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tashby

Nov 13, 2010, 8:57 PM

Post #1 of 12 (9283 views)

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A torta by any other name....

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.....is a lonche?

Is there any difference? I was at the Feria de los Maestros in Chapala (Jalisco) yesterday. I was starving so I ordered a torta.....somebody - English only speaker - asked me what I was eating and I told her.....then an uber-helpful, also primarily English-speaking person nearby said, "No. That's a lonche...."

"Whatever," I replied.

So is there a difference between the two....or is it just regional/language thing?

esperanza

Nov 13, 2010, 10:24 PM

Post #2 of 12 (9270 views)

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Re: [tashby] A torta by any other name....

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A torta is usually a hot sandwich (think torta ahogada and the Torta Loca place in Mercado San Juan). A lonche is usually a cold sandwich.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Bennie García

Nov 14, 2010, 5:18 AM

Post #3 of 12 (9266 views)

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Re: [tashby] A torta by any other name....

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Po-tay-to ...... po-tah-to . Same o same o.

The word lonche is derived from the English word lunch. It came into the local lexicon during the gringo occupation of Puebla. It can be used to describe either the sandwich or the meal. The sandwich can be hot or cold. Makes no difference.

When used to describe a midday meal, the meal itself can consist of anything, not necessarily un lonche.

"Ahorita vengo. Voy a llevar el lonche a los niños."

http://www.visualenlinea.com/...yita/Bienvenida.html

(This post was edited by Bennie García on Nov 14, 2010, 5:21 AM)

Hound Dog

Nov 14, 2010, 8:53 AM

Post #4 of 12 (9245 views)

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Re: [Bennie García] A torta by any other name....

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Well, thank you for that El Benny. I am reminded that, when in Alabama and one orders a barbeque, one means precisely a barbequed pork sandwich and not, as would be the case in East Africa, a charred orangutan on a stick. I don´t know what we would do on these forums to actually become acquainted with the mysterious ways of Mexico without your lucid explanations.

Dawg has lived in Mexico for ten years and never, even once, had a "drowned sammich". I must rectify that oversight.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 14, 2010, 8:55 AM)

tashby

Nov 14, 2010, 8:54 AM

Post #5 of 12 (9242 views)

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Re: [Bennie García] A torta by any other name....

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Thanks esperanza and Bennie Garcia. This torta/lonche was neither hot nor cold, although I think hot was the intent. (The Feria is held at the Club de Yates in Chapala, an otherwise great venue that unfortunately locks them in to the crappy kitchen there.) The only thing good about the torta was I learned the technique of scraping out a majority of the bolillo dough after the bread has been cut lengthwise. I'd never noticed that before. That's a technique I'll be making a lot of use of at home, whether for a sandwich or not. The bolillos available near me are so damn doughy.

Thanks also for the link to La Playita. That place looks great. I'll be on the lookout for one of their locations next time in GDL. That city is such a puzzle. It reminds me of Los Angeles. A lot of great things hiding within it, but you really need a local to show you where they are.

Rolly

Nov 14, 2010, 9:22 AM

Post #6 of 12 (9236 views)

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Re: [tashby] A torta by any other name....

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When my friend Doña Martha makes tortas, she always pulls out the soft centers.
She would throw them away except I grab them first. I love that soft doughy stuff.
She thinks I'm crazy. Probably so.

Rolly Pirate

Bennie García

Nov 14, 2010, 9:54 AM

Post #7 of 12 (9228 views)

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Re: [tashby] A torta by any other name....

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señor tashby, the soft center of the bolillo, birote o telera is called migajón and if you would like order a torta/lonche with this removed simply say "quiero una torta de (whatever) sin migajón.

Tortas ahogadas should always use the bolillo salado whose hard and crunchy crust hold up well with the au jus they are drowned in.. Otherwise you get mush.

HD, one day when I have time I will post my wife's recipe for a torta ahogada estilo "Gemma" which IMO are far better than the ubiquitous tortas ahogadas found in our area.

esperanza

Nov 14, 2010, 9:59 AM

Post #8 of 12 (9223 views)

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Re: [Bennie García] A torta by any other name....

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In Reply To

HD, one day when I have time I will post my wife's recipe for a torta ahogada estilo "Gemma" which IMO are far better than the ubiquitous tortas ahogadas found in our area.

Te pido la receta, Sr. García! Me hace mucha falta una que valga la pena.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Hound Dog

Nov 14, 2010, 12:01 PM

Post #9 of 12 (9208 views)

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Re: [Bennie García] A torta by any other name....

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HD, one day when I have time I will post my wife's recipe for a torta ahogada estilo "Gemma" which IMO are far better than the ubiquitous tortas ahogadas found in our area.

Do not tempt Dawg with empty promises El Benny. The recipe for torta ahogada "Gemma" forthwith, please. We have friends among us as guests from San Cristóbal. Perhaps a true and historical Jalisco treat would please them.

La Isla

Nov 14, 2010, 2:39 PM

Post #10 of 12 (9193 views)

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Re: [Bennie García] A torta by any other name....

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Living in Mexico City for some time now, I've never heard a "torta" referred to as a "lonche". Thinking it might be a regional term, I turned to the online version of the Diccionario del español usual in Mexico, and this is what I found:

lonche s m 1 (Popular) Lunch: «Se llevan su lonche para irse a trabajar al campo» 2 (N, OCC) Torta o sandwich: «Preparamos unos lonches de jamón y queso para la fiesta».

Bennie García

Nov 14, 2010, 3:56 PM

Post #11 of 12 (9182 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] A torta by any other name....

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Recipe for torta ahogada estilo Gema:

Simmer a pork roast until tender with a bay leaf, a few corns of pimienta gorda, a clove of garlic and a small chunk of onion.

Meanwhile, simmer a few tomatoes in a small amount of water until tender. Drain.

Remove meat from broth and and strain cooking liquid. Return broth to pot. Puree tomatos in blender with a few chiles chipotle to taste. Strain this and add to broth along with a small amount of cream, a little prepared mustard and some canned tomato sauce to thicken. Heat slowly over low heat. Salt to taste.

Cut bolillo salado (has to be a bolillo salado) in half lengthwise. Place in a shallow bowl or deep plate. Make a mixure of crema and mustard and spread on both halves of bolillo.

Place shredded pork on the roll, top with sliced tomato, white onion and avocado slices plus rajas de chile jalapeños to taste. Drown with the prepared sauce. Use enough sauce to adequately moisten. If you use the proper bolillo it will not turn soggy.

Serve with an ice cold cerveza of your choice. Makes a great lunch.

Buen provecho.

Hound Dog

Nov 15, 2010, 9:45 AM

Post #12 of 12 (9140 views)

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Re: [Bennie García] A torta by any other name....

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Thank you El Benny. I forgive you for trying to humiliate me on another thread even though I was deeply hurt.

Dawg