Huevos rancheros

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For the Canadian instrumental rock band, see Huevos Rancheros.

Huevos rancheros is a classic Mexican breakfast dish which has become popular throughout much of the Americas. Huevos rancheros means "eggs ranch-style" or "eggs country-style" in Spanish. The dish traditionally was served at the large mid-morning breakfast, or almuerzo, on rural farms where workers had a much smaller meal at dawn.

The basic version of huevos rancheros consists of corn tortillas fried lightly, and fried eggs with a tomato–chili sauce. Refried beans (frijoles refritos), slices of avocado, fried potatoes, and extra chili peppers are common accompaniments. Scrambled eggs can be used instead of fried eggs.

One popular variation is huevos divorciados (divorced eggs). This consists of two eggs served in the style of huevos rancheros, but with one egg smothered in green salsa and the other in red, separated by a wall of beans or chilaquiles.

[edit] Americanized variations

As the popularity of the dish has spread beyond Mexico, variations have inevitably cropped up. The American food writer, Clementine Paddleford, found a version in 1950s Texas that called for the eggs to be poached in a tomato-bacon sauce, and served on toast. More commonly, the variations involve flour tortillas instead of corn; pure chili sauce (or enchilada sauce) instead of tomato-chili; additions such as cheese, sausage, and sour cream; and garnishes of fresh tomatoes and lettuce. The use of pre-made salsa and packaged tortillas makes huevos rancheros considerably less labor-intensive.

[edit] Pop culture references

Huevos rancheros were mentioned in Jonathan Larson's 1996 musical, Rent, in the song "La Vie Boheme."
In a 1999 episode of Sesame Street, Luis prepares a romantic dinner of huevos rancheros for Maria with help from Big Bird, Baby Bear and Rosita.
Eggs rancheros was mentioned in the Blake Shelton song "Playboys of the Southwestern World."

[edit] References

Leonard, Jonathan Norton, (1968) Latin-American Cooking, Time-Life Books
Ortiz, Elizabeth Lambert, (1967) The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking, M. Evans and Co. ISBN 0-87131-333-2
Paddleford, Clementine, (1960) How America Eats, Charles Scribner's Sons