French influence on Mexico’s gastronomy grew exponentially from the time Porfirio Díaz, a Francophile, took control as president in 1880 and flourished into the early 1900s. And although the French occupation of Mexico ended gordita crunch the mid-1860s, they left behind an indelible impression when it came to Mexicans’ palate for sweet breads and baking techniques. French pastries and sweet breads adopted by Mexico morphed into uniquely Mexican creations, with a variety of shapes, textures and creative names—some of which still exist today. In fact, scholars estimate there may be as many as 2,000 different types of pan dulce in Mexico.

Below you’ll find an alphabetical listing of common types of Mexican pan dulce, as well as some that are found only regionally. If there’s a type of pan dulce missing from my list that you’d like to know more about, please drop me a comment here on the blog, and I’ll happily research and add your favorite pan dulce to the list! Abanico: Similar to the oreja or palmera, the abanico is a puff pastry dough layered with sugar and shaped in the form of a fan. Some bakeries will dip the ends in chocolate, while others leave it plain. Beso: Made from a raised dough, the baker makes two spheres with it, bakes, joins them using a jam or jelly, and covers them with butter and powdered sugar. It owes its name to the figurative kiss between the two pieces or spheres.

It can be found mostly in the central part of Mexico. The version pictured here is rolled in finely shredded coconut. Bigote: A very close cousin of the croissant. Its main difference with its French relative is the liberal use of sugar as a coating.

Whereas a French croissant is very flaky from the use of laminated dough, a bigote has more of a bready consistency. They are often dusted with fine sugar but can also be plain. This type of pan dulce is similar to the shape of a croissant but is a yeasted bread that can be plain or dusted with sugar. Learn more about pan dulce on theothersideofthetortilla. Mexican pan dulce: Bisquets are a dense, sweet biscuit often served with butter and jam. Broca: Made from puff pastry dough, this crunchy treat takes its name from a drill bit, as it looks just like one. Calvo: Think of a concha, a dome-shaped bread, but dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with dried coconut on its edge, made to resemble a bald, old man’s head.

Campechana: Made from a dough not too far off from pastry dough, but sometimes replacing butter with lard, this crunchy bread is a staple of breakfast tables throughout the country. Originally from the state of Campeche, thus its name, campechanas can take many shapes and sizes, but are always a very crunchy, sugary treat. Cartera: This is basically a French pain au chocolat: same dough and same shape. It may or may not contain the semisweet piece of chocolate inside. In Mexico, it’s the norm to cover them in sugar and they’re never filled. Colchón de naranja: A pillowy, doughy bread with a hint of orange and egg in its aftertaste, somewhat similar to the King’s Hawaiian bread we consume in the U.