# Educate me about burritos, please **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [January 15, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849 "2022-01-15T14:55:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/221 "2022-01-19T21:48:39Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Carne asada, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, and a bit chopped onions. (Actually ground beef would be closer, but… Dude. Asada.) Got a good carne asada recipe? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/222 "2022-01-19T21:51:45Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > Flautas can certainly made from corn tortillas, and most likely usually are. Everything I ever experienced, seen, or read says otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/223 "2022-01-19T22:04:20Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > El Indio says the distinction is in the shell. Corn = taquito, flour = flauta. I’ve had corn tortilla flautas, and all the taquitos I’ve had are much smaller than flautas. I mean, taquitos are made with a taco-size tortilla. Flautas are made with larger ones… 10 inch? ETA: flautas are probably 99% more likely to be flour. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/224 "2022-01-19T22:09:17Z")
Strangely, I don’t have one bookmarked; probably because it’s one of those things you just make on the fly. Just put the steak (couple of pounds) in a gallon bag with a little olive oil, juice from a couple of limes, juice from an orange, a bunch of crushed garlic, a bunch of chopped cilantro, minced jalapeño, cumin, a little chile powder, salt, and pepper. Mix it all together. Let the meat marinate in the fridge overnight, then toss it on the barbie and grill it medium-rare. I’ve been meaning to try the pre-made ones from Trader Joe’s. TJ’s is often pretty good when you want something quick. ETA: Also the barbie’s under cover, and SWMBO is using the propane for her patio heater. So TJ’s would be easier right now.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/225 "2022-01-19T22:16:02Z")
Around here, you sometimes see a packaged snack food consisting of rolled corn tortillas deep-fried to a crisp. The texture is great, but the only flavor I’ve ever seen for them is Chili Lime, which just tastes wrong for a crunchy snack, to me. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/226 "2022-01-19T22:49:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Just put the steak (couple of pounds) in a gallon bag with a little olive oil, juice from a couple of limes, juice from an orange, a bunch of crushed garlic, a bunch of chopped cilantro, minced jalapeño, cumin, a little chile powder, salt, and pepper. This is mine, almost item for item except I normally use a small can of chipotles in adobo (cooked and smoked jalapenos in sauce), processed with a mini food processor with half a beer (Corona, Tecate, or something similarly mild). Since they tend to be sweeter, I leave out the orange juice. I just want the more smoky flavor in my carne. Not better/worse than @Johnny_L.A 's just more to my taste. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/227 "2022-01-19T22:53:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > … packaged snack food consisting of rolled corn tortillas deep-fried to a crisp … Takis is the brand you see most often: > **[Takis (snack)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takis_(snack))** > > Takis are a Mexican brand of rolled corn tortilla chip snack made by Barcel, a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo. Fashioned after the taquito, it comes in numerous flavors, the best selling of which is the chili-lime "Fuego" flavor, sold in distinctive purple bags. Besides the rolled corn chips, Takis also produces a number of other snacks with the same flavor lines, including a number of different potato chip varieties, corn stix, popcorn, and peanuts. > Takis were invented in Mexico in 1999 and introdu... I like them alright, up to about 6 or 8 Takis. Then, I’m done, though that’s true of a lot of chips. They’re pretty intense. And also pretty intensely dyed. Someone brought a bag to a cookout last summer and I didn’t even want to touch them, they were so blue. Luckily, they’re easy to eat with a toothpick or skewer because of the rolled shape. While at a family gathering, Takis came up and my sister’s kids couldn’t believe their grandparents had never tried them before. Seniors in the Midwest are not the target demographic ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/228 "2022-01-19T22:53:22Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@DavidNRockies](#): > > > > Naugles ? > > Trick question! 😛 \ v1.0, of course [ETA: pre-acquisition, pre-resurrection] 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![InfraBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infrablue/32/6366_2.png) [@InfraBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InfraBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/229 "2022-01-19T22:54:13Z")
A common burrito filling is a beef hash called _picadillo_ that’s basically seasoned ground beef with potatoes that range from rather large cubes to mince. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/230 "2022-01-19T22:56:22Z")
Oh, yeah. Potato is a common filling at any of the non-chain places around here. Especially breakfast burritos. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/231 "2022-01-19T22:56:38Z")
Interesting, but not appealing to me. I always go with carne asada or carnitas. Well, sometimes al Pastor. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/232 "2022-01-20T15:23:21Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Everything I ever experienced, seen, or read says otherwise. Where is this experience, 'cause I live in Arizona and have never seen a flour tortilla used in a flauta, only corn. I found [an article](https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/flauta-vs-taquito-what-difference) claiming flautas were flour and taquitos were corn but the writer’s name is Alexa so I would take that with a grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/233 "2022-01-20T15:32:49Z")
Gotta agree with **Elmer**. > **[Quick & Easy Mexican Cooking](https://books.google.com/books?id=WZgVV7r2_fwC&pg=PA107&dq=taquito&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zHmyUfulA4SGyAHsuoG4BQ&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBThQ#v=onepage&q=taquito&f=false)** > > The James Beard Award–nominated author heads south of the border to share “simple recipes that can be made on any weeknight” (Bon Appétit).Es verdad! You can cook Mexican food on a weeknight in under one hour. Using readily available ingredients and... ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/234 "2022-01-20T15:52:02Z")
Terminology like this can get flipped or changed in other parts of the US. But I generally associate taquitos with corn and flautas with flour, but I’ve also seen them both made with corn with the distinction apparently being length (flautas are longer.) And, then again, I’ve seen it used apparently interchangeably. I’m most used to seeing **Elmer’s** distinction, but I’m sure where you’re at, it’s completely different. That’s pretty normal with food items as they travel. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/235 "2022-01-20T16:21:54Z")
Southern California with half a century of Mexican dining under my belt. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/236 "2022-01-20T16:56:47Z")
For what it’s worth, my edition of “La Tacopedia: Enciclopedia del Taco” does not mention any flour vs corn tortilla difference when it comes to flautas. They just say the defining feature is a extra large tortilla, so that it looks like a flute, and that it must be tightly shaped around the filling. (If my Spanish is to be trusted.) The picture used in the book to accompany the pages on flautas, though, looks like a corn tortilla. Most of the Mexican websites for flauta recipes I’ve found seem to just treat them as normal tacos dorados (fried tacos) and use corn, but don’t make a distinction of it being large or small. So it varies. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/237 "2022-01-20T17:20:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > So it varies. This is not an acceptable answer. Somebody has to be **wrong** , dammit! Otherwise how can we pat ourselves on the back for our special knowledge? If answers can vary, then deviation becomes normal. You know what happens then? SOCIALISM!!! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/238 "2022-01-20T17:53:38Z")
That sounds fantastic, especially the pickled veggies on it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/239 "2022-01-20T18:00:42Z")
To add further confusion, “taquitos” can just mean “little tacos” (which it does – it’s a diminuative), and they can be just that south of the border-- mini tacos. Like, see here: > **[Taquitos vs. Taquitos – Mexican Cuisine Explained](https://denverspanishtutor.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/taquitos-vs-taquitos-mexican-cuisine-explained/)** > > I went out to eat at a fast food Mexican restaurant with my dad a while back and when we finally got our food we looked each other in amazement. It’s not that we were unaccustomed to eating M… (Note also the bit on flautas at the end.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849/240 "2022-01-20T18:08:14Z")
Or Gustavo Arellano’s **Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America** : Pg 52 - (Talking about tacos in general) "Roll it like an enchilada, deep-fry it, and you have taquitos (also called flautas). Thanks a lot, Gus. You’re a big help. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-about-burritos-please/957849.md?page=13)