There are sweets that have history. And then there are the San Isidro doughnuts, which have history, legend, madrileñismo, powdered sugar, family debates and more types than a Netflix series.
For those of us who grew up in Madrid -or those of us who have learned to love it with vermouth and verbena- May smells of shawls, wafers, barrel organs… and, of course, doughnuts. But not just any doughnuts, but San Isidro doughnuts.
So, sit down, pour yourself a glass of anisette -or a café con leche, which also works- and get ready to discover 13 things you (probably) didn’t know about San Isidro doughnuts.
Yes, as you read it. Although we associate them with the verbenas of the 19th century, their origin is Roman. Already in times of togas and sandals, sweet pastries were prepared very similar to today’s doughnuts. That is, without chotis playlist or waiting lists in the confectioneries.
She had no social networks, but her fame spread by word of mouth. The legendary Tía Javiera, a doughnut seller back in the 19th century, revolutionized the San Isidro festivities with her secret recipe. Did she really exist? Some say yes, others say it was pure marketing of the time.
The best known are the tontas (with nothing on top) and the listas (with sugar, egg and lemon glaze), but there are known to be two more:
Yes, the simplest ones were the first ones. The silly doughnuts have no icing or frills, but they are the most authentic. They are the ones that, when there was nothing, were the best possibility to eat at San Isidro. Flour, egg, aniseed and oven. Nothing more, nothing less.
They came later, but they came with attitude. The ready-made doughnuts have a shiny glaze (usually lemon), which makes them the queens of the showcase. Sweet, aromatic and somewhat flirtatious, but reserved in their primigenia, for when the pecunio gave to improve the gastronomy. Nowadays, we can find them in any corner, they are the things that give us political tranquility. Of course, no matter how much glaze we put on them, there are always doughnuts, and doughnuts with capital letters.
The story goes that Bárbara de Braganza, wife of Ferdinand VI, could not even look at the silly doughnuts. And since there is no such thing as a doughnut, she asked her French cook to make a more chic version: with almonds and powdered sugar. Thus were born the
The nuns of the Santa Clara convent were already making them in the 15th century. And beware, in addition to praying, they mastered the art of dry meringue like no one else. The secret? Egg whites, a touch of aniseed and a lot of patience. A sweet that, over time, became essential in the most traditional celebration of the year.
Flour, egg, sugar, oil and aniseed. That’s all it takes to make magic. What changes is the final finish. Some stick to the basics, others dive into the mud (or glaze, rather). But they all start from the same base: a simple recipe that has resisted centuries of fashions.
That hole in the center is not just there. In the old days they were strung on reeds or rods to sell them in the street. It was the most practical way to carry them through the meadow of San Isidro, while dancing, praying or looking for a hole in the booths.
During the month of May, the bakeries of Madrid are filled with orders, queues, reservations and declarations of love for the San Isidro doughnuts. And there is no castizo who does not have his favorite. Some order them weeks in advance. Others queue up with devotion.
Queues to buy San Isidro doughnuts at
Casa Mira
are already a tradition. Ladies with combs, grandparents with walking sticks, absent-minded tourists and purebred Madrileños: everyone knows that something serious is going on here.11.
The festival began in the sixteenth century, in the meadow bordering Carabanchel. There it was said that San Isidro made a spring gush forth with a plow to save the harvest. Since then, booths were set up, sweets were sold – including doughnuts – and people danced chotis until nightfall.
Yes, there are doughnuts all over Spain, but few like those of San Isidro… few. Ours have that “castizo” touch, that “something” that cannot be explained. Like the grace of Madrid: either you have it, or you make it at Casa Mira.
Cream-filled, chocolate-filled or even gluten-free doughnuts? They exist, yes, but at
Benito Pérez Galdós mentions San Isidro doughnuts in his novels, as a symbol of daily life in Madrid. We do not know if he bought them at Casa Mira, but we are sure he would have loved them.
At
Casa Mira
we have been making San Isidro doughnuts for many years as they have always been made: with simple ingredients, a lot of care and absolute respect for tradition.
So, if this year you want to celebrate San Isidro with authentic flavor, come and see us. We have trays full, stories to tell and sweets that will make you close your eyes with pleasure.
And if you’re smarter than dumb -or the other way around-, don’t worry: we don’t judge here, we only serve the best.
Las recetas simples a veces son las mejores. No hace falta más que pan, leche, huevo, azúcar y aceite para
