# Teach me about Mexican food **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 16, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752 "2004-06-16T22:51:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/21 "2004-06-17T05:33:43Z")
sorry about the mispellings. The one that really stands out is Nopales. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/22 "2004-06-17T05:54:16Z")
> [@Hugh Jass](#): > > Taco: Tacos can be made with corn or flour tortillas and can be hard or soft. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crispy flour tortilla though. You can put anything in a taco and call it a taco. I think it’s basically like a “sandwich” Not seen everywhere in the U.S is the delightful “Taco al Pastor” which is pork meat in a soft corn tortilla with cilantro and onion and maybe a squeeze of lime. Tacos are always made from corn tortillas. Crispy tacos are a US invention. > [@](#): > > Gordita: I believe a gordita is made with corn dough like the the tamale, but it is shaped like a taco. Dunno much about the fillings. Another US invention. Literally it means “little fat one”. > [@](#): > > Enchilada: I believe these are primarily Tex-Mex. Flour tortillas filled with usually beef, cheese or chicken, in a red sauce, topped with cheese and baked. Always made with corn tortillas. The tortillas are lightly fried and then dipped in a chili sauce, wrapped around a filling, and baked. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/23 "2004-06-17T05:59:37Z")
> [@Bad News Baboon](#): > > burritos- contrary to what is sold at taquerias, burritos are generally small and have one filling. They are _not_ the size of a small baby, nor do they have rice, beans, meat, lettuce, etc. There is no one standard filling. Common fillings include: eggs/potato, bean, chile verde, lengua (tongue), chile colorado, etc. I have never seen a burrito in Mexico, however, stuffed with rice. This has always bothered me. Why would you wrap a starch in another starch? And why make those monster burritos that are so full of stuff that it is spilling out? An authentic burrito should be the size of an egg roll and wrapped neatly. And while I am ranting, Huevos Rancheros with \*flour \* instead of \*corn \* tortillas is an abomination. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2004, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/24 "2004-06-17T06:23:12Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > This has always bothered me. Why would you wrap a starch in another starch? For the same reason you would top a meat with another meat! Haven’t you ever had a bacon-cheeseburger? The wonderfulness of Tex-Mex is that we can take something like a tiny burrito and turn it into a one-burrito-feeds-the-family monster like the serve at several places I know. The cuisine adapts. 😃 And I stand by my condemnation of Menudo (both the “food” and the singing group.) Both are vile beyond words! ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/25 "2004-06-17T06:39:59Z")
The scene, a mexican restaurant, circa 1984. Bill H. is eating with other TCP/IP software developers. Developer 1: What’s the difference between a burrito and a tostada? Bill H.: It’s in the presentation layer. All: Ha ha ha ha that’s the way I remember it, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/26 "2004-06-17T06:52:47Z")
Whoa, information overload. Gonna need some time to learn all this… > [@Hugh Jass](#): > > Gordita: I believe a gordita is made with corn dough like the the tamale, but it is shaped like a taco. Dunno much about the fillings. Seems like it’s fairly close to a burrito, but with a slightly different shape and corn dough instead of a tortilla. Am I right? > [@Hugh Jass](#): > > Enchilada: I believe these are primarily Tex-Mex. Flour tortillas filled with usually beef, cheese or chicken, in a red sauce, topped with cheese and baked. And if you tuck the ends in and leave out the toppings, you get a burrito? Any chance there’s a visual guide on the web somewhere? > [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > rjung: Where in SoCal? I like a place in Orange called The Chili Pepper. Do yourself a favour and try their chipotle salmon, which is often on special. I’ll keep that in mind. I don’t have any particular restaurants in mind, I just want to have some knowledge so I don’t look like a _total_ idiot the next time I get a Mexican menu handed to me. > [@DrMatrix](#): > > General Questions is for questions with factual answers. IMHO is for opinions and polls. **Shrug** I didn’t think “This is a burrito, this is a tostada” was a matter of opinion, but oh well. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2004, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/27 "2004-06-17T07:08:09Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Seems like it’s fairly close to a burrito, but with a slightly different shape and corn dough instead of a tortilla. Am I right? No, it’s actually a flat-bread taco. 😃 You are on the money about enchiladas. Except in parts of New Mexico, where I hear tell they stack them instead of roll them. Can anyone confirm that? ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/28 "2004-06-17T07:54:42Z")
