Wafer

Obleas are wafer discs made from a thin batter of flour and water baked between hot plates — the same technique that produces communion wafers, and in Mexico the two have a shared history, since convent bakeries made both. They are pale, brittle, almost weightless, and neutral in flavour, which is exactly the point: an oblea is a carrier. The classic Mexican use is as the base and lid of a sweet. In the pepita-and-caramel confections sold at markets, a layer of pumpkin-seed praline or a spoonful of cajeta is sandwiched between two obleas; obleas con cajeta, filled with goat's-milk caramel, are a fairground staple across central Mexico. They are also laid under palanquetas and amaranth bars so the sticky base can be picked up, and used in some regional sweets as a wrapper. Because they contain no fat, they shatter rather than bend, and they soften quickly once they meet anything wet. Assemble filled obleas shortly before eating, or they turn chewy. In the UK, obleas are sold by Mexican and Latin American grocers and by online Mexican food shops, usually in sleeves of large plain discs, sometimes coloured. Communion wafers from ecclesiastical suppliers are the same product but far smaller and more expensive. The closest supermarket equivalent is the wafer paper (rice paper) sold in baking aisles for macaroons and nougat, which behaves identically and works for any filled preparation. Store them flat, sealed and completely dry — obleas absorb humidity from the air and go limp within hours of being left out.