Burrito
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Burrito (disambiguation).
A burrito is a Mexican dish usually consisting of a meat such as beef, chicken, or pork wrapped in a flour tortilla. In northern Mexico—the only region of Mexico in which burritos are generally found—the meat is usually the only filling, and the burrito is rolled fairly thin. In the United States, however, fillings generally include other ingredients such as rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa, and the result is considerably fatter. The flour tortilla is sometimes lightly grilled or steamed, to soften it and make it more pliable.
The word burrito literally means "little donkey" in Spanish. The name burrito possibly derives from the appearance of a rolled up wheat tortilla, which vaguely resembles the ear of its namesake animal, or from bedrolls and packs that burros carried. [citation needed]
It has been established in court in the United States that a burrito is not a sandwich.[1]
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[edit] Ingredients
[edit] Variations
[edit] United States
The most commonly served style of the burrito in the United States is thought to be indigenous and is not as common in Mexico. One very common enhancement is the Wet Burrito, which is a burrito smothered in a red chile sauce similar to an enchilada sauce, with shredded cheese added on top so that the cheese melts (it is called as an Enchirito when served at a Taco Bell restaurant). When served in a Mexican restaurant in the US, a melted cheese covered burrito is typically called a burrito suizo (Suizo meaning Swiss, an adjective used in Spanish to indicate dishes topped with cheese or cream).
In Mexican-American cuisine, crispy fried burritos are called chimichangas.
Some cities have their own variations with one of the most well-known being the San Francisco burrito.
[edit] San Francisco burrito
The origins of the San Francisco burrito can be traced back to Mission District taquerias of the 1960s, however some assert that the original San Francisco burritos began in the fields of Central Valley farmworkers. Other researchers trace the ancestry further back to miners of the 19th century. The San Francisco burrito emerged as a culinary movement during the 1970s and 1980s, and more recently spawned the wrap. The typical San Francisco burrito is produced on an assembly line, and is characterized by a large stuffed tortilla, wrapped in aluminum foil which can include variations on Spanish rice, beans, a single main filling, and hot or mild salsa. For San Franciscans, the burrito has become an important part of hipster and Chicano culture.
[edit] Others
The city of San Diego, California has popularized the California burrito, typically a combination of carne asada, french fries, and salsa fresca (sometimes referred to as "San Diego style"). However, Fred's Mexican Café, the popular "San Diego style" Mexican restaurant chain, does not offer this style. Instead, Fred's offers a one pound "California burrito" composed of black beans, guacamole, lettuce, melted cheese, and pico de gallo, served on a plate, with the optional "wet" topping of enchilada sauce, melted cheese and sour cream. Fred's "San Diego style" appears to draw heavily upon the Los Angeles burrito style of the 1950s (see timeline).
The "Oregon Burrito" is very similar to the "California Burrito", but potatoes are used instead of french fries. This burrito is found at all branches of the Muchas Gracias fast food chain in Washington and Oregon. This burrito is quite popular with high school and college students in the Portland metropolitan area.
The breakfast burrito is a popular version consisting of a flour tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, potatoes, and occasionally meat (bacon, sausage or chorizo).
[edit] Mexico
Although burritos are one of the most popular examples of Mexican cuisine outside of Mexico, burritos are not common outside of northern Mexico, although they are beginning to appear in some non-traditional venues due to influxes of American and Canadian tourists and repatriated Mexican emigrants. Burritos are a traditional food of Ciudad Juarez, a city in Northern Mexico, where you can buy them at restaurants and thousands of corner stands. In this border town there are eateries that have established their reputation after decades serving burritos. They are eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Usual ingredients include barbacoa, mole, winnys ( pronounced "weinies", chopped hot dogs cooked in a tomato and chile sauce), refried beans and cheese, deshebrada (shredded slow-cooked flank steak) and chile relleno (stuffed pepper). The deshebrada burrito also has a variation in chile colorado (mild to moderately hot) and salsa verde (very hot). The typical burrito sold in Juarez is generally smaller than the varieties sold in the USA.
Wheat flour tortillas used in burritos are now often seen through much of Mexico, but at one time were peculiar to northwestern Mexico and Southwestern US Pueblo Indian tribes, possibly due to these areas being less than optimal for growing corn.
Burritos are commonly called tacos de harina (wheat flour tacos) in Central and Southern Mexico and burritas (feminine, with 'a') in northern-style restaurants outside of Northern Mexico proper. A long and thin fried burrito similar to a chimichanga is prepared in Sonora, Mexico and vicinity and is called a chivichanga. [2]
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Thomsen, David. Wilson, Derek. (1998). Burritos! Hot on the Trail of the Little Burro. Gibbs Smith Publishers. ISBN 0-87905-835-8
[edit] References
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061110/ap_on_fe_st/burrito_or_sandwich_2
- ^ Bayless, Rick and Deann Groen Bayless. (1987). Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico. Morrow Cookbooks. p. 142.ISBN 0-688-04394-1
[edit] External links
