Sobao is a traditional Spanish dessert from Cantabria made from bread dough, sugar, and butter. Modern recipes use wheat flour, eggs, salt, lemon zest, baking powder, and rum. It is baked and served in a white paper wrapper and is associated with weddings. It has protected designation status.
Sobao, also called sobao pasiego, is a traditional Spanish dessert. It originates in the Spanish region of Cantabria, specifically in the valleys of the Pas and Miera rivers. The term “pasiego” comes from the name of the Pas river, linking this dish to its region of origin. This cake has a deep yellow color and crumbly texture with a darker brown top surface.
Sobao recipes seem to have changed over time. Originally, the cake was made from a dough of bread, sugar and butter. It was probably originally intended to use up leftover dough. Sugar, eggs, aniseed, lemon zest or rum were added to enhance the flavor of the resulting paste.
By the late 19th century, a new form of sobao appears to have become popular; there are a number of competing stories describing the first cook to use this new recipe. This form of the cake used higher quality wheat flour rather than leftover bread dough, and the ingredients used to add flavor became standardized. Modern recipes call for equal amounts of sugar and butter, a smaller amount of flour, a dozen eggs per pound of sugar, and small amounts of salt, lemon zest, baking powder, and rum. Anise liqueur can be used in place of rum.
The product of this recipe usually takes the form of a rectangular cake with a dense rounded top. It is baked and served in a white paper wrapper. The sides of the sheet fold up and out to create a distinctive winged appearance. This form of wrapping is a distinctive feature of sobao pasiego. It usually comes in different sizes
Sobao is a popular dish throughout Spain where it is widely associated with Cantabria and its cuisine. In its native region, this type of cake is a traditional food at weddings. In a traditional wedding, the bride would present the gift of sobao to the guests. The white color of traditional paper wrapping can lead to this association with weddings.
In 2009, the Spanish government asked the European Union to give this dish protected designation status. This means that the products cannot be advertised or sold as sobao if they are not made in Cantabria according to the traditional production method. The application claimed that this dish not only characterized the cuisine of the Cantabrian region, but was made with products that represented the agricultural products of the area.
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