The marraqueta (a soft bread made with flour, salt, water and yeast, with a crunchy texture) is the most widely consumed bread in Chile. It is, strictly speaking, a se-tenant pair of small rolls, baked with another pair attached, comprising four rolls in total; some confusion can be caused when ordering one marraqueta, as this may be interpreted as either two or four rolls. It is also popular in Bolivia and Peru, but can be found as well in Argentina and Uruguay. It is called pan francés (French bread) in the south of Chile and pan batido (whipped bread) in the Valparaíso Region.
Many historians agree that the marraqueta originated in Valparaíso, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when major Chilean ports received thousands of European immigrants. The story goes the bread was invented by two French baker brothers in Valparaíso whose name was Marraquette. An alternative theory was proposed by Claude Gay, who suggested that marraqueta was first eaten in Chile in the 18th century. This story is implausible, given the marraqueta's reliance on distinctive French baking techniques imported to Paris from Vienna in the 1830s.
About the stamps
The first stamp, designed by Mauricio Navarro, was issued on May 15, 2013 to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the Catholic University of Chile, Santiago. The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) is one of the six Catholic Universities existing in the Chilean university system and one of the two Pontifical Universities in the country. It is also one of Chile's oldest universities (founded in 1888) and one of the most recognized educational institutions in Latin America.
The second stamp, designed also by Mauricio Navarro, is one of the two issued on May 29, 2013 to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Arica-La Paz Railroad. The Arica-La Paz railway (Ferrocarril de Arica-La Paz) was built by the Chilean government under the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1904 between Chile and Bolivia. The railway line was inaugurated in 1913 and is the shortest line from the Pacific Coast to Bolivia. The line reaches a height of 4,257m above sea level at General Lagos.
The last stamp belongs to the series Valparaíso, Patrimonio de la Humanidad, about which I wrote here.
References
Marraqueta - Wikipedia
Sender: Hernán (direct swap)
Sent from Santiago (Chile), on 11.08.2013
Really nice post, good job, Danut.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
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