"The numbers that surround the universe of alfajores are crazy," says Sandra Sturze, management manager of ADGYA, an Argentine trade association for manufacturers of alfajores and biscuits. "In 2022, 10,500,000 alfajores per day will be eaten in the country," says the projection made by the producing companies that are members of the entity. There is no way to know the number of factories or entrepreneurs who manufacture them in the country. "There are many more than you can imagine," says Sturze.

There is no product that is equal in popularity. There are doubles, triples, dulce de leche, fruit, vegan, "low" beer, fernet, vodka, "inverted" and even salty. A single day is not suficient to honour this "national treasure" and that is why from last Sunday until tomorrow Argentina celebrates Alfajor Week. The growth in the consumption of alfajores is exponential. Last year more than 6,000,000 were consumed each day.

Is it an Argentine invention? "No," says Jorge D'Agostini, the author of Argentine Alfajor, history of an icon, the magnum opus of this food product that is part of the Argentine national culinary patrimony. Arabs, Spanish and Africans participate in the timeline that involves the appearance of the alfajor in Argentina. “It is a brilliant creation that has spanned our entire history. Its popularity is undisputed and it has taken a phenomenal dimension" says D'Agostini. "It also very profitable” he adds.

Where, then, was our beloved alfajor born? According to D'Agostini's research, the recipe is lost in time but it is possible to determine its birth in Arabia and its subsequent transfer to Al Ándalus, as much of Spain was called under Muslim domination from the year 711 to 1492. “ It was known as Al-Hajú, which means “stuffed”, later it derived in Aljajú and from there, alfajor”, affirms D'Agostini. It consisted of two wafers with a filling of honey, almonds, cinnamon, breadcrumbs and cloves. Andalusia can be considered the source of the Hispanic alfajor, the Moorish cooks were specialists in making them.

The arrival of Columbus in America not only changed history forever, but also brought on those ships the recipe that would later lead to our alfajor. By law, it was forbidden for Muslims to reach the Indies, but the Spanish philosopher Francisco Gómez Ortín hypothesizes that “Moorish women traveled to the wineries, some as slaves, to act as maids, nannies and cooks”, with them he traveled the aljajú, in the fifteenth century already known in Spain as alfajor.

"It is clear that the recipe underwent a great change due to the difficulties in obtaining ingredients or condiments, which led to a multiplication of different versions of the same recipe," says D'Agostini. By definition, the Argentine alfajor "are two sweet cookies with a filling of dulce de leche, but without honey, nuts, almond paste or breadcrumbs," he says, to differentiate them from the Spanish, which do include these ingredients.

The diversity and versatility of the recipe has managed to create as many alfajores as there are regions in Argentina. Thus, in the north it is common to find alfajores stuffed with cayote, in Tucumán with honey and in Córdoba with various different types of fruit.

"African street vendors in Buenos Aires offered fish, cakes, empanadas, porridge, peaches, and alfajores on trays and baskets," says D'Agostini. They were the ones who popularized the alfajor, and it soon became a widely accepted product. "There are historical records from 1770 and recipe books from 1830 where the alfajor appears in Buenos Aires," he adds. The birth of dulce de leche was crucial and from there the recipe was modified evolving eventually into its modern-day version. The biscuits were made with corn flour.

“It was enormously successful through word of mouth and its demand grew until it reached the pulperías (a type of grocery store),” says D’Agostini. Only in the city of Buenos Aires at the beginning of the 18th century there were 300 pulperías, where alfajores were offered, stored under a glass bell, on the counter. Soon, alfajores started to become like an aperitif and the pulperías saw their business grow. As a result many pulperías began to make their own alfajores and sweets and began to call themselves confiterías (a type of confectionery store).

An anecdote reveals the importance of the alfajor in those days: in 1772 a "former" pulpero who had become a "confectioner" filed a complaint with the Cabildo because he did not want to continue paying taxes on the pulpería. "It was not a rebellion, but a desire not to be compared to the pulperías," says D'Agostini. The alfajor was destroying everything in its path. Confectioneries gave way to cafes where the alfajor could be purchased and also enjoyed with a coffee and table service. (In fact cafes are generally referred to as confiterías in Argentina).

"A two-story house south of the city of Santa Fe witnessed two Argentine prodigies: the national constitution on its upper floor and the traditional alfajor of dulce de leche on the ground floor," says D'Agostini, referring to the first brand. of alfajores of the country: “Merengo”. In 1851, Hermenegildo Zuvuría (they called him Merengo because he dressed in a white apron, simulating a meringue) opened an inn, but behind his house were the Piedrabuena sisters who were known for making delicious alfajores. They give him the recipe and he creates an alfajorería, being born in this way, the santafesino alfajor, three cookies filled with dulce de leche and glazed.

The alfajor became a "souvenir of the homeland", in 1853, when the constitution was drafted (on the upper floor of the alfajorería), the conventional ones went to their provinces with Merengo alfajores. This is where the expression “Traé alfajores” is born, which is used when someone travels. The evolution of the alfajor was underway and in 1930, pastry chefs began to industrialize it. It will be in Mar del Plata where the alfajor has another evolutionary leap. "In 1947, the master pastry chef Toribio González achieved the formula for the Havanna alfajores," says D'Agostini. The story of another turnaround, giving birth to large industries.

"In the 1980s, the alfajor market grew 600%, small entrepreneurs had to confront large companies commercially," says D'Agostini. The "modern era" is born in the history of the alfajor, that is, the brands that are classic today are positioned, such as Guaymallén, Jorgito, Terrabusi, Fantoche, Tatín, Capitán del Espacio.

"I am a fan of alfajor, but I decided to show all the alfajores that are not classic," says Hernán Montes de Oca, alfajore taster and creator of the Instagram account "Testing Alfajores." His posts are followed by a legion of alfajor devotees. He writes a review, but also tells the story of the factory or the entrepreneurs. His mission is very effective: he points to unknown alfajores, or off the radar of the big brands.

“I've tried around 500,” he says. Two caught my attention, an alfajor stuffed with sweet potato and an inverted one”. How is the inverted alfajor? “The chef Pablo Viudez from Técnica Alfajores makes them,” replies Montes de Oca.

The chef created more than 100 recipes for alfajores, including lemon pie, sambayón, cheese cake and yogurt filling, but also mate, basil, one of Roquefort and spicy. "The inverted alfajor consists of two caps of dulce de leche with a filling cookie," explains Montes de Oca.

The most important competition is the Alfajor National Festival, in La Falda, Córdoba. On June 25 and 26, a meeting of 100 alfajores producers will be held in San Isidro, the call is open, the event is called "AlfaArt", and is organized by Alfajores Juanote (from San Justo) and Probando Alfajores.

"I'm glad to see the boom of young chefs who include them in their menus," says D'Agostini. “The Argentine alfajor is a common good,” he adds. “He is much more than a candy, he is one step higher”, concludes Montes de Oca.