# Whats the difference between a burrito, a soft taco, a chimmi-changa, etc. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276 "2010-02-24T17:42:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/41 "2010-02-25T00:00:54Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > How so? Is the culture of México the same there as in Oaxaca? The food in México is a reflection of our culture. There is a great difference in the culture of México and the culture of the US even in the places with a lot of Mexican influence. > > That is like saying the Chinese food or Italian food etc in the US is as authentic as it is in the country of origen. Well, there were people cooking food in the Mexican style in California and Texas for longer than California and Texas have been part of the United States. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/42 "2010-02-25T00:09:22Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Flour shelled fish tacos is not the norm, but I’ve seen them. But _cheese_? That’s just bizarre. I’m used to the fish tacos in Baja: soft corn tortillas, fish, cabbage, white sauce. With a squeeze of lime and a Carta Blanca. > > Damn. Now I’m hungry! I’ve never seen fish tacos on flour tortillas before this place. But I’ve seen cheese on them in SoCal (granted, not in a Mexican restaurant – which the pub isn’t, BTW). Taco del Mar (a chain) puts cheese on unless you tell them not to. (They make the tacos in front of you, like Subway makes sandwiches.) But I agree with you: Soft corn tortillas, fish, cabbage, white sauce, and lime squeezin’s. Speaking of white sauce, how do you make it? I mix taco seasoning into some sour cream. It’s lazy, but it tastes good – and I don’t have a real recipe. Fish: Battered and fried? Or spatula’d on a grill? I prefer fried, myself. The pub uses Cajun-style blackened filets. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/43 "2010-02-25T00:13:46Z")
**Johnny** , have you tried [Chevy’s](http://www.chevys.com/locations.aspx?address=98660)? ---
**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:** [February 25, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/44 "2010-02-25T00:15:15Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > **Johnny** , have you tried [Chevy’s](http://www.chevys.com/locations.aspx?address=98660)? No, the closest one is like 270 miles away. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/45 "2010-02-25T00:17:11Z")
I generally do a 50/50 mix of sour cream and mayo, then hit it with some lime juice, diced cilantro and a dollop of adobo sauce. The fish is usually battered and fried. Hell, I’ve used Gorton’s Fish Sticks in tacos before. It’s all good. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/46 "2010-02-25T00:18:50Z")
I’ll give that a try. (And yes, I used breaded fish filets once. It works in a pinch.) ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/47 "2010-02-25T00:32:47Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > I also have a question about the ‘very fattening’ comment. While I agree that you can get super fatty Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes, a normal sized bean burrito (for instance) doesn’t seem outrageous - am I forgetting some key, super fatty ingredient? Fajita’s seem sort of ok as well - grilled veg and a tortilla seem not so bad?? Largely because of one of the most popular traditional ingredients in a lot of Tex-Mex, lard. Mexican food cookbook author [Jim Peyton wrote this FAQ](http://www.lomexicano.com/faq_mexican_food_cooking_recipes.htm), and specifically addresses this in the next to last question. Lard was used to make tortillas, refried beans, tamales, etc. and there’s just no way to have low-fat lard. A health-conscious cook can find good substitutes, but the most commonly used recipes were loaded with saturated fat from lard. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/48 "2010-02-25T00:33:42Z")
I really like a bit of queso fresco on a fish taco (made with soft corn tortilla of course) and no white sauce, but instead a zip of a good spicy salsa, either red or green is good to me. As far as the fish, I like both grilled or deep fried (battered) but I suppose that grilled is more healthy and possibly more “authentic” whatever the fock that means when it comes to food. Dos Equis, Pacifico or if I want to drink what all the Mexicans (and I mean people actually born and raised in Mexico, living in Salt Lake) around here drink, a bottle of Budwieser… ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/49 "2010-02-25T00:46:16Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Hell, I’ve used Gorton’s Fish Sticks in tacos before. It’s all good. Do I know you? You werent the guy who brought the sushi rolls with generic spam in them to the company cook out were you? 🙂 ---
