Xocolata Amb Xurros (Chocolate with Churros)

Kilian and I went out for the most sugar-filled breakfast imaginable: xocolata amb xurros.

Xurros with lots of sugar!

When the weather turns to autumn, xurro trucks, xurrerias, begin to pop up in different places around Catalonia. These trucks serve freshly deep-fried xurros, which are different from porras, which the Catalans seem to love (according to Wikipedia, this is most popular in Spain and Italy).

Xurreria at night, courtesy of Flickr

The first time I heard about churros was in my middle school Spanish class where we learned about "Mexican" food, including churros. We had a celebration where we could try these desserts, along with a variety of other typical eats. Those churros from the States are not the xurros of Catalonia. These ones are markedly softer, served fresh and warm with hot xocolata desfeta (melted chocolate), a very dense, dark, rich hot chocolate beverage.

As I mentioned before, this meal is served at breakfast. I'm not sure I would call it a meal; to me it is more like a dessert. But this is typical here and when in Catalonia, do as the Catalans do, or so they say.

Xurros are the small and thin ones. Photo from: CocinaRecetas)

Having tried xurros from different places, I find that there can be a huge difference in taste and texture depending on a number of factors including how long they are fried for, the dough, and the amount of oil/sugar ratio when served. For me, overly oily xurros are too much for my stomach to bear for very long.

The type of xocolata also makes a difference. Since there are both milk chocolate and dark chocolate variations of xocolata desfeta, this contributes to the richness of the meal, as well as the consistency of the xocolata desfeta. A more liquid xocolata will go much further than the thick, pudding-like kind which is heavy in and of itself but a very rich dark chocolate won't make it as long (for me and my tummy) as a less intense milk chocolate.

Milk chocolate (left), xurros, dark chocolate (right)

This combination is very heavy and sweet; not for the faint of stomach. Eaten with moderation, it makes for a quite delicious breakfast or afternoon snack.