THIS TRANSCRIPT HAS BEEN EDITED LIGHTLY FOR CLARITY
PATRICK DAVIS, KSFR: Tell me what's on the menu today.
DUSTIN SWEET, SANTA FE BISCOCHITO COMAPNY: So, we just make classic biscochitos—they're lard-based cookies made with anise, rolled with cinnamon and sugar.
Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia proclaimed June 16 as Biscochito Day in Santa Fe noting the cookie's 400 year history in the region. KSFR stopped by The Santa Fe Biscochito Company to get a taste. Owner Richard Perea started the business as a food cart on the plaza in 2021. He's been selling biscochitos at the current brick-and-mortar on Sandoval Street for a little over two years. Perea joined us at one of the shop's outdoor tables and said that part of the inspiration for his business was the idea of combining the biscochito with ice cream.
RICHARD PEREA, SANTA FE BISCOCHITO COMPANY: These cookies have been around for hundreds of years and nobody had combined them into an ice cream. So that led me to the journey of the biscochito and just running with it.
Perea honors those who came before him to preserve the biscochito tradition.
PEREA: 37 years ago Francis Maldonado came from Albuquerque, owned a bakery, and basically lobbied the congressman to make the biscochito what it is today—our state cookie.
As a recent transplant to New Mexico, I was excited to get a bite of of this living history.
KSFR: We're trying first the original recipe. These tasty cookies are in the shape of the state of New Mexico, and they have a Zia symbol stamped in them. Nice snap, nice and flaky when you bite into it. And the cinnamon really comes through as well. All right, let's try the green chile. Yep, that's where it's at for me. If I'm going back for seconds, I'm getting another green chili biscochito. You get not just the spice of the green chile, but also the earthiness, and then you get the sweetness of the cinnamon, too. Mixed with the flaky biscuit-like cookie, it's really tasty.