> [@Bill H.](#): > > The scene, a mexican restaurant, circa 1984. Bill H. is eating with other TCP/IP software developers. > > Developer 1: What’s the difference between a burrito and a tostada? > Bill H.: It’s in the presentation layer. > All: Ha ha ha ha > > that’s the way I remember it, anyway. Ooh, I have a dumb computer joke involving Mexican food too! I was eating my tamales, first one then the next. My friend was eating her enchiladas, first the end of one, then the end of the next. I said my food was row-prime and hers was column-prime. Ok, you can laugh now. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/29 "2004-06-17T10:38:07Z")
Sheesh, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, not flour. For those of you lucky enough to live where there are plentiful taco stands, please go eat a _carne al pastor_ burrito for me. I miss them so much. You’ll know they have carne al pastor if you see a giant leg of meat turning on a vertical spit, being basted with savory liquid. Soooo, sooo delicious. Served up with sauteed onions and cilantro. **El Taco Llama** in Los Angeles has them, for sure. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2004, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/30 "2004-06-17T12:11:48Z")
When I was a kid in San Diego we had a woman come in to clean the house occasionally. I loved coming home from elementary school and hearing the “Slap! Slap! Slap!” of fresh corn tortillas being made. I’d always get a snack of a couple of homemade corn tortillas fresh off the pan with butter melting on them. Mmmmm. Dinner would be enchiladas with hand-shredded beef. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/31 "2004-06-17T12:27:04Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] > [@](#): > > Well, first off stay away from any chain, and any restaurant with “Taco” in the name. Ahem. **Tito’s Tacos** on Washington (the northern one) and Sepulveda is \*great!\*QUOTE] IMHO having grown up living in the Barrio and still living there. **silenus** is right. I used to work around the corner from Titio’s and always thought it was lousy. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/32 "2004-06-17T12:28:13Z")
:smack: didn’t preview. DOH! ---
**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:** [June 17, 2004, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/33 "2004-06-17T12:37:05Z")
Nope. Gotta disagree with you, **Rick**. I really like their tacos. And their chili colorado burritos are good too. And best of all, it’s _cheap!_. And they give half-dollars as change. If Tito’s were lousy, why does it always have huge lines outside? Ha-HA! The lousy one is the one right next door, which used to be called Lucy’s. I got queasy about half the times I ate there. But there was nothing like relaxing on a weekend afternoon, watching videos, drinking a beer and eating Tito’s tacos and dipping the chips in the beans. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![grump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8491ac/32.png) [@grump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grump)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/34 "2004-06-17T12:55:41Z")
> [@bdandhr](#): > > Then there is a dish (which I can’t think of the name of off the top of my “American” head) which is quite tasty and begins with cutting up some tortillas. Either corn or flour, doesn’t matter. Add some eggs after the tortillas have “crisped” up a bit, and some onion, salsa and cheese. Makes a very tasty brunch or dinner (if you’re so inclined) entree!! Mmmm. Migas is the name of the dish. Ate this often as a kid. Basically scrambled up eggs and fried corn tortilla bits and anything else you may want to add in. It’s too bad so many Mexican restaurants do not serve breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/35 "2004-06-17T14:13:46Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > This has always bothered me. Why would you wrap a starch in another starch? And why make those monster burritos that are so full of stuff that it is spilling out? An authentic burrito should be the size of an egg roll and wrapped neatly. well, egg and potato burritos are good… But yes, a real burrito is about the size of an eggroll. Burritos are typically made with flour tortillas. Flour tortillas are more common in the North than they are the south. In the north (again, speaking generally) four tortillas are made from scratch daily (or, at least when one can!). Corn tortillas are purchased, daily,at tortillerias (which seem to be on every corner). No one in my family makes the corn ones and no body buys the flour kind. I also don’t know if Gorditas are a US invention. They could very well be a Northern Mexican dish. Usually they are filled with picadillo, a ground beef mixture. That could just be my family, however. Saying that they are like burritos is kind of like saying that a sandwich is like a pita, except for the bread. So, yeah, it’s ‘close’ but sometimes the bread makes all the difference! Enchiladas are always made with corn tortillas. In some places they are stacked (“montadas”) and in others, rolled. The stacked ones are sometimes served with a sunnyside egg on top (mmmmm!). White enchiladas, BTW, are called Suizas (“Swiss”). I was told (and don’t know if it’s true) that it’s because they looked snow-covered. I had never heard of Migas until I moved to Dallas. Mole. Nobody has mentioned mole yet! ---
**Author:** ![amie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@amie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amie)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/36 "2004-06-17T15:10:09Z")
This thread is making me **hungry**!!! I can’t wait until next week when I’ll be in So. California and Mexico eating to myself into a stupor. The best thing I learned from my fiance was that I should love Mexican food! ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/37 "2004-06-17T16:18:50Z")
> [@Bad News Baboon](#): > > I had never heard of Migas until I moved to Dallas. Really? I was introduced to them by a friend from Austin. Great breakfast food. I have to say I’m glad you made the point about regional differences in Mexican food, because it certainly is varied. I love me some Tex-Mex. ---
**Author:** ![Basandre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@Basandre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Basandre)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/38 "2004-06-17T18:28:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > No, it’s actually a flat-bread taco. 😃 > > You are on the money about enchiladas. Except in parts of New Mexico, where I hear tell they stack them instead of roll them. Can anyone confirm that? I tried posting this once already, so I apologize if it double-posts… Yes, we do that here sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![RindaRinda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dfb087/32.png) [@RindaRinda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RindaRinda)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/39 "2004-06-18T02:51:32Z")
> [@Bad News Baboon](#): > > Mole. Nobody has mentioned mole yet! The only mole I’ve been able to sample is mole poblano. I first ate it at the house of a friend of my parents. It was delicious, but outside of peoples’ houses, I couldn’t find any. Fast forward to Japan. In an attempt to introduce Japanese friends to Mexican food during Christmas, I tried to make it myself. Being a misguided food snob, I decided it must be made from scratch - no bottled sauces for me! After weeks of obsessive experimentation, I finally produced a tasty sauce, but what a freaking endless Bataan-like nightmare that was. After that ordeal, I was too tired to eat anything. At least, I was able to build up forearm muscle from grinding pumpkin seeds and stuff with a mortar and pestle. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752/40 "2004-06-18T05:29:36Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > Really? I was introduced to them by a friend from Austin. Great breakfast food. I have to say I’m glad you made the point about regional differences in Mexican food, because it certainly is varied. I love me some Tex-Mex. Well, I lived in Dallas before I lived in Austin. I grew up in El Paso. We never went out to eat at Mexican restaurants…what would be the point in that, having the world’s best cook at home? 🙂 So, no, I never heard of them until I moved out. I think they are Tex-Mex. Another thing great about Mexico: There are ‘restaurants’ (more along the lines of an ice cream store) where they make fresh Liquados (think of smoothies). In Mexico, the snacks often come to you: Vendors walk along the street and sell goodies: Candy apples and Candy kamquats (I think that’s what they are). Paletas (fruit flavored ice pops) Fruit ( a guy on a bike outfitted with a large box cabinet). The fruit is cut fresh and often decorative. You also have vendors who sell roasted corn. Mexican corn is white and not sweet. I have yet to find any here in the states. White, yes. Not sweet, no. The ear of corn is roasted and lime and chile powder are added. The a cheese (kind of like parmesean) is grated on top. People that eat Tex-Mex are pretty surprised at how varied Mexican cuisine really is! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-about-mexican-food/250752.md?page=3)