Mollete

Mollete

Type	Bread

A mollete (Spanish pronunciation: [moˈʎete]) is a typical food of Mexico and a kind of bread in Spain.

In Spain

Manteca colorá (English: red lard), is lard cooked with pork, paprika (which gives it its rich colour) and other spices and herbs. It is most popular in Andalusia where it is mostly spread on toasted molletes.

A mollete is a kind of bread roll from the Andalusian region, in southern Spain. It is a soft round white bread, usually served lightly toasted with olive oil and raw garlic or spread with lard (usually in the forms of manteca colorá or zurrapa de lomo) in an Andalusian breakfast. The most famous are the ones from Antequera, Málaga.

In Mexico

Mexican molletes

A mollete, native to northern Mexico, is made with bolillos sliced lengthwise and partially hollowed, filled with frijoles refritos, and topped with cheese and slices of jalapeño or serrano peppers. It is then grilled in an oven until the cheese melts. The frijoles refritos are "frijol mantequilla" known outside of the region as "pinto beans".

The traditional cheeses used were the queso ranchero, asadero or queso menonita. The queso ranchero is most similar to Parmesan with less aging, the asadero is a creamy provolone and the menonita most closely resembles Havarti.

Molletes in southern Mexico can be served with salsa or pico de gallo or topped with sliced ham, chorizo, bacon or mushrooms.

Molletes are considered a distant cousin of the Italian bruschetta dish.

There is also a "sweet type" mollete. It is made by putting butter over the bolillo and then sprinkling sugar or honey over it and broiling until crisp.

See also

• Food portal
• List of Mexican dishes
• List of sandwiches