# Polvorones: the questions we get asked before Christmas - Source: https://origenes.shop/en/journal/polvorones-questions-avant-noel - Publisher: Orígenes (https://origenes.shop), épicerie fine espagnole en ligne, Villeneuve VD, Suisse - Date: 2026-10-12 - Langue: en ## The essentials - The polvorón is a small, round shortbread-style biscuit of the Spanish end-of-year festivities; its name comes from polvo, dust. - It crumbles on purpose: the lard coats the flour, and there is neither egg nor water to bind the dough. - Before opening the tissue paper, you press it gently in the hollow of your hand: it keeps its shape a little longer and drops fewer crumbs. - Antonio Anaut's polvorones, from Tafalla (Navarre), are made of wheat flour, sugar and lard, flavoured with cinnamon, lemon or cocoa; they declare no almonds and are neither vegetarian nor halal. - It is not served on a plate: it arrives with the coffee and the other Christmas sweets, and stays on the table for hours. ## Six words to understand the polvorón Tap a word: what it means, and what it tells you about these polvorones. ### Polvorón It comes from polvo, dust. A small, round biscuit that fits in the hand and gives way at the first bite. **On the table** Among the turrones and the mazapán, often in a small dish from which everyone helps themselves. > Pale or brown depending on the flavour, wrapped one by one in tissue paper. ### Obrador On Antonio Anaut's packaging there is a date: «Obrador desde 1939». **From Pitillas to Tafalla** The bakehouse was born in Pitillas and moved close by, to Tafalla, in 2016. ### Zona Media The house has never left this part of Navarre: Pitillas first, then Tafalla. ### Reyno Gourmet It is the quality mark for products from Navarre. The Antonio Anaut house carries it. ### Manteca Manteca de cerdo: pork fat. It coats the flour and stops it forming an elastic network. Hence the sandy dough that dissolves in the mouth. **Worth knowing** - It cannot be seen: tell guests who do not eat pork. - It does not like heat: keep the polvorones somewhere cool and dry, away from the oven and the radiator. ### Mazapán The Castillo de Jijona figurines are 45% almond and moulded one by one. **Next to the polvorón** A dish of each: the dense softness of the mazapán, then the crumbling polvorón. The mazapán is almond-based: bear it in mind if someone is allergic. ## Four moments to bring them out The polvorón is not served on a plate. Here is when it arrives. ### With coffee A strong coffee or a milky one, and a polvorón alongside: the coffee rinses the mouth between sandy mouthfuls. **Which flavour** Cocoa suits it particularly well. It is the one you unwrap at coffee time. ### With mazapán The mazapán figurines are the other Christmas treat of Spanish tables. First the dense and soft, then the crumbly. ### At the end of the meal You leave them on the table and nibble as you chat, for hours. **Which flavour** Lemon, the liveliest of the three, wakes up the end of a rich meal. > All three flavours in one dish: the colour of the paper tells you which is which. ### At afternoon tea With a tea or a hot chocolate. **For the adults** A small glass of sweet wine. The polvorón is sweet and dry: it calls for something liquid. ## Ready for the Christmas dish? Five questions; the answers are in the article. 1. Where does the name «polvorón» come from? - From polvo, dust - The name tells you how it is eaten: it turns to dust at the first bite. 2. Why does it crumble so much? - The lard coats the flour, and there is neither egg nor water to bind - No elastic network as in bread dough: the dough holds just long enough to get from hand to mouth. That is intentional. 3. When do you press it? - Before opening the paper, gently, in the hollow of your hand - Pressed in its paper, it compacts a little and drops fewer crumbs, yet still melts in the mouth. 4. Do Antonio Anaut's polvorones contain almonds? - No, they declare none: wheat flour, sugar, lard and flavouring - People often associate the polvorón with almonds, but these declare none. It is the mazapán that contains them. 5. In a mixed dish, how do you tell the flavours apart? - By the colour of the stripes on the tissue paper - Red for cinnamon, yellow for lemon, brown for cocoa: everyone spots theirs without opening anything. ## Article Every year, as December approaches, the same questions come back. What exactly is a polvorón? Why does it fall to pieces at the first bite? Do you really have to press it before opening it? And, often too: what is in it? We have gathered our answers here, based on the polvorones we have chosen this year, those of Antonio Anaut, in Navarre. Three flavours: cinnamon, lemon, cocoa. Enough to know what to put on the table, and when. ## What is a polvorón? It is a small, round shortbread-style biscuit, typical of the end-of-year festivities in Spain. You find it on the Christmas table, among the turrones and the mazapán, often in a small dish from which everyone helps themselves. Its name comes from polvo, dust: it carries within it the way it is eaten. It fits in the hand, it is pale or brown depending on the flavour, and these arrive wrapped one by one in tissue paper that you unwrap like a sweet. This little ritual is part of the pleasure. The ones we offer come from Antonio Anaut, in Tafalla, in the heart of Navarre. On the packaging, a date: « Obrador desde 1939 ». The obrador was born in Pitillas and moved close by, to Tafalla, in 2016, without ever leaving the Zona Media of Navarre. The house carries the Reyno Gourmet seal, the quality mark for products from Navarre. ## Why does it crumble so much? This is the most frequent question, and it is also what gives the polvorón its charm. A polvorón is not a failed biscuit: it is made to melt. To understand, you only need to think like a cook. In a bread dough, water and kneading create an elastic network that holds everything together. Here, it is the opposite: - **The fat coats the flour.** At Antonio Anaut, it is lard. It surrounds the flour and stops it from forming that elastic network. - **No egg to bind.** The ingredients list published by the house does not include any: nothing sticks the particles together. - **No water either.