Coxinha

Coxinha(Portuguese:[koˈʃĩɲɐ],little [chicken] thigh) is a popular food inBrazilofPaulistaorigin. Consists of chopped or shreddedchicken meat, covered indough, molded into a shape resembling a teardrop, battered and fried.
Coxinhaswere originally made with any part of the chicken, and its traditional shape is meant to resemble a drumstick. In its modern processed form, it may have originated inLimeira,São Paulo, in the 19th century.
In the bookStories & Recipes,Nadir Cavazinsays that the son ofIsabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil(1846–1921) andPrince Gaston, Count of Eu, a child who lived in seclusion for having mental problems, had a favorite dish, chicken, but only ate the drumstick. One day, not having enough drumsticks, the cook decided to turn a whole chicken into drumsticks, nop for a flour dough shaped into a drumstick. The child endorsed the results.Empress Teresa Cristina, when she was visiting him, could not resist the tasty delicacy; she liked it so much that she requested that the master of the imperial kitchen learn how to prepare the snack.
Thecoxinhais based on dough made with wheat flour and chicken broth and optionally mashed potato, which is filled with shredded spiced chicken meat or a whole chicken drumstick. The filling consists ofchicken,catupirycheese orrequeijãoandonions,parsleyandscallions, and occasionallytomato sauce,turmeric. Thecoxinhais coated inbatter, then inbread crumbsormaniocflour anddeep fried. It is shaped to roughly resemble a chicken drumstick. The dough used to coat the filling is generally prepared with the broth of the chicken, enhancing the flavor of the coating.
Different variations of the original are becoming more prevalent today – for example, thecoxinha mineira, for which the filling includes maize, so named becausemaizeis deemed a culinary tradition in the state ofMinas Gerais, as well as areas where the caipira and sertanejo dialects are spoken. Cheesecoxinhasare also very common in snack bars. InCuritiba, chickencoxinhasfilled withcheddarandAraucaria nutscan be found in local restaurants. To mark the cheese, they usually have a toothpick where the bone would be in a chickencoxinha.
Other unconventional ingredients, generally used for home-madecoxinhasmade by aficionados, includepeas, choppedbutton mushrooms,palmheart,carrot, cooked and seasonedcashew apples, unripejackfruitor unripebreadfruit, as well aswhole-wheat flourbatter or even avegetarianversion of eithertextured vegetable protein(soy meat) orfalafelwith appropriate seasonings so its taste resembles a traditional coxinha more closely. These variants are rarely found in snack bars.
Coxinhaliterally means "little thigh", and it is how deep-fried chicken legs are informally named in Brazil (coxa fritameans a deep-fried chicken leg, whilesobrecoxa fritastands for a deep-fried upper drumstick; It is not uncommon for people having a strong preference for certainpoultrycuts over others). Battered and deep-fried chicken breast pieces, for example, are generally called by the name of English influence,nugget.
Starting inSão Paulo, the word "coxinha[pt]" has been used as an insult, now referring loosely to people who display alavishbut dull lifestyle and hold conservativepoliticalopinions, and alsopoliceofficers.