Light and flaky, these delicious cookies are sprinkled with candied ginger and sugar. Each crisp is formed by hand following a traditional recipe. They are perfect as a light snack or dessert with a cup of coffee or tea.
In 1910, a woman named Ines Rosales began making olive oil tortas (tortas de aceite) by hand at her bakery next to a stagecoach stop in Sevilla. Her tortas were so popular that soon she could not keep up with the demand and she hired women from the local village to help her make these crisp and delicate treats. She used pure ingredients including extra virgin olive oil. In a short time, this Andalucian specialty became famous and enjoyed throughout Spain.
Today Ines Rosales ginger spice tortas are made by hand in Sevilla, much as they have been for almost 100 years. Local women are still employed to hand-flatten and hand-wrap the tortas in wax paper.