Burrito

Aburrito(English:/bəˈriːtoʊ/,Spanish:[buˈrito])orburroinMexicois, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as ataco, atortillafilled with food, in other parts of the country. The termburritowas regional, specifically fromChihuahua,Guanajuato,Guerrero,Michoacán,San Luis Potosí,SonoraandSinaloa, for what is known as atacoin Mexico City and surrounding areas, andcodzitoinYucatánandQuintana Roo.Due to the cultural influence of Mexico City, the termtacobecame the default, and the meaning of terms likeburritoandcodzitowere forgotten, leading many people to create new meanings and folk histories.
In modern times, it is considered by many as a different dish inMexicanandTex-Mex cuisinethat took form inCiudad Juárez, consisting of aflour tortillawrapped into a sealed cylindrical shape around various ingredients.In Central and Southern Mexico, burritos are still considered tacos, and are known astacos de harina("wheat flourtacos").The tortilla is sometimes lightlygrilledorsteamedto soften it, make it more pliable, and allow it to adhere to itself. Burritos are often eaten by hand, as their tight wrapping keeps the ingredients together. Burritos can also be served "wet"; i.e., covered in a savory and spicy sauce, when they would be eaten with a fork and knife.
Burritos are filled with savory ingredients, most often a meat such as beef, chicken, or pork, and often include other ingredients, such as rice, cooked beans (either whole orrefried), vegetables, such as lettuce and tomatoes, cheese, and condiments such assalsa,pico de gallo,guacamole, orcrema.
Burritos are often contrasted in present times with similar dishes such astacos, in which a small hand-sized tortilla is folded in half around the ingredients rather than wrapped and sealed, or withenchiladas, which usecorn masatortillas and are covered in a savory sauce to be eaten with a fork and knife.
The wordburritomeans "littledonkey" inSpanish, the diminutive form ofburro, or "donkey". The nameburrito, as applied to the dish, possibly derives from the tendency for burritos to contain a lot of different things similar to how a donkey would be able to carry a large burden.
Before the development of the modern burrito, theMaya civilizationof Mexico usedcorn tortillasas early as 1500 B.C. towrapfoods, with fillings ofchili peppers,tomatoes,mushrooms,squash, andavocados.Historically, thePueblo peoplesof theSouthwestern USalso made tortillas filled with beans and meat sauce and prepared much like the modern burrito.But these preparations could also be said to be the origin of the simplertaco, rather than the modern burrito.
The precise origin of the modern burrito is not known, but there is evidence that in Mexicoburritowas just another name, among others, for ataco, a rolled tortilla, whether corn or wheat, filled with meat or other ingredients. In the 1895Diccionario de Mejicanismosby Feliz Ramos i Duarte,burritowas identified as the regional name given in the Mexican state ofGuanajuatoto what is known as atacoin other regions:
Both,Diccionario Agrícola Nacional(1935) by the MexicanDirección General de EstadísticaandDiccionario de Mejicanismos(1959) by Mexican linguist and philologistFrancisco J. Santamaría, identifyburritoas another name for atacoin the state ofGuerrero, while in the State ofSinaloait is specifically a taco filled with salt:
The Dictionary of Mexican Spanish (Diccionario del Español de México) by theColegio de Méxicoalso provides those definitions, stating that it’s a regionalism from, both, the states of Guerrero andMichoacánfortaco; and also states that, in the state ofSinaloa, it’s a "taco de sal" (salt taco), a rolled corn tortilla with salt in it.
InVocabulario Sonorense(1966), Sonoran writer, historian and politician, Horacio Sobarzo Díaz, states the same, writing thatburrois another name for a taco, but argues that it's a regionalism fromSonoraand that it originated from the fact that in some places in that state, donkey meat was sold instead of beef:
In her bookLife in Mexico(1843) Scottish noblewomanFrances Erskine Ingliswrites that she ateburros, tortillas filled, in this case, with cheese, while on the road inMichoacán:
Being thatburritoorburrowas, originally, just a regional name for what is known as atacoorcodzitoin other regions of Mexico, the use of both, corn and wheat flour tortillas was understandable. In fact, references toburritosmade with corn tortillas appear as late as 1938 in California. Ana Bégué de Packman, author of the bookEarly California Hospitality(1938) wrote that corn and flour tortillas could be used interchangeably for making burritos.
Currently, wheat flour tortilla burritos are known as "tacos de harina" (wheat flour tacos) in Central and Southern Mexico.
