One of my favorite Disney movies growing up was The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In the movie, the small town celebrates Topsy Turvy Day, which, as the lyrics go, is “the day the devil in us gets released,” when everyone acts foolish and dresses up in elaborate, crazy costumes. I couldn’t help but be reminded of this scene as I participated in Carnaval, a season marking the start of the Christian season of Lent. Galicia’s version of Carnaval is called Entroido, and it features many region-specific traditions that make it unique and exciting.
*If you haven’t watched this scene, I would highly recommend it: https://youtu.be/_5BcPCnYt-k?si=IsN1NQO4mNbzzH9W
One of the traditions I participated in was making filloas, a traditional Entroido dessert. I made them with classmates from my Galician class, who taught me how to make the amoado, or batter, out of water, milk, flour, a little bit of salt, and a spoonful of sugar. We would whisk these ingredients together and then spread them thin until they cooked into large, flat crepes. We also had to flip them. I failed at this the first few times, but when I finally flipped a perfect filloa without tearing it, everyone cheered for me and I got to eat it.
