Empanada

Empanadas consist of a flaky pastry in a crescent shape with crimped edges filled with meat, cheese, or seafood. Traveling to South America from across the Atlantic, these turnovers had their origins in Moorish influence on Portugal and Spain. (Was its half-moon shape a nod to Islam? Sometimes faith must be concealed in order to be sustained.) Flavored with spices like cumin, cinnamon, and chile, they keep your heart and belly warm. Wear the empanada to remember that you are capable of adapting to, even excelling in, new worlds.