View source for Alfajor

{{Short description|Hispanic sweet dessert}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Alfajor
| image            = Alfajor H.jpg
| caption          = A typical Argentine-style ''alfajor''
| alternate_name   = Alfajores
| country          = [[Spain]]
| region           =
| creator          =
| course           = [[Sweet]] or [[dessert]]
| served           = [[Room temperature]] 
| main_ingredient  = [[Flour]], [[honey]], [[almond]]s, [[hazelnut]]s, [[dulce de leche]]
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| cookbook         = Alfajores
| other            =
}}

An '''''alfajor''''' or '''''alajú'''''<ref>{{cite web | title=El alfajor de Medina Sidonia |url=http://grupogastronomicogaditano.com/Articulos/Alfajor.htm | work=José Luis Flores |language=es |access-date=11 July 2010}}</ref> ({{IPA|es|alfaˈxoɾ}}, plural ''alfajores'') is a traditional [[confection]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Alfajor de Medina Sidonia |url=http://alimentacion.interbusca.com/alimentos/productos-regionales/ALFAJOR-DE-MEDINA-SIDONIA-2.html |access-date=28 September 2010 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111000457/http://alimentacion.interbusca.com/alimentos/productos-regionales/ALFAJOR-DE-MEDINA-SIDONIA-2.html |archive-date=11 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> typically made of flour, honey, and nuts.  Originally from present-day [[Spain]], it is nowadays found in [[Argentina]],<ref>{{cite web | title=Ice cream alfajores: What sandwich cookies can be |url=http://www.salon.com/food/kitchen_challenge/2010/07/12/dulce_de_leche_aljafores | work=Linda Shiue |date=13 July 2010 |access-date=2 August 2010}}</ref> [[Bolivia]], [[Southern Brazil]], [[Chile]], [[Colombia]], [[Dominican Republic]], [[Ecuador]], [[El Salvador]], [[Southern France]], [[Paraguay]], [[Peru]], the [[Philippines]], [[Uruguay]], and [[Venezuela]]. The archetypal ''alfajor'' was born in Iberia during the period of [[al-Andalus]]. It is produced in the form of a small cylinder and is sold either individually or in boxes containing several pieces.<ref>{{cite web | title=Alfajor de Medina Sidonia |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2006:148:0018:0020:EN:PDF | work=Official Journal of the European Union |access-date=17 July 2010}}</ref>

==Etymology==
According to Spanish philologist and dialectologist [[Manuel Alvar|Manuel Alvar López]], ''alfajor'' is an Andalusian variant of the Castilian ''alajú'',<ref>{{cite web | title=Un capítulo de lexocología gastronómica. |url=http://www.tonosdigital.com/ojs/index.php/tonos/article/viewFile/349/248 | work=Francisco Gómez Ortín |access-date=11 July 2010 |language=es}}</ref> derived from the Arabic word {{lang|ar|الفَاخِر}}, {{Transliteration|ar|al-fakhir}}, meaning luxurious, and, contrary to some beliefs that it originated in the New World, was introduced to Latin America as ''alfajor''.<ref>{{cite web | title=El andalucismo del español en América |url=http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/13516163212828165754491/p0000001.htm | work=Carmen Marimón Llorca |access-date=11 July 2010 |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=El español en América: de la conquista a la Época Colonial |url=http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/13516163212828165754491/p0000001.htm | work=Carmen Marimón Llorca |access-date=16 July 2010}}</ref> The word had been introduced into Spanish dictionaries in the 14th century.<ref name=":0">In [[Antonio de Nebrija]]'s ''Spanish-Latin Vocabulary'' (1495): {{Cite web |last= |last2= |title=Alfajor |url=https://www.rae.es/tdhle/alfajor |access-date=2022-07-29 |website=«Tesoro de los diccionarios históricos de la lengua española» |publisher=RAE |language=es}}</ref>