**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:** [February 25, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/50 "2010-02-25T00:47:15Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I have never seen an enchilada made with flour tortillas, but I won’t insist that it can’t be done. An enchilada is a tortilla dish that has been cooked in a chile sauce. The name in Spanish roughly translates as “chilied” (yeah, I know, I’m verbing a noun). I was going to come in and say most of this. All “enchilada” means is “en-chilied.” There are even enchiladas in which the chiles are in the dough used to make the tortilla. See" [enchiladas potosinas](http://www.visitingmexico.com.mx/blog/wp-content/uploads/san-luis-potosi-gastronomia-de-fuertes-raices.jpg). These are from San Luis Potosi and resemble empanadas or tacos dorados (fried tacos) more than the typical enchilada, but are known as enchiladas because they are made with en-chilied dough. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/51 "2010-02-25T00:56:15Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > IME, flautas are made with flour tortillas. Basically a flour tortilla version of a taquito. I’ve seen no consistency for the terms. Zarela Martinez, restaurateur and cookbook author, writes in _Food From My Heart_, writes: > [@](#): > > Flautas: I think in my childhood we would simply have called these taquitos. By the late 1970s tortillas rolled into cylinders around a filling and deep-fried had become very popular with US audiences under the name of flautas (“flutes.”) I made them a lot in the El Paso business, and they are one of the most popular items at Zarela and in my catering business. She continues with her recipe, which calls for corn tortillas. According to what I can find on Google, some places in the US make the corn vs. flour distinction in taquitos. Some places in Mexico make a length distinction (long = flauta, short = taquito.) I use the terms interchangeably. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/52 "2010-02-25T01:05:54Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > Largely because of one of the most popular traditional ingredients in a lot of Tex-Mex, lard. Mexican food cookbook author [Jim Peyton wrote this FAQ](http://www.lomexicano.com/faq_mexican_food_cooking_recipes.htm), and specifically addresses this in the next to last question. Lard was used to make tortillas, refried beans, tamales, etc. and there’s just no way to have low-fat lard. A health-conscious cook can find good substitutes, but the most commonly used recipes were loaded with saturated fat from lard. > > Enjoy, > Steven Only flour tortillas use any type of fat, whether the traditional lard or vegetable shortening. Corn tortillas do not use anything but water and nixtamal. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/53 "2010-02-25T04:28:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Flautas: I think in my childhood we would simply have called these taquitos. When I was little my sister would take me to Pacific Beach, where there was a taco stand. She used to buy me two taquitos with guacamole. _Loved_ them! I didn’t have a flauta (in a flour tortilla) until the late-'80s. So in my mind a taquito is made with a corn tortilla, and a flauta is made with a flour tortilla. A flauta made with a corn tortilla would, to me, be a ‘big taquito’. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/54 "2010-02-25T14:50:37Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Mexican food invented in Texas, California, New Mexico, or Arizona is just as authentic Mexican as food invented in Oaxaca. Robb Walsh writes about food for the _Houston Press_. Here’s part of his series on Tex-Mex (later published as a book), dealing with “[The Myth of Authenticity](http://www.houstonpress.com/2000-10-26/restaurants/the-authenticity-myth/).” Here in Houston, soft tacos are made with flour\* or\* corn tortillas. Corn tastes better but flour makes a sturdier wrapper. Enchiladas are nearly always made with corn tortillas here. I’ve tasted seafood or spinach enchiladas made with flour tortillas–perhaps the cook thinks they work like crepes. Nope. We’ve got a wide variety of Tex-Mex down here. Plus a few restaurants offering “interior Mexican” cuisine. And quite a few places run by recent immigrants, serving more recent immigrants–& brave gringos! ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/55 "2010-02-25T19:43:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve seen no consistency for the terms. Zarela Martinez, restaurateur and cookbook author, writes in _Food From My Heart_, writes: > She continues with her recipe, which calls for corn tortillas. > > According to what I can find on Google, some places in the US make the corn vs. flour distinction in taquitos. Some places in Mexico make a length distinction (long = flauta, short = taquito.) I use the terms interchangeably. If you like to confide in celebrity chefs such as Martinez that is fine and for many they are the only resource available. But to really get to know and understand Mexican food the very best places to learn (understandably difficult or impossible for many readers here) are México’s _mercados_ and _cenadurías_. As Pablo Neruda said “_México está en sus mercados_” For those who can read Spanish there are also a large number of books published here by CONACULTA or the “Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes” aimed at preserving traditional cooking. Another impeccable source for information on authentic Mexican cuisine are books _La cocina de México I_ and _La cocina de México II_ by José N. Iturriaga. He also has books titled “\* La cultura del antojito\*\*” and “_De tacos, tamales y tortas_”. \*most of the discussion on the SD concerning Mexican food centers on _antojitos_ ---
**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:** [February 25, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/56 "2010-02-25T22:20:49Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > If you like to confide in celebrity chefs such as Martinez that is fine and for many they are the only resource available. I’ve only had the pleasure so far of experiencing Merida’s (and Progreso’s) _mercados_ during a recent exploration of the Yucatán, and my next stop, hopefully, will be Oaxaca. No matter where I travel, the first place you will find me is at the street vendor and markets/butchers/delis/etc. This is how I like to learn a culture. 