Huarache is a popular Mexican dish consisting of an oblong, fried masa base, with a variety of toppings. The name "Huarache" is derived from the shape of the masa, similar to the popular sandals of the same name. The word Huarache is originally form Purepecha or Tarascan[1] and the Nahuatl word for huarache is kwarachi. Huaraches are similar to sopes but differ in shape.[2]
Huaraches originated in Mexico City maybe in the early 1930s. Their origin was related with a stall at the shore of the La Viga navigation channel, where Mrs. Carmen Gomez Medina prepared tlacoyos.[3] When the La Viga navigation channel was covered to make the "Calzada de la Viga", Mrs. Gomez moved to another place and after 1957, when the Mercado de Jamaica was founded, she moved there and then to a little place at the Torno street. Because of the shape of the new "invention" of Mrs. Gomez was different of a sope or a tlacoyo, the people started to call it "huarache".
The name 'Huaraches' comes from the popular Mexican sandal due to its long ovular shape. It has a fried masa base, which is then topped with green or red sauce, onions, potato, cilantro and any manner of protein such as ground beef or tongue, and then finished with queso fresco cheese.[4] This dish is of course, most popular in its hometown, Mexico City. Huaraches have branched out to places like Chicago, New York, and Houston but have yet to become widely available in the United States.[5]