The publication of historical dictionaries of the Spanish language allows one to document both forms of the original ''alajur'', written as ''alajú'' and ''alfajor''. ''Alajur'' and multiple geographic variations are sweets made of a paste of almonds, nuts, breadcrumbs and honey.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Germá Colón |author2=Günter Holtus |author3=Georges Lüdi |author4=Michael Metzeltin |year = 1989 | title=La Corona de Aragón y las lenguas románicas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJ0_0FkbHjwC&pg=PA327 | publisher=G. Narr |at="Persistencia de las voces" (section |isbn = 9783878083030 |access-date=16 July 2010|language=es}}</ref> It is possible that ''alfajor'' and ''alajú'' were Arabisms introduced into the Spanish language in different places and times, and, supposing both came from the same etymology, from a linguistic point of view, ''alajú'' is probably an Arabism of Castillian Spanish, and so it is still alive in Cuenca, [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]], [[Guadalajara, Spain|Guadalajara]] and in ''la Sierra de la peña de Francia''; meanwhile the variation ''alfajor'' is Andalusian and [[Murcia]]n.<ref>{{cite book | title=Los arabismos del castellano en la Baja Edad Media |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mjrgOh4iBnEC&pg=PA92 |edition=3rd Corrected and Expanded |isbn = 9788474819939|access-date=17 July 2010 |language=es|last1 = Salgado|first1 = Felipe Maíllo|date = January 1998| publisher=Universidad de Salamanca }}</ref> In the Americas, the word ''alfajor'' was not known until the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web |title=El Alfajor: Sus orígenes, su preparación, su sabor inolvidable |url=http://piedralibre.co.il/piedralibrenew/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=341:el-alfajor-sus-origenes-su-preparacion-su-sabor-inolvidable&catid=88:cocina&Itemid=267 |author=Guille Segal |access-date=24 July 2010 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721140202/http://piedralibre.co.il/piedralibrenew/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=341:el-alfajor-sus-origenes-su-preparacion-su-sabor-inolvidable&catid=88:cocina&Itemid=267 |archive-date=21 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
A similar sweet called ''alaú'' is found in the Arabic-Hispanic cookbook [[Kitāb al-ṭabīẖ|Kitab al-Tabikh]], by an anonymous author.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} The Spanish grammarian [[Antonio de Nebrija|Nebrija]] noted the word for the first time in his Latin-Spanish Dictionary (1495) as: ''alfaxor'' or ''alaxur''.<ref name=":0" /> In the 12th century, Raimundo Martin describes in his book ''Vocabulista'' another possible etymology of the Hispano-Arabic ''fasur'', meaning "nectar".{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

==Preparation and presentation==
The regulations of the Andalusian Ministry of Agriculture allow the use of only pure honey, almonds, nuts, breadcrumbs, sugar, flour and spices, such as aniseed, sesame, cilantro, cloves and cinnamon. The [[Protected Geographical Indication]] ''alfajores'' are meant to be presented in a cylindrical shape, with a minimum weight of {{convert|30|g}} each, and with a minimum size of about {{convert|7|cm}} in length and a diameter of {{convert|1.5|cm}}. Each of them will be protected with a wrapping paper, and the ends made an ornament in a spiral shape with a ribbon out of the same paper. Once individually wrapped, they may be packaged in wood or cardboard boxes, but never in plastic.<ref>{{cite web |title=Agricultura aprueba las denominaciones de calidad 'Estepa' y 'Alfajor de Medina Sidonia' |url=http://www.noticias.info/Archivo/2004/200409/20040927/20040927_34258.shtm |work=Junta de Andalucía |access-date=15 July 2010 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807105053/http://www.noticias.info/Archivo/2004/200409/20040927/20040927_34258.shtm |archive-date=7 August 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Europe ==
===In Spain===
[[File:Alfajores-Horno San Onofre (MAdrid).jpg|thumb|upright|Spanish-style ''alfajores'' in [[Andalusia]]]]

In Spain, there are a variety of different recipes for preparing ''alfajores'', but the most traditional contain flour, honey, almonds and several spices, such as cinnamon. ''Alfajores'' are most commonly sold around Christmas, but in [[Medina Sidonia]], they are available year-round.<ref>{{cite web |title=El alfajor, una receta árabe con historia |url=http://valladolid.portaldetuciudad.com/es-es/noticias/el-alfajor-una-receta-arabe-con-historia-valladolid-006_2_4_170_2.html |access-date=15 July 2010 |language=es |archive-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215224601/http://valladolid.portaldetuciudad.com/es-es/noticias/el-alfajor-una-receta-arabe-con-historia-valladolid-006_2_4_170_2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=El alfajor, una receta árabe que continúa su elaboración en Medina Sidonia |url=http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/423313/0/alfajores/reposteria/ |author =Marta Rangel Marmol |date=27 October 2008 |access-date=23 July 2010 |language=es}}</ref> The traditional Spanish ''alfajor'' has been produced in this town (where it is called an ''alajú'') since ancient times, and the recipe has been traditionally handed down from father to son.<ref name="gastro">{{cite web | title=Gastronomía | url=http://www.andalucia.org/destinos/provincias/cadiz/municipios/medina-sidonia/recurso/restaurant/ | work=Turismo Andaluz S.A. | access-date=15 July 2010 | language=es | archive-date=21 September 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921195252/http://www.andalucia.org/destinos/provincias/cadiz/municipios/medina-sidonia/recurso/restaurant/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

