PIONONOS (SMALL PASTRIES)

You cannot leave Granada without trying its exquisite piononos, small delicacies that are not usually lacking in any pastry shop. Its fame is well deserved because these rolled cakes, covered in syrup and with a pastry yolk and cinnamon inside; are classic for lovers of the sweetest flavors. They are one of the greater gastronomical prides of the locality of Santa Fe, created in the middle of the nineteenth century by Ceferino Isla, a religious man who baptized this succulent mouthful rendering tribute to Pope Pío IX (`Pío nono’) by the peculiar form of this figure crowned by a toasted yolk, that resembles the skullcap with which the Extreme Pontiff covers his head.

And since every master has his own trick, the different ways of preparation also vary a little according to the pastry chef’s taste; and there are even some who innovate with this traditional recipe and fill it with dulce de leche (fudge) and chocolate, or with small pieces of fruit such as strawberry or kiwi or even meringue. We can also taste the pionono in other ways, such as cakes, ice creams or even taste it as an exquisite drink such as pionono cream liqueur.