“Torta” across Cultures

April 14th, 2010. Published under ano ikaon mo?. 6 Comments.

All my life I have never thought of the word torta without that picture above popping up in my head. Tortang talong. Tortang ground beef and potatoes. I always understood the word as something that refers to food that has been mixed with eggs, made into a patty or flattened up, and then fried in oil. That’s the Filipino torta.

Back in 2001, when I first came to America, I learned that the Mexicans have a different version of the torta. For them it’s a sandwhich, much like a Subway sandwhich. The picture I have here doesn’t look very nice. Burnt bread. Hhmmph! I got it from a neighborhood restaurant called La Morenita  Oaxaquena. While I was waiting for them to make it, I saw something very interesting.

I didn’t know that there’s a modern jukebox. This one plays CDs instead of vinyls. All Ritmo Latino music. I can’t understand why all male Latino musicians have to wear cowboy hats. It’s like their trademark or something. Reminds me of Filipino action stars who execute their stunts with leather jackets on in 90 degree Farenheit  tropical heat. It irks you and makes you laugh at the same time.

Then there’s this Spanish torta. I heard a lady raving about how good it was. And I was beside her thinking, “This is so different from tortang talong or the sandwhich torta”. My curiosity got the better of me so I bought a package. When I opened it up, I saw a big, round cookie. Otap lang pala. As thin as an otap, with sugar on top, but different in shape, texture, and taste. I think it’s the sesame seeds that make it taste different.

I’ve been mulling over these differences for the past weeks. Somehow, because these three cultures are tied to each other, there must be a common thread that runs through their understanding of the word “torta”. What is it? I wish I knew.