Mona de Pascua

[xchic]

I have to go out & buy some Monas de Pascua today, for my kids to take to school. They all go down to the beach, play some games & eat their monas on the last day before the easter break.

I know they don't have these all over Spain, but does anyone know what the mona actually represents?

It's a pastry/cake sort of like a doughnut with a small chocolate egg in it.

[poli]

I have never heard of this pastry, but a wiki seach revealed that the Spanish mona comes from the arab munna which means provisions for the mouth (victuals). I always find regional foods on holy week to be interesting subject matter.

[irmamar]

Mona is typical from Catalonian speaker places (Catalonia, Valencia and Baleares). Here it's eaten on Monday (Lunes de Pascua). People go to the country and eat "carne a la brasa" and "mona". My husband's grandmother told me that years ago the godfather/godmother (padrino/madrina de bautizo) used to give a mona tor his/her godchild, but it consisted in a kind of bread with boiled eggs (as much eggs as the child's age), until his/her First Communion.

But the monas made here are a bit different from yours. Here this is a round cake, with "yema tostada" on it (and inside it or, sometimes, with jam) and decorated with a figure of chocolate. Something like this (not exactly):

[xchic]

Originally Posted by poli

I have never heard of this pastry, but a wiki seach revealed that the Spanish mona comes from the arab munna which means provisions for the mouth (victuals). I always find regional foods on holy week to be interesting subject matter.

I found that too, and I thought it was interesting - but didn't really explain the reason for eating it.

Originally Posted by irmamar

Mona is typical from Catalonian speaker places (Catalonia, Valencia and Baleares). Here it's eaten on Monday (Lunes de Pascua). People go to the country and eat "carne a la brasa" and "mona". My husband's grandmother told me that years ago the godfather/godmother (padrino/madrina de bautizo) used to give a mona tor his/her godchild, but it consisted in a kind of bread with boiled eggs (as much eggs as the child's age), until his/her First Communion.

But the monas made here are a bit different from yours. Here this is a round cake, with "yema tostada" on it (and inside it or, sometimes, with jam) and decorated with a figure of chocolate. Something like this (not exactly):

Yours look more exciting than ours in the Valencia region! Ours are very like the picture I posted, & actually quite bread-like. I think the chocolate egg is a fairly recent thing. I vaguely remember that they had hard-boiled eggs in them when we first came here

They are supposed to be eaten on Monday here as well - but they have them on the last day of school too.

[irmamar]

I've never seen hard boiled eggs here Just chocolate, chocolate and chocolate

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Mona is typical from Catalan-speaking places (Catalonia, Valencia and Baleares). Here it's eaten on Monday (Lunes de Pascua). People go to the country and eat "carne a la brasa" and "mona". My husband's grandmother told me that years ago the godfather/godmother (padrino/madrina de bautizo) used to give a mona tor his/her godchild, but it consisted of a kind of bread with boiled eggs (as many eggs as the child's age), until his/her First Communion.

Aquí me parece más probable que la gente coma paella con su mona. En Valencia, cualquier ocasión especial es motivo de una paella.

*Aviso de chiste mala*

¿Cuál prefieres: la mona arrugada o la mona lisa?

[Here4good]

Originally Posted by xchic

I have to go out & buy some Monas de Pascua today, for my kids to take to school. They all go down to the beach, play some games & eat their monas on the last day before the easter break.

I know they don't have these all over Spain, but does anyone know what the mona actually represents?

It's a pastry/cake sort of like a doughnut with a small chocolate egg in it.

No Monas around here (Madrid) that I know of. But we do have torrijas - yum yum!!

[poli]

Aquí torrijas es french toast o en Nueva Orleans pain perdue.


En Madrid lo que a mi me gusta más son los torteles de la Mayorquina. Me dan recuedos de galactabúrico, un dulce griego, disponible aquí (por un precio).

Y lo que prefiero màs es una buena mona lisa.

[Here4good]

Originally Posted by poli

Aquí torrijas es french toast o en Nueva Orleans pain perdue.


En Madrid lo que a mi me gusta más son los torteles de la Mayorquina. Me dan recuedos de galactabúrico, un dulce griego, disponible aquí (por un precio).

Y lo que prefiero màs es una buena mona lisa.

Pero French toast no es lo mismo que una torrija - parecida sí, pero no es lo mismo...

[poli]

¿Caul es la diferencia? Nunca las comí, pero las vi y francamente no me gustaba su aspecto (pero no se puede juzgar un libro por su portada). Se las sivre frias ¿verdad?

[Here4good]

Originally Posted by poli

¿Caul es la diferencia? Nunca las comí, pero las vi y francamente no me gustaba su aspecto (pero no se puede juzgar un libro por su portada). Se las sivre frias ¿verdad?

Sería mejor que te diga un nativo pero...

Para mí son parecidas pero...
Se sirven frías, como ya has dicho, aunque yo las prefiero no muy frías, no de la nevera por ejemplo.
Están hechas con un pan especial. No sé que lleva pero creo que es bastante caro.
Se sirven con una "salsa"/ jarabe que es lo que no me gusta - es muy dulce

[irmamar]

¡Torrijas!

Se hacen con rebanadas de pan remojado en leche (hay gente que pone vino, pero no sé qué tal son, en mi casa las hacían con leche ). Después se rebozan en huevo y se fríe en aceite. Se secan y se echa por encima un almíbar hecho con miel y agua, o sólo con azúcar.

[Here4good]

Originally Posted by Here4good

Sería mejor que te diga un nativo pero...

Para mí son parecidas pero...
Se sirven frías, como ya has dicho, aunque yo las prefiero no muy frías, no de la nevera por ejemplo.
Están hechas con un pan especial. No sé que lleva pero creo que es bastante caro.
Se sirven con una "salsa"/ jarabe que es lo que no me gusta - es muy dulce

Mira, aquí hay una receta para el pan que se supone que se usa para hacer torrijas. Lleva leche, azucar, mantequilla...
http://www.gastronomiaycia.com/2009/...para-torrijas/
Y ¡¡son muy buenas irmamar!!