Papa rellena

Peruvian papa rellena

Region or state	Latin America
Main ingredients	Potatoes, beef, onions, olives, hard boiled eggs, cumin, spices

Papas rellenas (English: stuffed potatoes) are the most popular type of croquettes in Latin American regions such as Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and the Caribbean (more so the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico). The first printed Latin American recipes date to the late 19th century, during a time when French cuisine (among others, e.g. Italian) was influencing the region.

Peruvian preparation

The dish is a potato-based dough into which a filling made of chopped beef and onions, whole olives, hard-boiled eggs, cumin and other spices is stuffed. Once prepared, the obloid mass is deep-fried. Potato flour is often added to give greater consistency to the dough. In Peru, the dish is usually accompanied with a "salsa criolla", or an ají sauce.

Caribbean variants

They consist of mashed potatoes stuffed with seasoned ground meat, various spices then deep fried. The dish varies in preparation and presentation from country to country. Papas rellenas are a local favorite in heavily Cuban-populated American cities such as Miami and Tampa, in which the Cuban version consists of potato balls stuffed with seasoned picadillo.

This dish is also extensively consumed in Puerto Rico, where it is called "relleno de papa". In Puerto Rico the potatoes are boiled and then mashed with eggs, cornstarch, milk, and butter. Papa rellenas are stuffed with cheese, picadillo, or choice of meat. The papa rellenas are then coated with egg wash, and rolled into cornmeal or bread crumbs before frying. The potatoes can be replaced with sweet plantains (relleno de maduros) or breadfruit (relleno de panapén).

In popular culture

Papa rellena was featured on the Netflix TV series Street Food in season 2.

See also

• List of stuffed dishes
• List of deep fried foods
• Quibe