''Alfajores'' are still made by craftsmen in Medina Sidonia using natural ingredients that include honey, almonds, hazelnuts, sugar, flour, and breadcrumbs, and mixed with natural spices.<ref name="gastro" /> The manufacturing process has been respected following a recipe found by Mariano Pardo de Figueroa in 1786.<ref>{{cite book | title=Elaboración |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fvQRDiwRZBwC&pg=PA54 |isbn = 9788496054042|access-date=23 June 2010|last1 = Granados|first1 = Jesús Ávila|year = 2003| publisher=Ediciones Robinbook }}</ref> In Medina Sidonia, the annual production of approximately {{convert|45,000|kg}} is mostly consumed in the province of Cadiz, but they are also famous in Sevilla, Malaga and [[Huelva]].<ref>{{cite web | title=IGP Alfajor Medina Sidonia | url=http://www.diariodigitalagrario.net/imagenes/banner/productos%20emblematicos.pdf | work=Productos andaluces emblemáticos | author=Junta de Andalucía | access-date=15 July 2010 | language=es | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723091514/http://www.diariodigitalagrario.net/imagenes/banner/productos%20emblematicos.pdf | archive-date=23 July 2011 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 15 September 2004, [[protected geographical indication]] was ratified by the ''Consejo de agricultura y pesca de la junta de Andalucía''<ref>{{cite web | title=BOE núm 8 | url=https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2005/01/10/pdfs/A00793-00798.pdf | work=Ratificación del Reglamento de la Indicación Geográfica Protegida "Alfajor de Medina Sidonia" | access-date=2 June 2021 | language=es }}</ref> and published in the ''Official Journal of the European Union'' as ''Alfajor de Medina Sidonia'' on 6 March 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=Legislation |url=http://www.fsai.ie/uploadedFiles/Legislation/Legislation_Update/Reg240_2007.pdf |access-date=16 July 2010 |language=es |archive-date=14 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114081328/https://www.fsai.ie/uploadedFiles/Legislation/Legislation_Update/Reg240_2007.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the province of [[Cuenca Province (Spain)|Cuenca]], Spain, where the ''alfajor'' is called ''alajú'' it is made with almond, honey and figs, all wrapped in a wafer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://portal.pacasmayo.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=194:la-guerra-de-los-alfajores&catid=39:correo-salem&Itemid=54 |title=La guerra de los alfajores |access-date=15 July 2010 |author=Eduardo González Viaña |date=25 January 2010 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309053733/http://portal.pacasmayo.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=194:la-guerra-de-los-alfajores&catid=39:correo-salem&Itemid=54 |archive-date=9 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Medina Sidonia was the capital for the Arabic world of confection, where the ''alfajor'' has centuries of history with a recipe that has been transmitted from generation to generation.<ref>{{cite web | title=Alfajor de Medina Sidonia, un dulce tradición de origen árabe |url=http://www.diariodejerez.es/article/calidadcertificada/303787/alfajor/medina/sidonia/una/dulce/tradicion/origen/arabe.html | work=Fátima Fernández |date=15 December 2008 |access-date=14 July 2010 |language=es}}</ref> In this town, there is an account of [[Mariano Pardo de Figueroa]], a gastronomist better known by his pseudonym Doctor Thebussem, who documented the history of this sweet, wherein he wrote that on 2 July 1487, [[Enrique de Guzmán]], second count of Medina Sidonia, ordered the council and majors of the region to send to Malaga 50 cows, 50 oxen, 200 calves and provision of ''alajú'' from his city.<ref>{{cite web | title=La ilustración española y americana |url=http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01316119791795277755802/205433_0010.pdf |author = Thebussem |date=5 November 1881 |access-date=15 July 2010 |language=es}}</ref>

