Devouring a plump, juicy burrito is so satisfying. It is the perfect meal for when you are starving and want something quick and relatively ‘healthy’ on-the-go!
What is a Burrito?
Traditionally, a burrito is a flour tortilla, packed with meat and beans wrapped up tightly. Sometimes the tortilla is lightly grilled or steamed to make it easy to fold. Outside of Mexico, rice, vegetables, and cheese are also added to the burrito, but these types of burritos have been changed from the original Mexican recipe.
History of the Burrito
‘Burrito’ means ‘little donkey’ in Spanish and there are a couple of theories as to what this meaning has to do with a burrito. Some researchers think it is because a tightly-packed burrito looks like a bedroll or packs that a donkey would carry.
Another theory is that it comes from a street vendor named Juan Mendez who started selling tacos from his stall in Juarez in the 1920s. To transport his supplies every day, he would put them on a donkey. The Diccionario de Mexicanismos mentions the burrito as far back as 1895. It states: ‘A rolled tortilla with meat or other ingredients inside, called ‘cocito’ in Yucatan and ‘taco’ in the city of Cuernavaca and in Mexico City’. Because of this entry, it is believed that burritos originated in Guanajuato, a state in central Mexico. The burrito has evolved over the decades, with the rest of the world adding rice, beans, cheese, and sauces. It first came to the US in the 1900s, with the first burrito being served at El Cholo Spanish Café in Los Angeles in the 1930s.
Different types of burritos
Traditional/Mexican burrito – is usually a flour tortilla filled with meat and refried beans.
Mission burrito – is a jumbo (extra-large) tortilla filled with meat, rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, vegetables, and jalapenos.
California burrito – is a flour tortilla filled with either grilled marinated chicken or beef, French fries, cheddar cheese, tomato salsa, and guacamole.
Wet burrito – is a flour tortilla filled with shredded beef, rice, lettuce, tomato, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese.
Breakfast burrito – is a flour tortilla filled with potato, chorizo, pepper, onion, eggs, cheese, avocado and chili sauce.
Chimichanga – is a flour tortilla filled with ground chicken or beef, refried beans, onion, tomato, cheese, and bell pepper.
Kogi burrito – is a flour tortilla filled with meat, hash browns, eggs, cheese, onion, lettuce, kimchi, and sesame chili salsa.
Where to find burritos in Singapore?
Since burritos are such popular Mexican food, they can be found all around Singapore. Our dear Myra’s Stadium does a variety of burritos, as do Comida Mexicana. Find more burritos on foodpanda!
