The bocadillo: A great ally for your business
Two pieces of bread, a succulent condiment in the middle…let’s eat! It might seem that the bocadillo is an invention that has always been with us, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Today, a bocadillo (or, rather, a good bocadillo) serves as a dinner, an afternoon snack or a lunch. But, to trace the origins of this popular invention, you have to go back centuries. The bocadillo has a long history behind it.
The word bocadillo, Spanish for sandwich, comes from “bocado”, a term derived from the Latin “bucca” (mouth). For a while, in Cervantes’s time, the sandwich was simply called a “bocado.” Some consider that bocadillo was used in the pre-Columbian era (before the arrival of Columbus) in various parts of the Americas, where indigenous peoples made corn tortillas that they filled with food and ate with their hands. It’s also believed that the ancient Greeks or Indian civilisation could be the precursors of the bocadillo.
Regarding the types of foods, they’re practically infinite! One of the most classic and popular snacks is the tortilla de patatas, which became popular during the Carlist wars. Legend has it that it was General Tomás de Zumalacárregui, who invented the tortilla de patatas in 1835 as a quick and simple way to feed the troops during this war. When a little bread is added to a tortilla de patatas you have one of the most iconic bocadillos of all time.
The steak sandwich also has its own story. Almost everyone agrees that it was born in the old Fornos cafe in Madrid where the son of one of the owners, known as Pepito, decided one day to order a hot sandwich rather than the usual ones, which were made with cold meats. Friends, family and customers began to imitate it and demand this delicacy. This star ingredient of this sandwich is currently the steak fillets that are served throughout Spain. And so with so many others: the squid sandwich, the pork loin and cheese sandwich, the chivito, the serranito...with good bread and tasty ingredients, there are no limits in the world of sandwiches.
In this regard, there are many sandwich breads, but for example, offering your clientele a water bread sandwich is a surefire winner. Why? Because it’s one of those products that turn a traditional sandwich into a totally exceptional sandwich. Its bread with excellent alveolation, crisp, light and durable, and it’s used to make many of these sandwiches. Baked in a stone-deck oven, and following a long artisan tradition, the water bread bocadillo is highly hydrated which, moreover, allows them to be given a blast of heat at any time of day so as to always serve it freshly-made.
And you can’t only recommend it to customers at a bakery or cafeteria: if you have a hospitality establishment, this type of product, with a good seasoning, is always a winner with diners. Frozen doughs and pre-baked bread make it very easy to have this type of food in your business. How to bake frozen pre-baked bread? Very simple. In the case of a water bread sandwich, you just have to let it defrost for 20-30 minutes and then bake it for 10-12 minutes. That’s it!
Frozen bakery products allow you to have products as excellent as the water bread sandwich, undoubtedly one of those foods that, thanks to the qualities of frozen pre-baked bread, should always be on hand. And, as the famous chef Anthony Bourdain said: “Between two breads there are almost infinite possibilities to delight our palate.” There you have it.