The recipe documented by the accounts of Thebussem in the 19th century is defined as the following:

{{blockquote|text=For the ''alfajor'' or ''alajú'' styling, prepare what I say: one quart of white honey, three means of a pound of hazelnuts and almonds, all roasted and chopped, half ounces of cinnamon, two ounces of aniseed, four drachms of cloves and a quarter of cilantro, roasted and ground coffee, a pound of roasted sesame, eight pounds of dust from grinding, out of bagels without salt or yeast, overcooked in the oven, with half a pound of sugar.<ref>{{cite web | title=Alfajor de Medina Sidonia y Mantecados de Estepa aúnan tradición y calidad | url=http://www.efeagro.com/MultimediaImprimir.aspx?idmultimedia=786243&recortar=False | work=EFEAGRO | access-date=23 July 2010 | language=es | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710172501/http://www.efeagro.com/MultimediaImprimir.aspx?idmultimedia=786243&recortar=False | archive-date=10 July 2011}}</ref>}}

==In the Americas==
===In the Caribbean===
In Puerto Rico, they underwent creolization, lost their almond and gained ground [[cassava]]. They can take varying amounts of sugar and spices. It's possible that Puerto Rico's most common version of this dessert (South American version with dulce de leche) reached Puerto Rico from Venezuela, but the opposite is also possible. Depending on region some add cornstarch, citrus zest, ginger and honey, filled with chocolate, vanilla cream, dulce de leche, fruit paste, or coconut. The filling can be mixed with almonds, sesame seeds, coconut flakes, or [[sprinkles]]. Traditional "alfajores" in Argentina, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela consist of two round, sweet [[biscuit]]s made of wheat flour or corn starch joined with [[dulce de leche]] (known as "manjar blanco" in Peru and as "arequipe" in Venezuela), and optionally coated with powdered sugar. More modern "industrial" varieties in Uruguay and Argentina, are coated with dark or white chocolate (many ''alfajores'' are sold in "black" and "white" versions), or simply covered with powdered sugar. These are also known as a ''Chilean [[Oreo]]''. One variation is called "''alfajor de nieve''" (snow alfajor) and has a white coating consisting of a mixture of egg whites and sugar. Most ''alfajores'' come packaged in aluminium foil. Alfajores are made in various diameters and are consumed as snacks.

===In South America===

=== Argentina===
[[File:Merengo alfajoreria 2.jpg|thumb|Former Merengo alfajores factory since 1851]] [[File:;erengo alfajores santafesinos Santa Fe Argentina Titi Nicola 27.jpg|thumb|Alfajor Santafesino]]
The first authentic Argentine alfajor known is the Alfajor de Santa Fe. Colonel Néstor Fernández from Santa Fe took it to the Battle of Caseros in 1851, and it was then that the army tried it and it became so popular that General Justo José de Urquiza had a weekly shipment of these Santa Fe alfajores delivered to his estancia in San José de Entre Ríos. This alfajor is closely linked to the history of the city of Santa Fe. The production of these typical Santa Fe alfajores began in 1851 in a shop located on the southwest corner of San Jerónimo and 3 de Febrero streets, a few meters from the Cabildo (where the Santa Fe Government House currently stands). Its owner and creator was Hermenegildo Zuviría, nicknamed "Merengo." The basic ingredients of this alfajor were round cookies made of toasted dough filled with dulce de leche and topped with meringue icing. Its popularity arose with the holding of the Constitutional Convention in 1853.<ref>[https://www.airedesantafe.com.ar/santa-fe/dulce-leche-tapas-merengue-y-las-hermanas-piedrabuena-n522201]</ref> "On the ground floor and on the upper floor of Merengo, two very important, very Santa Fe-style events were being developed, which would emerge here and have national significance. On the upper floor, Gorostiaga was drafting the text of the Constitution; on the ground floor, Hermenegildo Zuviría, alias Merengo, was making the Santa Fe dulce de leche alfajor. It's the same era, and it's very difficult to find a building that combines, in so few square meters, "the construction of two objects, so different, yet so representative of us Santa Fe residents to the country."<ref>[https://www.alfajoresmerengo.com/historia/]</ref>
It was on that occasion that alfajores became known throughout the country thanks to the 24 constituents who, after living in Santa Fe for six months, chose this dessert to take home as a souvenir. The nickname "Merengo" gave rise to a brand that can still be found today in stores selling alfajores in the city of Santa Fe. Today, it is a heritage of the city of Santa Fe and is handcrafted in that city and its surrounding areas.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/lifestyle/trae-alfajores-la-golosina-mas-antigua-se-repartio-entre-los-constituyentes-de-1853-y-dio-origen-a-nid18092023/]</ref>

