Beef, Bean, Chicken, Steak, Pork, Breakfast…you name it, it has been stuffed into a burrito! But other than the fact that they are mind-blowingly delicious, what do you actually know about burritos? Let us explore this cylindrical shaped sleeping bag full of ingredients.
First, it is important to define what a burrito is. A burrito is a dish that combines Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine influences. A burrito consists of a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylindrical shape around various ingredient combinations. The tortilla is often lighted grilled or even steamed to allow it to be more pliable and allow it to adhere to itself when wrapped. Basically, a burrito is what happens when food hugs itself.
Most frequently, burritos rely on savory fillings. Most often meat such as chicken, beef, or pork, but they tend to also include other ingredients like rice, cooked beans, vegetables, cheese, and condiments such as salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, or crema.
Burritos are often compared to other Mexican food items like tacos or enchiladas, but they are actually very different. Tacos are open and folded vs the burrito that is wrapped tightly and sealed. Enchiladas use corn tortillas and are frequently fried and then covered in some type of savory sauce before being consumed with a knife and a fork. A chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito.
Why is it called a burrito? The etymology of the word burrito means “little donkey” in Spanish. While no one is completely certain where the name came from, it is probably derived from the tendency for burritos to contain many different ingredients, similar to how a donkey is able to carry a large number of items.
Why is the burrito so popular? The burrito first appeared in the United States in the 1940s thanks to migrant workers. Burritos for lunch made sense to these workers because they were easy to make and easy to pack. Even though the migrant workers were ambivalent about the dish, other Americans quickly fell in love with it. Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America was quoted as saying, “I have always maintained the biggest fans of Mexican food are Americans.” Once burritos could be frozen, they became a national sensation!
At Nacho Hippo, we would never use a frozen burrito, but we are grateful that they are so loved. Our take on a burrito has been as wild as our take on every other item on our menu. Our Sloppy Burritos are anything but traditional! 1. You have options. 2. You have options. 3. You can skip the tortilla.
Let’s start with your options. There are four different offerings for fillings in our Sloppy Burritos. All burritos are stuffed with yellow rice, seasoned black beans, Pico de Gallo sour cream, and then covered in queso, but the big flavors come from the meat and cheese combinations. You have the option to choose one of these four options.
- Chicken and Monterey Jack cheese.
- Slow Roasted Pork and Monterey Jack cheese. (Interested in learning more about this? Check out our January blog on slow-roasted pork at Nacho Hippo here.
- Taco Beef and Cheddar cheese.
- Seared Vegetables and Queso Fresco.
Like so many other items on our menu, burritos hold a special place in our hearts and stomachs. We love the flavor combinations and textures that they provide. They make us happy. We love to share our food with our guests and we look forward to making a burrito for you!
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