Pumpkin Pancakes

 

Vocabulary

plaza	pick (2)	converted
snack	bar (3)	shopping cart
type	beloved	fry/fried/fried
pan	cuisine	seasonal
pre-	create	made up of
flour	staple	traditional
spice	dough	Mapuche
port	whole	delicious
sauce	wheat	pumpkin
touch	mustard	mayonnaise
garlic	hit (2)	pre-made
done	career	origin/originally
serve	flower	even more
ago	pancake	down there
add	decide	indigenous
cents	hot (4)	add his own touch
afford	arsenal	buy/bought/bought

 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

O’Higgin’s Plaza in the Chilean port city of Valparaiso.

The snack bar is a converted shopping cart. Here Jose Rojo is frying up a special type of pancake.

“They’re almost done. These are a staple in Chile. Everyone eats them. You can’t always eat just bread. They’re a beloved part of Chile’s cuisine.”

Sopaipilla is make up of a traditional Chilean dough: wheat flour, water, and pumpkin.

Jose has a whole arsenal of sauces and spices to serve up with his sopaipillas: mustard…mayonnaise…and hot sauce.

“Cheese, garlic, and mayonnaise. It’s really good.”

The pumpkin pancake is a big hit here. It was originally created by Chile’s indigenous population.

“It comes from the south — from the Mapuche. Yes, it’s a tradition from the south. They eat it even more down there because there’s more wheat for flour.”

Jose used to pick apples and grapes as a seasonal worker. Five years ago, the 62 year old decided to change careers, and start making pancakes.

“I learned how to make sopaipilla from the people here in the plaza, just by watching.”

Jose buys the dough pre-made. But he adds his own touch to make them special.

“Look at them now; they’re hot.”

“You want a pancake?”

A sopaipilla cost 100 pesos, about 20 euro cents. Almost everyone can afford them.

“Delicious. School kids buy them all the time.”
“They’re hot. Great for winter. But I like them in summer too.”
“We’ll take one to her brother.”
“And a friend.”

 
 
 
 

Questions

1. Jose’s snack cart is probably made in a special factory. Yes or no?

2. Is sopaipilla widely eaten in Chile or is it a novelty?

3. What is traditional Chilean dough made of? It is made of . . . . . . . .

4. Sopaipilla is eaten plain. True or false?

5. Pumpkin pancake comes from Spain. Is this correct or incorrect?

6. Did Jose take over the pancake business from this father? How did he start his pancake business?

7. Jose harvested apples and grapes year round. Is this right or wrong?

8. Does he mix and make the pancake dough himself?

9. Are pumpkin pancakes cheap? Do only working-class people buy and eat them?
 
 
A. There are pancakes in my country. Yes or no? If true, describe them. What are they made of?

B. What are some popular snacks or street foods in your city?

C. Is street food vending, street food stalls, kiosks, or hawking good business?

D. Do you have friends or acquaintances who owns a street food stall?

E. I would you like to go into the street food business. Yes or no?

F. What might happen in the future?