Telera (Spanish bread)

In Spain, telera is a typical bread from the area of Córdoba (in Andalusia). Includes ~W130 wheat flour, sourdough, water, salt and yeast.[2] Its peculiar shape, which resembles a montera (the traditional hat of a torero),[3] is the result of the deep marks (greña) that are made, generally two, and diagonally along the piece. Being a candeal bread, it is quite durable, but when it gets hard, it is typically used to make salmorejo from Córdoba.[4][5]

Córdoba telera
Telera from the Hnos. Fernández bakery, winner of the best Córdoba telera in 2016.[1]

Features

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The telera cordobesa belongs to a family of Spanish breads called panes candeales ('candeal breads', also known as pan bregado or pan sobado), which have a long tradition in Andalusia, Extremadura and the two Castiles. These breads are made from durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum L.).[6]

Origin

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Traditionally it is said that the name of telera is a contraction of tres hileras ("three rows"), since it consists of two diagonal ridges that separate the bark into three parts. But the author A. Ortega Morán proposes an analogy with the counter of a plough (called "telera" in Spanish). The counter is a long iron crossbar that kept the plough straight (see parts of the Roman plow), and that was formerly used in a figurative sense as a synonym for something long.[7] According to the Royal Spanish Academy, it comes from Latin *telaria, in turn from telum, 'sword'.[8] According to the author and baker Ibán Yarza [es], «telera» in Spain refers to a variety of breads «whose common characteristic is to be lengthened».[2]

Culinary uses

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The traditional Andalusian breakfast is made with slices of this bread, young olive oil and sugar. Once staled, the telera is ideal for use as an ingredient in salmorejo from Córdoba, a cold tomato cream, bread, and other crushed ingredients.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Linares, Rocío (2018-06-14). "Antonio y David Fernández, la revolución del pan desde Córdoba". Gurmé (ABC) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  2. ^ a b Yarza, Ibán (2019). "Telera cordobesa". 100 recetas de pan de pueblo: Ideas y trucos para hacer en casa panes de toda España (in Spanish). Editorial Grijalbo. p. 81. ISBN 978-84-17752-72-9. OCLC 1146544407.
  3. ^ Villegas, Almudena; Ibáñez, Alejandro; Glan, Hortensia; Moreno, Rafael. "Atributos sensoriales del pan blanco: la telera cordobesa". El libro del salmorejo cordobés (in Spanish). p. 87. ISBN 978-84-697-2981-6.
  4. ^ Villegas, Almudena; Ibáñez, Alejandro; Galán, Hortensia; Moreno, Rafael (2017). El Libro del Salmorejo Cordobés (PDF) (in Spanish). Cofradía Gastronómica del Salmorejo Cordobés. ISBN 978-84-697-2981-6. Ingredients: 200 gr. of Cordobesa telera bread (candeal)" (pg. 6), "The most consumed and characteristic piece has always been the telera" (pg. 75), "Now, for the preparation of the famous salmorejo cordobés it is essential use the telera candeal bread
  5. ^ Yarza, Ibán (2017-10-26). Pan de pueblo: Recetas e historias de los panes y panaderías de España (in Spanish). Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial España. pp. 228. ISBN 978-84-16895-40-3. The telera from Cordoba is the canonical ingredient of salmorejo and many cooks consider it essential precisely because of its crumb
  6. ^ Medina Luque, Francesc Xavier (1996). La alimentación mediterránea: historia, cultura, nutrición (in Spanish). Icaria Editorial. pp. 150. ISBN 978-84-7426-287-2.
  7. ^ Ortega Morán, Arturo (2013-01-17). "De teleras y pambazos". Cápsulas de lengua (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  8. ^ Royal Spanish Academy and Association of Academies of the Spanish Language. "telera". Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-05-04.