Calzones Rotos

Calzones rotos are a Chilean sweet made by frying twisted dough and dusting it with powdered sugar. A single slit is cut in the center of a rectangle of dough and one end is passed through it, creating a twisted opening in the middle. In Chile, powdered sugar is called azúcar flor. Some are thin and crisp, while others are slightly thicker and soft, and they are enjoyed as a home snack in winter, a season of rain and cold. The name means “torn underpants,” and there are two explanations of its origin: one linking it to the shape and one involving a vendor.

Bringing the dough to a firmness that can be rolled and cut

The dough is made by combining flour with eggs, sugar, butter or margarine and baking powder, and flavoring it with lemon or orange zest. Some recipes (ingredient proportions and method) use milk as the liquid, while others add water little by little. Some use only whole eggs and others add extra yolks, and the moisture of the dough and the thickness to which it is rolled are adjusted according to these differences in the formula.

The dough is not made soft enough to pour into a mold; it is brought to a cohesive firmness that can be rolled out and cut. Liquid is added while checking the state of the flour, and dusting flour is kept to only what is needed, because too much excess flour left on the surface can also cause the frying oil to foam. For flavoring, besides citrus zest, some versions add a small amount of pisco, rum or orange juice.

Fried pastries with one end passed through a slit, dusted with powdered sugar. Photo: Soledadriosgarcia, 2015, location unknown. CC BY-SA 4.0, unedited.

Passing an end through a slit instead of tying a knot

The dough is rolled out with a rolling pin and cut into rectangles of about 10 centimeters. Examples give a thickness of about 3–5 millimeters, and the method a pastry cook learned in Santiago includes rolling it to about 1.5 millimeters. It is sometimes made thicker to taste. A lengthwise slit is cut in the center, and one end is passed through and stretched gently, twisting the dough and creating the distinctive opening. Rather than forming a strand and tying it, this shaping uses a slit in a single piece of dough.

The thickness of the dough affects the texture after frying. Thin pieces have edges that break lightly, while thicker ones keep more of a soft interior. Besides rectangles, the dough can also be cut into diamonds with an end passed through in the same way; the opening and twist in the center are the shared hallmark.

Frying, then dusting with powdered sugar

The shaped dough is placed in hot oil a few pieces at a time and turned so that both sides color evenly. Thickly rolled pieces are cooked all the way through without letting only the outside brown too deeply. Once drained and dusted with powdered sugar, the twisted golden surfaces are coated with white sugar, and the pastries are served with tea or coffee at “once” in winter.

There are also modern methods that bake them in the oven, but the surface and texture differ from those fried in oil.

Origin stories about a vendor’s nickname and the shape of the dough

According to one tradition about the origin, in the Plaza de Armas in Santiago during the colonial period, the wind lifted a female vendor’s skirt, revealing torn underpants. A Chilean television program presents the story that this incident gave rise to the nickname “the lady of the torn underpants,” and that the name then passed to the sweet. However, neither the woman’s name nor when it happened is known for certain.

Another explanation holds that the name arose because the opening in the dough formed by turning the end through recalls torn cloth. Whether the name derives from a nickname given to a vendor or from the shaping itself, and which came first, is not known.

Calzones rotos on a table with coffee and jam. Photo: Brunnaiz, 2026, location unknown. CC BY-SA 4.0, unedited.

Winter shop counters and home snacks

In winter they appear not only in homes but also at bakeries and street stalls. The cook Pilar Hernández also shares a memory of her grandmother, visiting in winter, frying them on the spot. This sweet of twisted, fried dough dusted with powdered sugar is passed down at family gatherings like these.

In Antilhue, in the southern Los Ríos Region, calzones rotos were among the foods sold at the railway station. Rosario, who remembers the trade at the station, says that sweets, jams, quince preserves and other items were laid out for sale. It is an example of how they were not only a winter dish at home but also something sold at the station for travelers.

Glossary