Today is National SALTENA Day!

Endowed by my Creator with The First Amendment, I have just now declared it!
 

 
Anybody know where one might find this Andean treat served in Texas?
 
Any other saltena fans out there?

That looks oh, so good.

Is that an empowered empanada?

mar52


Is that an empowered empanada?

No.  They are juicy (as you can see), not dry.  Note the shiny egg wash on the crust to keep the goodness in without making the pastry shell mushy.  Delicious works of art they are.

Here's a good "primer" on saltenas:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A55539-2001Apr23?language=printer .

Enjoyed Saltenas at a sidewalk cafe in Cochabamba, Bolivia every morning for a week right on the Avenue Jose Ballivian (El Prado).

That's a hardboiled quail egg in the middle.

A Calzone by any other name is still a Calzone!

Foodbme


A Calzone by any other name is still a Calzone!

Never had a juicy calzone.
 
And, calzone and llajua don't mix. 

Foodbme


A Calzone by any other name is still a Calzone!

Not exactly. Different crust. Different fillings. Different size. Different way of making. You can't be narrow minded about it. There are literally many ways to describe a folded over crust and ingredient filled food item. Italians have but just one variation and hardly the first.
 
The Perogi sculpture at the 2011 Minnesota State Fair

 

BTW:  the "native way" to eat a saltena is with a napkin and spoon.  Have llajua near.  And beer.
 
Wrap the napkin half-way up the treat.  Bite a little off of one end and then use the spoon to scoop and eat the juicy contents, nibbling down the crust as you "empty" it.  If you wish to add picante, add llajua to taste as you go.
 
(Never seen a calzone, empanada, or perogi eaten this way).

I eat lots of things that way!

mar52


I eat lots of things that way!

We have a lady that sells tamales (she stays up all night making them and then sels them hot and extra moist) from the back of her van every friday at my job. She mentioned saltena's one day but I didn't know what she meant. I'll be sure to ask her now.

Texascajun


We have a lady that sells tamales (she stays up all night making them and then sels them hot and extra moist) from the back of her van every friday at my job. She mentioned saltena's one day but I didn't know what she meant. I'll be sure to ask her now.

Boy, that brings back memories.  The first saltenas I enjoyed in the US were prepared out of the apartments of Bolivian ex-pats in Arlington, VA.  I'm sure the local Health Dept. didn't approve, but "F - them".  That was back in the 1970's when you had to be "in the know". 
 
As the DC Metro area "Bolivian Community" grew to some 50,000, Bolivian restaurants popped up (Cecilia's, Pike Pizza, Tutto Bene, et al.) and "The Saltena Circuit" was born.  God Bless America! 
 
Another "Bolivian treat" that set my "Anglo" tastebuds longing for "more" is "huminta" - a sweet, spicy, moist cornbread-like tamale.  My Bolivian sister-in-law (former) used to make it en casserole primarily from cornbread mix, creamed corn, and tabasco.  OMG, it's SO outrageously good.

MetroplexJim, That's really interesting. Some of the best food comes prepared these ways. Who needs Health Dept. approval.

I agree.  The most exacting "health inspector" I ever knew was my first generation French grandmother.  She always checked the hands, nails, and general appearance of those who handled her food.  She would even walk through restaurant kitchens before ordering.  (Nobody ever said "no" to my grandfather).

This sounds familiar with my Grandmother and cleanliness, but i honestly never remember her eating out when I was growing up.

Texascajun


This sounds familiar with my Grandmother and cleanliness, but i honestly never remember her eating out when I was growing up.

Kinda the same here, after she turned 75 (I was then 31) she would refuse to "eat out".  She would come along, but would only have tea and a baked good.