Stemming from the belief that burritos are distinct from tacos, there are many myths and folk stories about the origin of burritos, most of them originating in the United States.
An often repeated piece offolk historyis the story of a man named Juan Méndez who sold tacos at a street stand in the Bella Vista neighborhood ofCiudad Juárezduring theMexican Revolutionperiod (1910–1921), while using a donkey as a transport for himself and his food.To keep the food warm, Méndez wrapped it in large homemade flour tortillas underneath a small tablecloth. As the "food of theburrito" (i.e., "food of the little donkey") grew in popularity, "burrito" was eventually adopted as the name for these large tacos.
Some have speculated that it may have originated withvaqueros,the cowboys ofnorthern Mexicoin the 19th century.
In 1923, Alejandro Borquez opened the Sonora Cafe in Los Angeles that later changed its name toEl Cholo Spanish Cafe.Burritos first appeared on American restaurant menus at the El Cholo Spanish Cafe in Los Angeles during the 1930s.Burritos were mentioned in theU.S. mediafor the first time in 1934,appearing in theMexican Cookbook, a collection of regional recipes fromNew Mexicothat was written by historianErna Fergusson.In 1956, afrozenburrito was developed inSouthern California.
Burritos are atraditional foodofCiudad Juárez, a city borderingEl Paso,Texas, in the northernMexican stateofChihuahua, where people buy them at restaurants androadside stands. Northern Mexicanborder townslikeVilla Ahumadahave an established reputation for serving burritos. Authentic Mexican burritos are usually small and thin, with flour tortillas containing only one or two of several ingredients: either some form of meat or fish, potato,rice, beans,asadero cheese,chile rajas, orchile relleno.Other ingredients may include:barbacoa,mole,refried beansand cheese (a "bean and cheese" burrito), ordeshebrada(shredded slow-cookedflank steak). Thedeshebradaburrito has a variation withchile colorado(mild to moderately hot) and one withsalsa verde(very hot). The Mexican burrito may be a northern variation of the traditionaltaco de Canasta, which is eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Although burritos are one of the most popular examples of Mexican cuisine outside of Mexico, they are only popular in the northern part of Mexico. However, they are beginning to appear in some nontraditional venues in other parts of Mexico. Wheat flour tortillas (used in burritos) are now often seen throughout much of Mexico (possibly due to these areas being less than optimal for growingmaizeor corn), despite at one time being particular to northwestern Mexico, the Southwestern US Mexican-American community, andPueblo Indiantribes.
Burritos are commonly calledtacos de harina("wheat flour tacos") in Central Mexico and Southern Mexico, andburritas(the feminine variation with 'a') in "northern-style" restaurants outside ofnorthern Mexicoproper. A long and thinfriedburrito called achivichanga,which is similar to achimichanga, is prepared in the state ofSonoraand vicinity.
A variation of the burrito found in the Mexican state ofSonorais known as theburro percherón.
The origins of the Mission burrito or Mission-style burrito can be traced back toSan Francisco, in theMission Districttaqueríasof the 1960s and 1970s. This type of burrito is produced on a steam tableassembly line, and is characterized by a large stuffed flour tortilla wrapped in aluminum foil, and may include fillings such ascarne asada(beef), Mexican-style rice, whole beans (notrefritos), sour cream and onion.
Febronio Ontiveros claims to have offered the first retail burrito in San Francisco in 1961 atEl Faro("The Lighthouse"), acorner grocery storeon Folsom Street. Ontiveros claims credit for inventing the "super burrito", a style which may have led to the early development of the "San Francisco style". This innovative style involves the addition of rice, sour cream and guacamole to the standard burrito of meat, beans, and cheese.The Mission burrito emerged as a regional culinary movement during the 1970s and 1980s. The popularity of San Francisco-style burritos has grown locally atMission Streettaquerias likeEl Farolito, and nationally at chains likeChipotle Mexican Grill,Illegal Pete's,Chevy's Fresh Mex, Freebirds World Burrito,Qdoba, andBarberitos.Chili'shad a brief stint with "Fresh Mex" foods and burritos between 2015 and 2017.In 1995, World Wrapps opened in San Francisco'sMarina Districtand brought a burrito-inspiredwrapstyle to the restaurant industry.
San Diego–style burritos include "California burritos" and carne asada burritos. The style has been described byfood writersas an "austere meal of meat, cheese and salsa", a contrast to the Mission-style burrito, which is typically larger and always contains more ingredients.A significant subgroup of Mexican restaurants in San Diego serves burritos described as "no-frills" and, in contrast to Mission-style burritos, the assembly line is not used.
