This January 16 marks the celebration of one of the most precious delicacies of our gastronomy: the croquette. Crispy on the outside, white on the inside, its variations are multiple although its initial recipe remains unchanged.

Its history is not recent. In 1817, the chef of the court of Louis XIV, Antonin Cáreme, He prepared a dinner for the Prince of England and Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia. She proposed a béchamel delicacy battered with a crispy coating, which he named “croquettes à la royale.”

Other experts attribute the origin of the croquette to Italy: It would be the work of Catherine de Medici’s Florentine chefsfor her wedding to Henry II of Orleans in 1533. Whatever it was, it became a typical dish of Mediterranean gastronomy.

Currently, which is the most popular?

The store on-line and gourmet Croquettes Ricas has carried out a study whose final result crowns the croquette Iberian ham as the favorite among Spaniards. In second place is that of boletus, and in third, that of cod.

The winning trio has gathered practically 85% of the “croquette tastes” among those who were consulted, closing the list with cheese (which could be Idiazábal, blue, Cabrales or Gorgonzola, fourth with 5.2% of the votes), cooked (fifth with 4.8%, also if you choose between chicken, oxtail, chorizo ​​or blood sausage), seafood (sixth with 4%, the most typical are prawns, changurro, carabineros or squid ) and finally, in seventh place and with 1%, vegetables (zucchini, leek, carrot, etc…).

Why do they like them so much? Four out of ten Spaniards are clear and concise: “They are delicious, and delicious food lifts your spirits”; There is a more melancholic 25%, who recognize that a good croquette reminds them of their childhood and home. But there are also qualities of this dish, such as the crunchiness or the unctuousness of the interior, which are what definitely conquers 34% of users,” highlights a survey conducted by Uber Eats.

How to get them to turn out perfect?

Making them is easier than it seems. Ander Uribe, responsible for marketing on-line of Croquettes Ricas, points out three recurring errors:

1. Use low quality ingredients

   “The raw material is a fundamental part for the croquettes and you can make a difference with that. You have to use good ingredients such as whole cow’s milk, butter, flour and a large percentage of the main ingredient (Iberian ham, boletus, cheese, etc.).

   Equally important is the resulting dough, we must let it cool once made, and let it rest. “The colder it is, the easier it will be to work with later.”

2. Not cooking the flour properly when making the béchamel

   “You have to cook the flour well with the butter so that it loses its raw flavor, this is very important when starting to make our bechamel sauce. We must also prevent it from cutting or forming lumps, stirring constantly. The added milk must be hot.”

3. Low temperature oil

   “When you have to fry some croquettes In a frying pan or fryer, it is essential, in addition to pouring plenty of oil, that it is very hot (between 180-190ºC). The choice of olive oil is also essential, and the amount to use, it is not advisable to be stingy in this regard.

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