Janine Libbey Feb 20, 2008:

Great suggestions, teju and Lydia, about sticking to the original ingredient and offering a substitute.

Lydia De Jorge Feb 20, 2008:

to leave the original ingredient and offer a substitute.

Lydia De Jorge Feb 20, 2008:

Perhaps my analogy was a little far-fetched...the point I'm trying to make is that we cannot make assumptions based on what we feel is known or not known by certain groups or cultures. Many recipes call for ingredients that are uncommon-the best thing is

Horticulturist Feb 20, 2008:

Lydia, we both know it is far not the same to compare "María cookies" with "graham crackers" than "chorizo" with "Hot-dog" ;-) In the text provided, it is clear they are part of a crust for a dessert; Graham crackers are used exactly in the same way in US

Lydia De Jorge Feb 20, 2008:

I agree with you 100% teju, IMO it should call for 'Maria cookies' with a note saying they can be substituted with Graham crackers if Marias are not available.

teju Feb 20, 2008:

While it's always better to stick to the original recipe, whenever there are ingredients that are hard to get, some recipes will suggest a viable substitution readily available locally, especially when it's a recipe from another country.

Lydia De Jorge Feb 20, 2008:

If the original recipe calls for ‘galletas Maria’, I see no reason why you can’t use ‘Maria crackers’, with a note indicating a possible substitute. Maria is a type of cookie not a brand, just like Graham is a type and not a brand. I don’t feel one should assume that an ingredient is only familiar to certain cultures. You would not substitute ‘chorizo’ with ‘hot-dog’ just because in certain areas chorizos are unknown or unavailable

Horticulturist Feb 20, 2008:

In Spain, the typical round María-Fontaneda cookie is very much like a graham cracker, not the same, but close. If you are intending a term for the general US public, I would go for "graham cracker", since "Marías" are only well known to hispanics.

Lydia De Jorge Feb 20, 2008:

Anywhere they sell Goya products...or you can order over the internet...

Janine Libbey Feb 20, 2008:

Are Maria Cookies readily available throughout the entire US??? I'd have to drive quite a distance to find them. I have used graham crackers as a substitute in recipes when Maria Cookies were not available.

Lydia De Jorge Feb 20, 2008:

Yes, but Maria Cookies are not only sold in the US, they are made here!

teju Feb 20, 2008:

Paola, did I understand right your question? Did you want to know if there were cookies in the US that were similar to Marias? That's how I understood your question.

Lydia De Jorge Feb 19, 2008:

I have no doubt that one can substitute the other, but they are NOT the same
http://www.cooking.com/advice/adgloss.asp?GlossType=ingr&Ite...
http://www.tienda.com/food/products/co-01-2.html

Lydia De Jorge Feb 19, 2008:

http://www.geocities.com/nenslo/maria/maria.html http://images.google.com/images?q=Maria cookies&ie=UTF-8&oe=...