A single basic name, like "viejita" — loosely, "little old lady" — often signifies different goods at different bakeries. At this Salvadorean shop the viejita (about $1.50) resembles a kayak with a dense, caramelized, but not-too-sweet cargo. A corollary is a single basic bread that takes many forms, each with its own, sometimes fanciful name.
Then there's the matter of spellings that follow speech rather than culinary orthography. Shown at bottom, the custardlike boltiado (about $1.50) will rightly remind you of the crema volteada, or flan. This one was flavored with guineo — unripe banana — though so subtly that I might not have known if it hadn't been spelled out.
Veronica's Bakery & Cafe
8501 Piney Branch Rd. (at Flower Ave.), Silver Spring, Maryland
(one of several locations)
301-565-8199