Burrito
The Television & Movie Wiki: for TV, celebrities, and movies.
- For other uses, see Burrito (disambiguation).
Image:IMG 0810.JPG A burrito is a Mexican dish originating in either northern Mexico or the southwestern United States. The name "burrito" comes from the Spanish diminutive of burro.
Contents |
Ingredients
A burrito typically consists of already cooked beans or meat, usually with other ingredients such as rice. The ingredients are then wrapped in a flour tortilla that has been lightly grilled (or sometimes steamed) to soften the tortilla and make it more pliable. Popular fillings include:
- Meat
- Carne asada (grilled steak strips)
- Carne Molida (Ground beef)
- Barbacoa (slow-cooked meat, usually beef byproducts)
- Pork al pastor (marinated pork, slowly barbecued)
- Carnitas (pork fried in lard)
- Chicken (Pollo)
- Chorizo - a Mexican sausage
- Fish (Pescado, usually fried fish)
- Machaca (shredded beef, usually with eggs)
- Shrimp (Camarones)
- Beef tongue (Lengua)
- Beef brains (Cabeza)
- Birria (goat meat)
- Tripe (Tripa)
- Chicharrones (fried pork rinds, stewed)
- Other ingredients
- Salsa Roja, Salsa Verde, or other salsas
- Refried beans
- Whole pinto beans
- Black beans
- Mexican rice
- Shredded lettuce or cabbage
- Diced tomato
- Diced onions (often grilled)
- Cilantro
- Jalapeño peppers or other peppers
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Shredded cheese, which can be mild cheddar or jack cheese, or could be a soft Mexican cheese, such as Queso blanco, Oaxaca or Asadero, or other farmer cheese
Less common ingredients include lobster and chile relleno.
Variations
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.
Some cities have their own variations with one of the most well-known being the San Francisco burrito. San Diego, California has popularized the California burrito, typically a combination of carne asada, french fries, and salsa fresca. (sometimes referred to as a Cali burrito or "San Diego style"). Some American restaurants also feature burritos with non-Mexican ingredients, such as pastrami.
A variation called the breakfast burrito consists of a flour tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon or sausage, occasionally hash browns, and salsa.
Burritos are commonly called tacos de harina (flour tacos) in Eastern Mexico and burritas (feminine, with 'a') in northern-style restaurants outside of Northern Mexico proper. In Mexican-American cuisine, crispy fried burritos are called chimichangas. A similar kind of burrito that is long and thin, prepared in Sonora, Mexico and vicinity, is called a chivichanga.
See also
References
- Bayless, Rick and Deann Groen Bayless, Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico (1987) (ISBN 0688043941), p. 142.