They are also manufactured in the provinces of Santiago del Estero and Tucumán, and the [[Havanna (Argentine company)|Havanna brand]] manufactures them in the city of [[Mar del Plata]] and in most of the tourist places of Argentina.

The Cordobes alfajor stands out among the regional varieties of Argentina; it is filled with jellies of fruits (generally of quince), one of the most well - known brands is Estancia El Rosario.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Origlia|first=Gabriela|date=2018-06-26|title=La historia del alfajor cordobés que tiene casi 100 años y nunca pasó por un kiosco|language=es-AR|work=La Nación|url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/economia/la-historia-del-alfajor-cordobes-que-tiene-casi-100-anos-y-nunca-paso-por-un-kiosco-nid2146083/|access-date=2021-10-19|issn=0325-0946}}</ref> Other outstanding variety is the alfajor from Santa Fe which has no less than three puff pastry covers adhered to one another with much dulce de leche and everything glazed (Industrial preparations can be differentiated because they are not coated in the lower part, since the coating is made in plates).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Emanuel|date=2021-04-09|title=¿Cuál es el real origen del alfajor santafesino?|url=https://www.sol915.com.ar/real-origen-del-alfajor-santafesino/|access-date=2021-10-19|website=SOL 91.5|language=es-AR}}</ref> In addition, In Santa Fe, it can be acquired the Rogel, of similar characteristics, but bigger (the size of a small cake) and the variety from Tucuman, which is known as a clarita and it is made up with two crunchy cookies as covers and filled with a jelly made up of sugar molasses. In Argentina, alfajores made up of cornflour are very consumed as well (covers made up of maize starch, filled with dulce de leche and grated coconut around the joining).

[[File:AlfajoresTriples.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Argentine and Uruguayan ''alfajores'']]
[[File:Alfajores.JPG|200px|right|thumb|[[Peruvian cuisine|Peruvian]] ''alfajores'']]

Alfajores have been popular in Argentina and Uruguay since the mid-19th century. However, these differ from the Spanish alfajores in that they are made with two round cookies with different sweet fillings between them. The filling is usually [[dulce de leche]], although there are many variations. They can be covered with powder sugar (the traditional ones), glazed sugar (Santafesinos or "de nieve"), grated coconut or chocolate. Argentina is one of the world's largest consumers of alfajores,<ref name="Samela">{{Cite web|last=Samela|first=Gabriela|date=2016-04-03|title=En el país se consumen más de mil millones de alfajores por año |url=https://www.clarin.com/economia/pais-consumen-millones-alfajores-ano_0_HkgqdnuPXg.html|access-date=2021-10-19|website=Clarín|language=es}}</ref> both in total numbers and in per capita calculations, actually consuming more than a billion alfajores a year,<ref>{{cite web | title=The Alfajor, a nation's passion | url=https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/en/article/alfajor-nation%E2%80%99s-passion | access-date=30 July 2021}}</ref> while being the most common snack for schoolchildren and adults.<ref name="Samela"/>

Some of the best-known alfajor brands in South America are the Argentine "Balcarce", "Jorgito", "Capitán del Espacio", "Guaymallen", "Suchard", "Havanna", "Cachafaz", "Juanote" and "Estancia El Rosario",<ref>{{Cite web|last=El Rosario|first=Estancia|title=Alfajores Estancia El Rosario|url=http://www.estanciaelrosario.com.ar/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000824072606/http://www.estanciaelrosario.com.ar/|access-date=28 July 2021|website=Estancia El Rosario|archive-date=24 August 2000}}</ref> the Uruguayan "Punta Ballena", "Sierra de Minas", "Agua Helada", "Juana la Loca", "Alfajores Portezuelo", "Marley", and Peruvian "Casa del Alfajor".