In the early 1960s, Roberto Robledo opened atortilleriain San Diego and learned the restaurant business. Robledo began selling small bean burritos (orburrititos) atLa Lomitain the late 1960s, and by 1970, he had established the firstRoberto's Taco Shop. By 1999, Roberto's restaurants had expanded to a chain of 60 taco shops offering fresh burritos known for their distinctive quality. Hoping to draw on the prestige of Roberto's, new taco shops in San Diego began using the "-bertos" suffix, with names like Alberto's, Filiberto's, Hilberto's, and others.
The California burrito originated at an unknown -berto's named restaurant in San Diego in the 1980s.The Fresh MXN chain (formerly Santana's) also claimed to be the originator of the California burrito.The earliest-known published mention was in a 1995 article in theAlbuquerque Tribune.The California burritotypically consists of chunks of carne asada meat,French fries, cheese, and eithercilantro,pico de gallo, sour cream, onion, orguacamole(or some combination of these five).The ingredients are similar to those used in the "carne asada fries" dish, and it is considered a staple of thelocal cuisineof San Diego.With the merging of French fries and more traditional burrito fillings, the California burrito is an example offusion border food.The California burrito has also been described as a "trans-class" food item, as it is regularly consumed by people acrosssocioeconomiclines.Variants of this burrito may addshrimp(surf and turf),or substitutecarnitas(pork)orchickenfor carne asada.
Thecarne asada burritois considered one of the regional foods of San Diego.Carolynn Carreno has said that to San Diegans, "carne asada burritos are as integral to the experience of the place as a slice of (pizza) pie is to a New Yorker."The San Diego–style carne asada burrito is served with chunks ofcarne asada,guacamole, andpico de gallosalsa.This "wall-to-wall" use of meat contrasts to burrito styles that use rice and beans as filler ingredients.
Los Angelesalso has several unique local burrito varieties. The first is the most traditional and is exemplified by the versions at Mexican-American restaurants such as Al & Bea's, Lupe's #2, and Burrito King.These restaurants have often been in existence for decades, and they offer a distinctlyAmericanizedmenu compared with the typicaltaqueria. The burrito of L.A. itself can take multiple forms, but is almost always dominated by some combination of:refried beans, meat (oftenstewed beeforchili), and cheese (usuallycheddar), withriceand other ingredients typical ofMission burritosoffered as add-ons, if at all.
The most basic version of this burrito consists of only beans and cheese; beyond this, there are the "green chile" and "red chile" burritos, which may simply mean the addition of chiles or ameatlesschile sauceto theplain beans(as at Al & Bea's), meat or cheese as well.Rice, again, is rarely included, which, along with the choice of chiles, is one of the style's most defining traits.The menu will then usually go on to list multiple other combinations, such as beef and bean, all-beef, a "special" with further ingredients, etc. If the restaurant also offers hamburgers and sandwiches, it may sell a burrito version of these, such as a "hot dog burrito".
In addition to the version described, Los Angeles is also home to three burrito styles that can be said to fall under the category of Mexicanfusion cuisine.The first is the famed "kosher burrito," served since 1946 at itseponymousrestaurant at1st StreetandMaininDowntown Los Angeles.Another is the Koreankogi burrito, invented by American chefRoy Choi, the first to combine Mexican andKorean cuisines.The kogi burrito was named the seventh best burrito in Los Angeles in 2012 by theLA Weekly.The kogi burrito is accented with chile-soyvinaigrette,sesame oil, and freshlime juice. Food writer Cathy Chaplin has said that "this is what Los Angeles tastes like."Finally, there is thesushiburrito, most notably the version sold at theJogasakifood truck.Wrapped in flour tortillas,sushi burritosinclude such fillings asspicy tuna,tempura, andcucumber.
The existence of such a large trulyMexican communityin Los Angeles also makes it possible to find a variety of authentic burrito dishes from differentregions of Mexico: fromOaxacatoHidalgo.
Taco Bellresearch chefAnne Albertine experimented withgrillingburritos to enhance portability. This grilling technique allowed large burritos to remain sealed without spilling their contents.This is a well-known cooking technique used by some San FranciscotaqueriasandNorthern Mexicanburrito stands. Traditionally, grilled burritos are cooked on acomal(griddle).
Bean burritos, which are high inproteinand low insaturated fat, have been touted for theirhealth benefits.Black beanburritos are also a good source ofdietary fiberandphytochemicals.