{"id":8414,"date":"2026-10-19T23:31:39","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8414"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:50:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:50:24","slug":"calzones-rotos","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/calzones-rotos\/","title":{"rendered":"Calzones Rotos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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 az\u00facar flor<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n

Bringing the dough to a firmness that can be rolled and cut<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Fried<\/p>\n

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

Passing an end through a slit instead of tying a knot<\/h2>\n

The dough is rolled out with a rolling pin and cut into rectangles of about 10 centimeters. Examples give a thickness of about 3\u20135 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Frying, then dusting with powdered sugar<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

There are also modern methods that bake them in the oven, but the surface and texture differ from those fried in oil.<\/p>\n

Origin stories about a vendor’s nickname and the shape of the dough<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Calzones<\/p>\n

Calzones rotos on a table with coffee and jam. Photo: Brunnaiz<\/a>, 2026, location unknown. CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>, unedited.<\/p>\n

\n\"Flat\n
Calzones rotos stacked on a plate (September 17, 2015, location unknown). Powdered sugar covers the surface of the evenly cut flat dough, and fried color shows at the edges. Photo: Fabistyle23, “Calzones Rotos” \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Image obtained from the source. No content changes or cropping made for this use.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Winter shop counters and home snacks<\/h2>\n

In winter they appear not only in homes but also at bakeries and street stalls. The cook Pilar Hern\u00e1ndez 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.<\/p>\n

In Antilhue, in the southern Los R\u00edos 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.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Az\u00facar flor<\/strong>: The name for powdered sugar in Chile.<\/p>

Baking powder<\/strong>: A leavening agent that produces gas with moisture and heat, making dough rise.<\/p>

Pisco<\/strong>: A distilled spirit made from grapes. Also used to flavor Chilean sweets.<\/p>

Pilar Hern\u00e1ndez<\/strong>: A cook who shares Chilean home cooking. She introduces calzones rotos along with memories of her grandmother’s winter snacks.<\/p>

Rosario<\/strong>: A witness who speaks about the food sold at Antilhue station.<\/p>

Once<\/strong>: A light afternoon meal in Chile, taken with tea or coffee. Fried sweets are sometimes served with it in winter.<\/p>

Plaza de Armas<\/strong>: A square in central Santiago. The setting of the vendor legend.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. \n

    Gourmet Chile, “Calzones Rotos”<\/a> \u2014 milk-based dough, 5-millimeter thickness, cutting into 10 \u00d7 5 centimeter pieces, twist shaping, frying both sides, powdered sugar, baked variation.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  2. \n

    Pilar Hern\u00e1ndez, “Calzones rotos f\u00e1ciles”<\/a> \u2014 her grandmother’s winter snack, a formula with water and whole eggs, citrus and liquor, 3\u20135 millimeter thickness, excess dusting flour, adaptation from a home cookbook.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  3. \n

    Chef Deik, “Calzones rotos”<\/a> \u2014 3-millimeter shaping and the frying process, winter eating habits, the legend of the name. Not used as a source confirming the historical facts of the origin.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  4. \n

    Chilevisi\u00f3n, “\u00bfPor qu\u00e9 se llaman Calzones Rotos?”<\/a> \u2014 the legend of the vendor in the Plaza de Armas and the wind. This is a television program’s account, not an original record from the colonial period.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  5. \n

    Comidas Chilenas, “Calzones rotos”<\/a> \u2014 a modern introduction to winter once and the baked variation.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  6. \n

    \u9234\u6728\u6587, “Calzones Rotos, a Regional Sweet of Chile” (in Japanese), Noritz Mainichi Grill-bu<\/a> \u2014 thin dough of about 1.5 millimeters learned in Santiago, the slit and the frying method. Treated as one example and not generalized to the thickness of all such sweets.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  7. Editorial note (Japanese re-edit)<\/h3><\/li>

  8. The name of the woman vendor and sales records from the time have not been confirmed. The colonial-era anecdote is treated as a legend and is not described as an event with a fixed date.<\/p><\/li>

  9. Chilean Ministry of Culture, “El men\u00fa de Chile” (2018, pp. 28\u201329)<\/a> \u2014 testimony of Rosario recalling sales at Antilhue station, with editorial notes. The testimony does not specify a period.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Calzones rotos are a twisted fried sweet coated in powdered sugar, popular in Chile. They are made by cutting a slit in the center of a rectangle of dough and passing one end through it. Each piece has narrow parts and slightly thicker parts, so you can enjoy the edges colored in the oil together with the soft interior.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7410,"menu_order":185,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Calzones rotos","subtitle":"A Chilean twisted sweet made by passing one end through a slit","topics":"Shaping by passing one end through once \/ White sugar over the fried color \/ With tea on cold afternoons","country":"Chile","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["fruit","butter","egg"],"texture":["fluffy"],"occasion":["tea"],"method":["fried"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[169],"class_list":["post-8414","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t