Empanadas
Note: This page is a work in progress and is not yet done.
Disclaimer: When it comes to understanding the spanophone community anywhere it is detrimental to situate the variety of Spanish which dominates that particular community. Especially, when there are a minority of Spanish speakers who do not share the same perspective on same words as the group in majority which holds the dominance. In the case of the spanophone community at Northwestern it is crucial to place its context within that of the Chicagoland area. Despite Northwestern being located in Evanston, IL the city of Chicago’s latino immigrant population greatly influences the university’s approach to the Spanish speaking community. Chicago’s largest hispanic/latino demographic is made up of primarily of Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans. The university is a reflection of this as it displays a Mexican Spanish interpretation for all things regarding the spanophone community. Below is an example of this situation compiled by my personal experiences as well as from the feedback collected from my consultants which come from Mexican and Dominican backgrounds.
Part of Speech
Noun
Pronunciation
Description
In Mexican and Dominican culture it is a savory dish made up of dough which can then be filled with cheese or any type of meat that are typically fried. In Salvadorian culture it is considered a dessert made up from mashed up plantains as the outer layer filled with condensed milk inside and sugar coated that is baked.
- Empanadas .jpg
The top image shows the Mexican culture interpretation of empanadas. Meanwhile, the bottom image shows the Salvadorian culture interpretation.
Usage
Empanadas is most commonly used within the Latin American community to refer to the dish in Latin American culture. Anyone can use it is not restricted.
Example Sentences
- Empanadas are deep fried goodness.
- I’ve never had an empanada taste so sweet before.
Note: In order to convey the different interpretations of the word the example sentences uses code switching between Spanish and English.