Fartón (spanish modification of the valencian word fartó) is a confectionary sweet typically for the town of Alboraya, Spain. Elongate and glazed with sugar it features flour, milk, sugar, oil, eggs and a leavening agent.
This delicate and spongy sweet was made to be dipped in Orxata (also Horchata, a refreshing drink made of tigernuts (chufa). Although it owes its invention to this cold drink its light and spongy texture (made with sunflower oil and not with butter) makes it the perfect accompaniment to hot beverages like hot chocolate or a cup of caffé latte and an ideal item for breakfast or tea.
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According to a legend James I of Aragon baptized the drink Orxata as "pure gold" due to its texture and sweetness. Since then the beverage producers of Alboraya tried to find the perfect accompanying pastry for it.
In the 60s a family named Polo developed a special pastry, oblong in shape, sweet and delicate. As it had a very spongy texture it was perfect to soak up the delicious beverage and because of its longish shape they could be dunked to the bottom of the glass. This was the beginning of the "Fartons Polo".
Many years later, in the decade of the 90s, the hospitality industry began to serve frozen pastries and with it a new variation of fartón, the "hojaldrado" that is made with a different dough that gives it another texture.
"Fartón Esponjoso" (the original spongy one) Ingredients: wheat flour, sugar, sunflower oil, water, eggs, fresh yeast, bread supplements and salt.
"Fartón Hojaldrado" (the commercialized one) Ingredients: wheat flour, animal grease partially hydrogenized, water, sugar, eggs, fresh yeast, salt, baking agents and salt.
The spongy fartóns don't contain colorants or conservators and are made with sunflower oil wherefore they are quite healthy. The nutritional facts for this product in relation to 100g of the finished product are: Calories: 372,6kcal/1559,1 kJ, Protein: 9g, Carbonhydrates: 58,8g, Fat: 11,3g Fartón Esponjoso
The commercialized fartón hojaldrado has a denser consistency due the featuring of animal grease. The nutritional facts are: Calories: 413,3kcal/1729,2kJ, Protein: 7,3g, Carbonhydrates: 51,7g, Fat: 19,7g