Fried milkless pastries like torrijas have never been more expensive. Inflation has driven up every ingredient needed to craft this traditional Holy Week treat to sky-high levels. Preparing this dessert, which makes many mouths water as the season arrives, now costs almost 58% more than three years ago, when shoppers could hardly imagine the price shock at the checkout.
Everything has risen, and the ingredients that form the core of these classic torrijas sit near the top of the list of items with the sharpest increases. This dish has a history dating back to the fourth and fifth centuries and the basic method has remained surprisingly constant. It began as a way to salvage stale bread, turning leftovers into something sweet. It was often associated with Holy Week due to meat prohibitions that pushed people to be resourceful and make do with what was on hand. Today the treat is enjoyed year-round, but Semana Santa remains a time when it returns to many family tables.
One of the desserts with the most regional variations, torrijas exist in many places around the world. Yet the traditional recipe still centers on bread, milk, eggs, and sugar, fried in oil that, in recent times, has become a luxury for many households. A plate of about ten torrijas cost around four euros and fifty cents in 2022. For the same quantity of ingredients, costs would now reach 7.23 euros, reflecting a 57.8% rise driven by the inflationary crisis. In the archipelago, each torrija now carries about an extra 27 cents, not counting electricity or gas needed for cooking. Energy costs have risen in the past three years as well, though they have recently cooled somewhat.
But a closer look shows the biggest jump has been in oil prices, which have nearly doubled. Between February 2024 and February 2023 the increase stood at 37.1%. Add the 32.2% from the year before and the 27.8% from the year prior to that. Shoppers have felt this squeeze and, in many cases, have turned away from olive oil in favor of more affordable varieties to trim the grocery bill.
Still, the sweet component also rose. Sugar, the sugary heartbeat of the dish, climbed nearly 49% over three years. The steepest rise occurred from 2022 to 2023, when a yearly increase reached 36.7%. The ascent has moderated in the last year, with a 3.6% uptick in February.
Eggs and milk have followed suit, each up over 40% since 2022. Eggs increased by about 46.6% and milk by nearly 44%. Both supplies posted year-on-year gains. In 2022, increases were more modest, but 2023 pushed costs higher than 36% for both. In 2024 milk offered a tiny relief with a slight decline of 0.2%, while eggs continued their climb with an additional 8.2% rise.
The main ingredient, the bread that forms the base of the dish, has also risen in cost across the islands. Bread prices are up about 28%, which means even with higher prices, many will still choose to prepare torrijas for Semana Santa this year.
Sweet Note
The sweet side of this recipe remains a focal point for price increases, with the sugar component showing a notable jump. Yet many cooks still see torrijas as an affordable luxury when compared with other festive desserts. The cost trajectory underlines how inflation touches not just luxury items but everyday kitchen staples as well—bread, milk, eggs, sugar, and oil all contribute to the final bill. Even so, the tradition endures, and families continue to gather around the stove to share this humble, comforting dish during the holiday season.