Chocolate and Churros

​​Chocolate con churros is a traditional, and very genuine, dessert that is usually eaten for breakfast or as an afternoon snack, and specially popular during the cold winter months.

Eating churros for breakfast has been a custom in Madrid, Spain's capital, since the early 1800s. Around 1920 it was combined with chocolate (which had been a privilege of the wealthy until that moment) for the first time, and the mouth-watering pair was born. Nowadays, chocolate con churros has spread to other countries, such as Mexico, Argentina and Venezuela.

Spanish hot chocolate is made with milk, instead of water, which gives it its characteristic thickness. It is served at high temperatures (75-85ºC) in a porcelain mug, together with a serving of freshly made churros (approximately 6-8). The churros are dipped in the hot chocolate, and once they're gone the remaining chocolate is left to cool off a bit before drinking.

The most famous place to eat chocolate con churros in Madrid is Chocolatería San Ginés, which is close to Puerta del Sol. It is customary among young people to have breakfast here in the wee hours of the morning after a long night out.

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