Wrap (food)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A wrap is a variant of a taco or burrito which includes traditional sandwich fillings wrapped in a pita or soft flour tortilla, a lavash or other soft flatbread. If a low-carb tortilla and filling are used, a wrap may serve as a low-carbohydrate alternative to sandwiches made with bread.

Wraps have recently become popular with burger and sandwich restaurants. The tortilla is similar in size to those used for burritos. Sometimes the tortillas are flavored, such as spinach-herb, chipotle, or tomato-basil. The most popular wraps contain chicken, but shrimp and beef are served. Typical toppings include: shredded lettuce, diced tomato, pico de gallo, guacamole, saute mushrooms, grilled onions, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and ranch dressing or honey mustard.

“	The best things brought to the U.S. from Mexico are the tortilla and burrito. Now Americans steal it, and create this phenomenon called a wrap.	”
—George Lopez, ^[1]

Restaurants such as Sonic drive-in, Jason's Deli, Buffalo Wild Wings, Subway, Chick-Fil-A, and McAlister's Deli serve wraps. KFC now serves its chicken in a wrap as menu choice, with lettuce, mayonnaise and salsa. McDonalds has recently introduced a snack wrap, with a fried chicken strip, lettuce, cheddar, and ranch dressing. This wrap is smaller than typical wraps, it is the same size as their breakfast burrito. Wendy's has been promoting their new wraps. Smokey Bones Barbeque and Grill has recently introduced a Portobello Chicken Wrap to broaden their selection of grilled menu items. Wraps are also very popular in Australia and New Zealand with chains such as Oporto (restaurant) and Burger Fuel amoungst others serving them. The Staples Center has begun serving the famous Tower Wrap to its suites as a test market before rolling it out to the entire arena.

James Beaton, Chairman of Discovery Foods, a UK based tortilla manufacturer, is credited with introducing wraps to the UK and is the only non Mexican or American to be a member of the hallowed "Tortilla Hall of Fame".^{[citation needed]} The UK wrap market has grown substantially since 2004 with all major sandwich and fast food stores now selling wraps, as well as the emergence of Wrap it up!, the UK's first wrap restaurant.

"Sami's Wrap-N-Roll" in Boston claim to have invented the wrap, calling it the "roll-up sandwich". However, baseball legend Bobby Valentine actually invented the wrap. He claims that his restaurant was the first anywhere to serve a sandwich in a tortilla wrap. Valentine made this claim while his restaurant was showcased on Food Network. It should be pointed out that Mexicans have been filling flour tortillas with various foods (including those typically associated with the wrap) for over a hundred years.