Spanish Christmas

Traditional Spanish Christmas pastries (of the non-"turrón" type) add a special touch to the holidays with their own distinct flavours - and textures! Here is a look at some of the most popular specialities. Once upon a time they were only available in December and January, but that is changing. Nevertheless, it's only during the holiday season that you'll see them in such large amounts. In fact, in most supermarkets you can even buy them in bulk.

The pastries we're looking at here come wrapped in thin printed tissue paper that most often carry name brands our Spanish contemporaries have grown up with - yes, even the contemporaries of the oldest among us. Take the time to read the labels because many of these sweets are specialities that are produced in only one town in Spain, for example. Others are made from recipes handed down by generations of nuns at a certain convent or from a specific order.

While it appears that there are a zillion different types of Christmas pastries sold this time of year, in actual fact there are just two main categories on offer. The first is a kind of shortbread and the second are made from marzipan.