The empanadas we enjoy today are thought to have originated in Galicia, Spain. The idea of wrapping a hardy filling in pastry dough may well have stemmed from the Moors who occupied Spain for hundreds of years. A cookbook published in Catalan, Spain in 1520 includes empanadas made with seafood.
The first empanadas in Western Hemisphere are credited to Argentina. The U.S. has even given the empanada a dedicated holiday — National Empanada Day, celebrated on April 8.
Empanadas are a traditional Christmas treat in New Mexico. They’re commonly referred to as creoles in the southwest and the south, and as fried pies in the southeast.
Empanadas Across the Caribbean Cubans fill their empanadas with seasoned ground beef or chicken before frying them. They’re prepared and eaten the same way in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
Spanish food 