🙂 I cited Martinez because, well, that’s the best citation I had on hand. I could have reached for Bayless, but at least Martinez is actually from Mexico. For all I know, she may be wrong, but I’m curious as to whether in your experience there is a difference between flautas and taquitos. I would like to learn more. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/57 "2010-02-25T22:31:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve only had the pleasure so far of experiencing Merida’s (and Progreso’s) _mercados_ during a recent exploration of the Yucatán, and my next stop, hopefully, will be Oaxaca. No matter where I travel, the first place you will find me is at the street vendor and markets/butchers/delis/etc. This is how I like to learn a culture. 🙂 I cited Martinez because, well, that’s the best citation I had on hand. I could have reached for Bayless, but at least Martinez is actually from Mexico. For all I know, she may be wrong, but I’m curious as to whether in your experience there is a difference between flautas and taquitos. I would like to learn more. I believe in a previous post I explained that the size of the tortilla is what makes the difference. The taquito (the suffix alone explains it) is the smaller and the flauta is made using a larger tortilla. But they are both versions of the modest taco. I know little about Bayless except that my sister visited people in Chicago several years ago and they insisted on taking her to dine there. She wasn’t much impressed. Kind of a style over substance atmosphere according to her. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/58 "2010-02-25T23:35:51Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > I believe in a previous post I explained that the size of the tortilla is what makes the difference. The taquito (the suffix alone explains it) is the smaller and the flauta is made using a larger tortilla. But they are both versions of the modest taco. Sorry, I missed your post, but I did mention the size difference in my post, too. I’m just wondering whether this is a consistent distinction throughout the diverse states in Mexico, or whether this is a distinction that is made mostly in your area. Lord knows there can be a lot of variety on what a particular foodstuff is depending on where in Mexico you are/come from. Bayless’s restaurants, from what I understand, are definitely upscale and catered towards more of a fine-dining American crowd, but try to stay true to their roots. I really can’t afford dining at places like that, so I end up at smaller, family-run places. However, through people like him, Diane Kennedy, and, to a lesser extent since it seems nobody I talk to seems to know who she is, Zarela Martinez, the knowledge of Mexican food in the US has gone beyond tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. There’s still a long way to go. Chicago, in my opinion, is especially great to get acquainted with regional Mexican cuisine. My two favorite places are a Yucatecan joint and a Jaliscan birrieria, but you can find restaurants specializing in Oaxacan, Norteno, Veracruzan, etc. cuisines. ---
**Author:** ![zarela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8491ac/32.png) [@zarela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zarela)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/59 "2010-02-26T04:40:22Z")
I am Zarela Martinez and for those who don’t know who I am, I invite you to visit my website [www.zarela.com](http://www.zarela.com) where you will find information regarding many of the subjects above, including lard. Besides Food from my Heart, I’ve written the Food and Life of Oaxaca and Zarela’s Veracruz (companion to my PBS series.) These two regions have some of the distinctive and exciting food in Mexico and I situate the cuisines in a cultural context. Both states have fascinating markets and while it is true that you can find good regional dishes at the food stands, most locals go to the markets to buy ingredients to cook at home. I had to hire local cooks and botanists to identify products that are only found in a specific area and that sometimes have different names from one town to another. Most tourists don’t have the opportunity to work with them there or bring them home to experiment but they are increasingly available in this country so you can make at home what you taste on your travels. To get the full experience of a place I suggest a cooking class. I have a list on my website. It’s thrilling for me to know that there is so much interest in the food of my country. My mission is to make my culture in all its manifestations known and understood so write if you have any question. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276/60 "2010-02-26T16:17:39Z")
So Zarela, with your _amplio conocimiento_ would you like to offer your insight on the question in the OP? Because I get the impression this is just plug for your website. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-burrito-a-soft-taco-a-chimmi-changa-etc/530276.md?page=4)