In 2025, people formed queues for tortas fritas on rainy days in Salto, north-western Uruguay. A local newspaper described customers waiting in parks, squares and rest areas, mate in hand, for a portion of the freshly fried bread.
Made simply from flour, water, salt and fat, torta frita is strongly associated in Uruguay with rain and cold weather. The smell of hot oil draws people together under a grey sky. For the families selling them, the queue provides income; for customers, it turns the weather itself into a familiar pleasure. The inherited Montevideo location is corrected to Salto, where the line was directly documented.