** Flour, sugar and fat: the dough stays sandy and dissolves in the mouth. The result: a dough that only just holds together, long enough to get from hand to mouth. At the first contact with the teeth, it gives way. That is intentional. ## How do you press it in its tissue paper? It is a common gesture in Spain, and the one that saves you from scattering crumbs over the tablecloth. Before opening the paper, you press the polvorón to compact it a little. - **Keep it closed.** Do not unwrap the tissue paper yet. - **Place it in the hollow of your hand** and close your fingers over it. - **Press gently**, without crushing. You feel the dough tighten under the paper. - **Open it like a sweet**, then unfold the paper. - **Bite straight in**, or break it in two over the paper, which serves as a plate. Pressed this way, it keeps its shape a little longer, but it still melts in the mouth. If you open it without pressing, it will crumble more: nothing serious, just keep the paper to hand. The tissue paper is not just packaging: it is the polvorón's plate. You eat over it, and the crumbs stay inside. ## What is in it? People often associate the polvorón with almonds. Those of Antonio Anaut declare none: according to the house, they are made of **wheat flour, sugar and lard**, to which the flavouring is added. - **Cinnamon:** wheat flour, sugar, lard, cinnamon flavouring. - **Lemon:** wheat flour, sugar, lard, natural lemon flavouring. - **Cocoa:** wheat flour, sugar, lard, cocoa (3.5%), chocolate flavouring. These lists are the ones the house publishes for its polvorones; the full list of ingredients and allergens appears on the label of each size, which is the authoritative source. ### What to know before serving - **Neither vegetarian nor halal.** Lard is pork fat. If you have guests who do not eat it, plan something else for them. - **Gluten.** They contain wheat flour. - **Possible traces.** The house states that they may contain traces of egg, soya and mustard. It describes them as free from milk and tree nuts. ## Cinnamon, lemon or cocoa: how do you tell them apart? All three share the same base and the same texture. It is the flavour, and the colour of the paper, that change. ### Cinnamon: the classic The [cinnamon polvorón](https://origenes.shop/produit/polvorones-cannelle-antonio-anaut-280g) is the Christmas polvorón as it is put on the table in Spain. A pale shortbread, a warm, round spice. Tissue paper striped with red. If you only take one, take this one. ### Lemon: the liveliest The [lemon polvorón](https://origenes.shop/produit/polvorones-citron-antonio-anaut-280g) is the liveliest of the three, with its natural lemon flavouring. Yellow packaging, paper striped with yellow. It appeals to those who find cinnamon too pronounced, and it wakes up the end of a rich meal. ### Cocoa: the brown one The [cocoa polvorón](https://origenes.shop/produit/polvorones-cacao-antonio-anaut-280g) is the brown one of the house, with 3.5% cocoa in the dough. Chocolate-coloured packaging, paper striped with brown. It is the one you unwrap at coffee time. The colours of the papers have a practical advantage: in a mixed dish, everyone can spot their flavour without having to open anything. ## When should you put them on the table? In Spain, the polvorón is not served on a plate like a dessert. It arrives afterwards, with the rest of the Christmas sweets, and it stays there for hours. - **With coffee.** This is its natural moment. A strong coffee or a milky one, and a polvorón alongside: the coffee rinses the mouth between sandy mouthfuls. Cocoa suits it particularly well. - **Next to the mazapán figurines.** The [mazapán figurines](https://origenes.shop/produit/figuritas-mazapan-suprema) from Castillo de Jijona, at 45% almond and moulded one by one, are the other Christmas treat of Spanish tables. A dish of each, side by side: the dense softness of the mazapán, then the crumbling texture of the polvorón. - **During long ends of meals.** On the evening of the 24th, at lunchtime on the 25th, on the 31st: you leave them on the table and nibble as you chat. - **At afternoon tea in December.** With a tea or a hot chocolate, throughout the month. For drinks, keep it simple: coffee, tea, or a small glass of sweet wine for the adults. The polvorón is sweet and dry; it calls for something liquid. ## In practice: what to order and which mistakes to avoid ### What to order - **For a first time:** the [cinnamon](https://origenes.shop/produit/polvorones-cannelle-antonio-anaut-280g), the reference flavour. - **For a family table:** all three flavours, mixed in one dish. The coloured papers do the rest. - **For a complete Spanish table:** add the [mazapán figurines](https://origenes.shop/produit/figuritas-mazapan-suprema) (100 g). All three flavours are offered in a 280 g size, currently on pre-order. We have few: when they are gone, they are gone. ### Mistakes to avoid - **Opening without pressing.** Not dramatic, but you will be picking up crumbs everywhere. - **Storing them near a heat source.** Lard does not like heat. Keep them somewhere cool and dry, away from the oven and the radiator. - **Serving them to guests who do not eat pork** without warning them. Lard cannot be seen; you have to say so. - **Presenting them as almond polvorones.** These declare none. The mazapán, on the other hand, is almond-based: bear it in mind if someone is allergic. - **Transporting them loose.** To take them to someone's house, leave them in their original packaging, packed tightly. One last tip: put one in the pocket of your coat before the walk on Christmas afternoon. Pressed in the hand, opened outdoors, eaten while walking. That is how they are loved, too. ## Produits cités (prix et stock à jour) - Polvorones à la cannelle — Antonio Anaut (280 g) — 13.90 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/polvorones-cannelle-antonio-anaut-280g - Polvorones au citron — Antonio Anaut (280 g) — 13.90 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/polvorones-citron-antonio-anaut-280g - Polvorones au cacao — Antonio Anaut (280 g) — 13.90 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/polvorones-cacao-antonio-anaut-280g - Figurines de massepain — qualité suprême (100 g) — 7.90 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/figuritas-mazapan-suprema --- Vous pouvez citer ce texte en indiquant la source. Prix, poids et disponibilité font foi sur la fiche produit.