==== In Chile ====
The cornflour alfajor is consumed during the whole year in the central areas of Chile; on the other hand, in the southern areas of Chile, it is consumed another variety of alfajor, generally for Patriotic festivities of September.<ref>{{Cite web|title=¡Vivan los alfajores de Chancaca!|url=https://www.elnaveghable.cl/admin/render/noticia/15499|access-date=2021-10-19|website=El Naveghable.cl, Noticias de Valdivia y Los Ríos|language=es}}</ref>

The alfajor is basically a sponge cake or cookies adhered with manjar (dulce de leche) and generally coated in meringue or marmalade and optionally with sprinkled icing sugar.<ref name="web.archive.org">{{Cite web|date=2014-01-21|title=Guia Chiletur Copec {{!}} Rutas de norte a sur y cientos de datos turísticos para viajar por Chile|url=http://www.chileturcopec.cl/zona/la-ligua/paseos/la-irresistible-ruta-del-manjar|access-date=2021-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121025118/http://www.chileturcopec.cl/zona/la-ligua/paseos/la-irresistible-ruta-del-manjar |archive-date=21 January 2014 }}</ref> Two types of alfajores are mainly outstanding in Chile:

* The first type of alfajor, similar to the one of corn flour prepared in other countries of Latin America, is prepared over all the territory of Chile, and mainly in the central area of Chile, where it is a traditional candy. It is known with other names as "candy of corn flour" or the typical "chilenitos".<ref>{{Cite web|last=S.A.P|first=El Mercurio|date=2015-06-03|title=Merkén, jugo de maqui y chilenitos: Los productos nacionales más solicitados en Expo Milán {{!}} Emol.com|url=https://www.emol.com/noticias/economia/2015/06/02/719730/los-productos-chilenos-mas-solicitados-de-la-expo-milan-miercoles.html|access-date=2021-10-19|website=Emol|language=Spanish}}</ref> The ''chilenitos'' are manufactured with corn flour or other types of flour and tend to be simpler and smaller than the typical alfajores.
* The second type of alfajor, considered the true traditional alfajor of the country and known as "chilean alfajor", is mainly prepared in the southern areas of Chile. Unlike the traditional alfajores of corn flour, it stands out because it is prepared with two hojarascas (kind of thin and firm cookie) that, since they are previously baked, acquire a curved form in their extremes. They are adhered to each other with dark brown sugar, [[panela]], manjar or with confectioners cream<ref name="web.archive.org"/> (if they are filled with dark brown sugar, the hojarascas are a little bit thicker and flatter than those filled with manjar). Optionally, they can be garnished in the end of the filling with grated coconut as it is the case of the alfajores filled with manjar or with ground nuts.

{{blockquote|It is understood as Alfajor the product made up of two  baked cookies adhered to each other by other products such as marmalade, jellies, sweet or other substances or alimentary mixed substances of permitted use. These could be partially or totally covered or coated with confectionery substances and they could contain entire or divided dried fruits, grated coconut or garnishes whose constituents are admitted herein Code. (...)|Section 761 bis}}

===== Industrial alfajor =====
Mass-production of alfajores<ref>{{Cite web|title=Producción de alfajores|url=http://www.alimentosargentinos.gob.ar/HomeAlimentos/Golosinas/productos/Alfajor/para_todo_mundo.htm|access-date=2021-10-19|website=www.alimentosargentinos.gob.ar}}</ref> traces back to the Atlantic coast of Argentina in the 1950s. Brands such as Havanna and Balcarce, and as many as 30 others, have been introduced into shops and supermarkets. Statistics of the year 2021 shows that inhabitants of Argentina consume 6 million alfajores per day.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-02 |title=Comenzó la semana del alfajor: cuáles son los más buscados por los argentinos |url=https://tn.com.ar/sociedad/2022/05/01/comenzo-la-semana-del-alfajor-cuales-son-los-mas-buscados-por-los-argentinos/ |access-date=2022-08-02 |website=Todo Noticias |language=es}}</ref> Supermarkets carry a wide variety of products, up to 34 different kinds. These include "triple alfajores", which are composed of three biscuits adhered to one another with dulce de leche and covered with chocolate.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Origlia|first=Gabriela|date=2021-03-18|title=Alfajor triple: la historia de un clásico que nació en la Argentina|language=es-AR|work=La Nación|url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/economia/negocios/alfajor-triple-la-historia-de-un-clasico-que-nacio-en-la-argentina-nid18032021/|access-date=2021-10-19|issn=0325-0946}}</ref>

