7 Facts About Burritos + Where to Order One
- Noelle Matthews
- Jul 11, 2017
- 3 min read
With popular chains like Chipotle, Qdoba, and Freebirds all serving "Mission Burrito"-style fare, you have likely experienced burrito culture-shock if you live in the US and have traveled to Mexico. The Mission Burrito orginated in the Mission District of San Francisco, California sometime in the 1960s. What set it apart from other burritos was its large size and inclusion of extra rice and a variety of other ingredients. Think of it as the "everything but the kitchen sink" of burritos, wrapped in tin foil. As a Californian born in the 1980s, I was very surprised to find out my idea of what a burrito was, was actually very, very different from how the burrito began.
7 facts about burritos you probably don't know:
In Spanish "burro" means donkey, so "burrito"- the diminutive form- means "little donkey". There is no clear history for why burritos (the food) are called "little donkeys", but some suspect it is because a rolled up burrito looks like a donkey's ear. Burrito shops and stands will often have a burro (donkey) logo– this does not mean they sell burro meat! (phew).
Burritos are referenced in Mexican dictionaries dating back to the 1890s, an English reference came in the early 1930s.
Burritos in Mexico are made thin and small and usually have only one or two ingredients.
The flour tortilla is usually grilled or steamed to soften it and make it more pliable, allowing it to adhere to itself when wrapped.
Burritos are consumed far less in Mexico than in the United States, Tacos are far more popular than burritos south of the border.
If you deep-fry a burrito, it becomes a chimichanga.
Speaking of frying... refried beans are not actually re-fried (as in fried twice). This is a mistranslation from the Spanish "frijoles refritos", which means beans that are cooked in water and then fried. Refrito means “well fried" not “fried twice.”
Where's a good place to get a traditional Mexican burrito? Burritos Chostomo! They have four locations listed on their website, but I've only been to two– the one by the gas station in Cerro Colorado, and more frequently the one inside the La Comer (formerly Mega) shopping center near the main roundabout in San Jose del Cabo. Notice how I didn't really refer to street names? Yea, that isn't really a thing here in terms of giving directions...
There are around 30 burrito options, mostly made up of 1 ingredient items. A few have 2 ingredients listed, but it isn't the normal–cheese is extra, so don't forget to add it if you get #1 (bean burrito).
As you learned in the facts above– tortillas are usually grilled before, to help form their eventual "burro"-ito shape!
Burritos Chostomo is a great example of the traditional Mexican burrito– remember this is fast food. Think of it as the "McDonald's" of Baja, but don't get confused by the ACTUAL McDonald's that is in the same plaza. In preparing this post I read through a bunch of reviews online about Burritos Chostomo, most were positive, but some were pretty adamant that this is nothing to write home about. I obviously disagree with the latter (hi mom!!), but I did want to make the "fast food" disclaimer in case someone was expecting some type of delicacy. This is not that. It is, however, a great example of delicious local cuisine. Salud!
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