Vegan torrijas

When the high point of Holy Week arrives, the recipe for the historic torrijas becomes indispensable, and they are just as amazing in their vegan version.

Although torrijas are nowadays a typical Holy Week sweet, 2,000 years ago they were already made by the Romans, as shown by the recipe "pultes tractogalate" (porridge cooked with flour and milk), included in the book "De re coquinaria" by Marcus Gavius Apicius, a famous Roman gourmet of the 1st century AD.

But it is not until the 15th century that we can read the term torreja, in a text by the poet and musician Juan de la Encina, who mentions torrijas as a food to help mothers recover after childbirth. And this is also the first time this sweet is associated with the Bible, through the mention of the 'Redemptor'.

On the other hand, the first recipe for torrijas as we know them today appears in the book by Domingo Hernández de Maceras entitled "Libro de Cozina" (17th century), followed by the one that Francisco Martínez Matiño included in his book "Arte de cozina, pastelería, vizcochería y conservería" (19th century).

As for the relationship between torrijas and Holy Week, it should be said that in postwar Spain, Holy Week was one of the few celebrations that took place, and it was imposed by the regime. Since the population had few resources but was obliged to observe this religious celebration, which also does not allow eating certain foods, torrijas, which for centuries had been food for the poor, were the perfect sweet to fill up and get energy on those days of abstinence without spending much money, as they were made from basic foods.

Torrijas come in many versions, and there is even one made with wine, where it is said that the bread represents the body of Christ and the wine his blood; but we offer you an animal-free version of the most common recipe.