Peter
Mar 2, 2010, 1:14 AM
Post #20 of 32
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Re: [esperanza] New immigration manual
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Peter, most of the so-called Mexican food in southern California bears no resemblance to real Mexican food--it's Cal-Mex (as opposed to Tex-Mex),...
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Are you saying Tex-Mex is more authentic, and that Cal-Mex is not even in the ballpark? I'm not sure where Taco Bell originated but that is not what I associate with the Mexican food I grew up with in California, that chain is something else altogether, Iowa-Mex perhaps.
Granted, the burger stand variety was not as authentic but even some of that is not far off from what you find being sold in the street corner taco fry stands of Morelia. In the restaurants of Oxnard, California the chiles rellenos I have eaten there since the 50's are no different than what my esposa Mexicana prepares at home here are virtually identical and for many other menu items one could say the same, just like from the home kitchens here. But these items are sold alongside others with a decidedly Americanized twist, like what is comonly known there as a taco, a taco dorado prepared with ground meat; they really don't do that here quite the same. Then Taco Bell took that idea and sanitized the hell out of it, flavor included. They are a far cry from even the burger stand Mexican food items of the old California style.
The early Southern California burritos were strictly little rolled and fried corn tortillas filled only with beans and occasionally with cheese added, then served in an order of three accompanied by a small cup of hot sauce. I doubt this was first done on foreign soil, but something very similar would not be entirely uncommon on a Mexican dinner table. Please don't tell me beans rolled in a fried corn tortilla with red chile salsa is pure gringo.
When Flour tortillas started becoming popular, being much larger they were rolled up with other burger stand items such as lettuce, tomato, onions, ground beef spiced for tacos, cheese, and refried beans, not fried, then sold as a "flour burrito," the others now listed as "corn burritos." In a short time they became very popular as they were huge, very filling, inexpensive, and easy to prepare. In time the little "corn burritos" virtually disappeared from the menu and their big brother became known only as a burrito, the burrito. That is the evolution of this concoction where I grew up and probably as authentic a story as any about this Mexican-style tortilla sandwich.
In time stands began to open up dedicated to the sole purpose of selling burritos, accompanying drinks, and nothing else. They mostly all began to follow much the same formula and again evolved. They were now available with a variety of meat selections such as carne asada, carnitas, barbacoa, al pastor, chile verde (diced pork stewed in green chile sauce), and other selections or without meat, all accompanied with rice, beans, a sprinkling of diced onions and cilantro, and a choice of hot or mild salsa. Most every shop had some variations but mainly all followed the same general formula, and in most cases the lettuce and tomato disappeared. For several decades now that is the common burrito you would find at most of the independent stands in much of Southern California. The usual drinks available are fountain or bottled sodas, and aquas of horchata, jamaica, and tamarindo.
Now that the experts have established that flour tortillas are indeed REAL Mexican it is difficult for me to imagine that it was not some ingenious Mexicano on the Republic's soil that was not the first to roll some guisado up in a flour tortilla with a bit of rice, beans, and salsa and proceed to eat the concoction. Hell, he probably just called it a taco if he gave naming the concoction a thought at all. What I can believe is that some gringo fry cook perhaps first thought to list it on the menu as a type of burrito.
I don't find that burrito here in Morelia, but indeed a burrito of sorts can be found, what it has in common is that it is huge and with a variety of things rolled up in a flour tortilla. What it suffers here is similar to that of the hamburguesa in that it is usually sort of over-done with things that seemingly don't belong and has lost its simplicity to a hodge-podge of extras like fried mashed potatoes and every kind of sauce available added together on it like worschestershire, ketchup, mayo, crema, mostaza, chile salsa, etc. That kind of food over-innovation is what keeps me away from the higher-end restaurants here. The gringo versions of these foods is typically much simpler.
I saw the California-style burrito evolve into something perhaps more authentic Mexican in style, and Taco Bell sprout up and run it in the other direction. And now on the streets of Michoacán I have seen it evolve in another way altogether, but that is authentic Mexican food as sold here in Mexico. Sunday, just after posting in this thread I got tried a burrito from just around the corner from me on Morelia's main street. Chorizo, fried potato, lettuce, queso amarillo, sour cream, and ketchup wrapped in a heated flour tortilla with a couple roasted serrano chiles on the side is an example of a genuine-article Mexican burrito.
(This post was edited by Peter on Mar 2, 2010, 1:33 AM)
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