Sopaipa

A sopaipa (sopaipilla in southern South America) is a kind of fried pastry or quick bread. Commonly sold as a dessert at restaurants that serve Mexican-style food in the United States, it is, however, unknown in Mexico itself, where the closest equivalent would be the buñuelo. In New Mexico, they are frequently served as a side dish for the meal. They are similar to Native American frybread.

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The word probably comes from American Spanish,(i dont know) a diminutive of the Spanish word "sopaipa", which is used to indicate fried dough sweetened with honey. That word seems to have come from the earlier word "xopaipa", from the Mozarabic "xupaipa", which is a diminutive form of "úppa", "súppa", bread soaked in oil. It could also be from Old Spanish "sopa", food soaked in liquid. (excepts taken from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Sopaipillas arepressed dough, like a tortilla, made of flour, a chemical leavener, salt, and a solid fat. This dough is deep fried until "golden brown and delicious" (like a doughnut), causing the dough to puff and crisp, and creating a large air pocket in its center.

In Chile and Argentina, a "sopaipilla" is a tortilla made from wheat or corn flour and roasted in the ashes in a traditional adobe oven. In Chile, it is usually fried and made from pumpkin or squash based dough.

The sopaipilla is popular in the south of Chile and Argentina. It can be salty or sweet as a dessert, when after being roasted it is boiled in sweetened water with orange peel and cinnamon.