==== In Peru ====
Alfajores made their arrival to the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]], the largest administrative district of the Spanish Empire in South America in the 16th century, and have been popular since, especially the artisanal types.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Easy Lima Guide: Alfajores - Typical Peruvian Manjar Blanco filled Cookies | url=http://www.limaeasy.com/peruvian-food-guide/typical-desserts/alfajores | access-date=26 March 2019}}</ref>

==== In Argentina ====
The ''alfajor'' has been manufactured and consumed since colonial times<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Argentina, pre-columbian, colonial, period, independence, Peron|url=https://www.latinamericacollection.com/argentina/about/history_of_argentina.html|access-date=2021-09-21|website=www.latinamericacollection.com|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921201305/https://www.latinamericacollection.com/argentina/about/history_of_argentina.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> in the territories that today belong to Argentina.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Félix|first=Luna|date=2015|title=BREVE HISTORIA SOCIEDAD ARG (2 ed - 1er cap)|url=https://editorialelateneo.com.ar/descargas/BREVE%20HISTORIA%20SOCIEDAD%20ARG%20(2%20ed%20-%201er%20cap).pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107175107/http://editorialelateneo.com.ar/descargas/BREVE%20HISTORIA%20SOCIEDAD%20ARG%20(2%20ed%20-%201er%20cap).pdf |archive-date=7 January 2018 }}</ref>

====Guinness World Record: the biggest South American ''alfajor''====
According to Guinness World Records, the biggest ''alfajor'' in the world, measuring almost {{convert|2|m}} in diameter and {{convert|80|cm}} in height and weighing {{convert|464|kg}}, was made on 11 December 2010 in [[Minas, Uruguay|Minas]], [[Lavalleja Department]], [[Uruguay]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Guinness World Records|title=Largest Alfajor|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/12000/largest-alfajor|access-date=21 April 2012}}</ref> The giant ''alfajor'' was made to mark the celebration of Uruguay's first National Alfajor Festival. More than 30 people participated in the preparation of the record-breaking ''alfajor''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bonhomme|first=Fernando|title=Guinness reconoció el alfajor más grande del mundo: pesa 464 kilos|url=http://www.elpais.com.uy/111006/pciuda-597882/informe/guinness-reconocio-el-alfajor-mas-grande-del-mundo-pesa-464-kilos/|access-date=21 April 2012|newspaper=El País (Uruguay)|date=10 June 2011}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" widths="200" heights="200">
File:Alfajores-de-maicena-biscuits-recipe.jpg|Home-made alfajores made with cornstarch and dulce de leche
File:AlfajorBaguioKikoBautista.jpg|A jar of alfajores produced by Good Shepherd nuns from [[Baguio]], [[Philippines]]
File:Alfajor chocolate negro.jpg|Dark chocolate alfajor
File:Alfajores peruanos 2018.jpg|[[Peru]]vian alfajor
File:A typical Alfajor from Córdoba, Argentina.jpg|A typical alfajor from [[Córdoba, Argentina]]
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Food}}
* [[Baklava]], a Middle-Eastern confection of layered pastry and honey
* [[List of desserts]]
* [[Macaron]], a similar French confection
* [[Mille-feuille]], a French confection of layered pastry and cream
* [[Pirouline]], a cream-filled tubular wafer cookie
* [[Wagon Wheels|Wagon Wheel (Commonwealth)]], [[Choco pie|Choco pie (Korea)]], and [[Moon Pie|Moon pie (United States)]], similar snacks with a marshmallow filling

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Snack cakes}}
{{Filipino food}}

[[Category:Almond desserts]]
[[Category:Andalusian cuisine]]
[[Category:Argentine desserts]]
[[Category:Bolivian cuisine]]
[[Category:Chilean desserts]]
[[Category:Colombian cuisine]]
[[Category:Ecuadorian cuisine]]
[[Category:French desserts]]
[[Category:Hazelnut dishes]]
[[Category:Mexican desserts]]
[[Category:Nut confections]]
[[Category:Paraguayan desserts]]
[[Category:Peruvian desserts]]
[[Category:Philippine desserts]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican cuisine]]
[[Category:Sandwich cookies]]
[[Category:Spanish confectionery]]
[[Category:Spanish products with protected designation of origin]]
[[Category:Uruguayan desserts]]