Hornazo is a baked pie of bread dough enriched with lard, egg and white wine, filled with pork meats: marinated loin, chorizo and ham, sometimes with hard‑boiled egg. The fillings are layered inside the dough, which is closed with a braid or a lattice on top and baked until golden.
In Salamanca it is the centrepiece of Lunes de Aguas, the celebration held on the Monday after Easter Monday. On that day the people of Salamanca go out to picnic on the banks of the Tormes, in parks and the countryside, and hornazo is the dish on the spread blanket. The festival is declared of Tourist Interest in Castilla y León.
Tradition traces the origin back to the 16th century. According to Castilla y León tourism, by order of Philip II prostitutes had to leave the city during Lent and Holy Week and stay in the brothel district on the other side of the river. On their return, the students received them on the bank of the Tormes with drinks and hornazo, and the celebration originated the picnic.
Today hornazo is sold year‑round in bakeries and pastry shops in Salamanca, and there are versions in other towns of the province. Lunes de Aguas remains the day when most hornazo is eaten.