazo is a typical product of the province of Zamora, mainly from the regions of Aliste or Sayago, although it is also present in a general way throughout the province. The alistano hornazo is made from a bread dough with chorizo and bacon from the slaughters of this area of Zamora. The one from Sayago, like those from Ávila and Salamanca, consists of a juicy bread dough stuffed with various Iberian products from the land such as chorizo, bacon, pork loin and boiled egg.
Madrid
In several regions of the Community of Madrid the hornazo is traditional, especially in the Alcarria de Chinchón, today informally called the Las Vegas Region. It is prepared sweet, with a boiled egg attached to a dough cross. Historically, it was prepared to be eaten in the countryside on Easter Sunday, on an excursion called "correr el hornazo".