Please educate me.
I can understand nearly all form of tortilla logistics, the function and form combined with fillings and flavourings, but one eludes comprehension, and especially the obsession: the taco. I have tried a large number of styles, both authentic and.. not, and can say that all are delicious, but I have some observations.
Burrito: large, hand-holdable, and enclosed, developed for a need for long-term snacks circa early 1900's. Fillings inside and folded (occasionally additionally sealed with cheese) to prevent leakage, and the largest can prove difficult to eat but enable full dietary requirements in one meal. Meats are often marinated.
Chimichanga: deep-fried burrito. Because Americans hate their arteries, gave me acid reflux for 32 hours.
Fajita: a smaller, open ended burrito, developed for ease of eating for industrial workers circa 1920-40s and to make use of cheaper meat cuts such as skirt. Thinner cuts and high-heat stir frying is often required to get such cuts tender, giving a more smokey flavour.
Enchilada: Smaller burritos/fajitas covered in sauce and oven baked for non-hand eating with typically a more liquidous filling. Can be considered the 'sit-down meal' of this sub-family.
Quesadilla/Empalma: calzone-esque, typically cheese heavy for adhesion. Liquid sauces are often avoided due to leakage, however I have encountered a fair few with dipping options. Grilled or light fried for melt and a large variety of filling.
Taquitos: Literally means small tacos but is just deep-fried mini-fajitas as they are rolled-up. The nature of cooking lends well to a carnitas style of filling. I would call them Spanish/Mexican cannoli (1900's vs 1000's, the Italians win) but I fear I would find Hispanics at my door and I have run out of tequila to beg for my life.
Alambres: not technically like the others but is traditionally cooked like Mexican kebab. Can strongly recommend.
Chalupa/Tostadas: style is too varied for direct comparison, some are effectively mini pizzas while others are more akin to frybreads. easy to cut or hold to preference and can be used as larger nachos or smaller half-quesadillas. Get your mind out the gutter.
Huevos Rancheros: Personal favourite, effectively an egg based breakfast platter. I think of it as the Mexican equivalent of a British fry-up but considerably easier to make and optionally healthier so therefore preferable after a night out.
Nachos: Deep fried tortilla chips, conventionally more equivalent to a crisp/chip and designed for snacking and holding sauces/salsas.
Tacos: Open on three sides, too small to ever contain enough filling, and even then the second you take a bite it all falls out anyway. This is worsened considerably by hard shells, and makes actually biting into the fucker annoying, however every place insists on priding itself on hard shells that by the time you've gotten to the second one have gone soggy. Could be vastly improved by making literally any other form of filled tortilla instead.
Please explain why tacos are lauded when every other form of tortilla based food is superior in some regard. They just seem like the worst of every metric and are improved drastically by making them into something else.
I can understand nearly all form of tortilla logistics, the function and form combined with fillings and flavourings, but one eludes comprehension, and especially the obsession: the taco. I have tried a large number of styles, both authentic and.. not, and can say that all are delicious, but I have some observations.
Burrito: large, hand-holdable, and enclosed, developed for a need for long-term snacks circa early 1900's. Fillings inside and folded (occasionally additionally sealed with cheese) to prevent leakage, and the largest can prove difficult to eat but enable full dietary requirements in one meal. Meats are often marinated.
Chimichanga: deep-fried burrito. Because Americans hate their arteries, gave me acid reflux for 32 hours.
Fajita: a smaller, open ended burrito, developed for ease of eating for industrial workers circa 1920-40s and to make use of cheaper meat cuts such as skirt. Thinner cuts and high-heat stir frying is often required to get such cuts tender, giving a more smokey flavour.
Enchilada: Smaller burritos/fajitas covered in sauce and oven baked for non-hand eating with typically a more liquidous filling. Can be considered the 'sit-down meal' of this sub-family.
Quesadilla/Empalma: calzone-esque, typically cheese heavy for adhesion. Liquid sauces are often avoided due to leakage, however I have encountered a fair few with dipping options. Grilled or light fried for melt and a large variety of filling.
Taquitos: Literally means small tacos but is just deep-fried mini-fajitas as they are rolled-up. The nature of cooking lends well to a carnitas style of filling. I would call them Spanish/Mexican cannoli (1900's vs 1000's, the Italians win) but I fear I would find Hispanics at my door and I have run out of tequila to beg for my life.
Alambres: not technically like the others but is traditionally cooked like Mexican kebab. Can strongly recommend.
Chalupa/Tostadas: style is too varied for direct comparison, some are effectively mini pizzas while others are more akin to frybreads. easy to cut or hold to preference and can be used as larger nachos or smaller half-quesadillas. Get your mind out the gutter.
Huevos Rancheros: Personal favourite, effectively an egg based breakfast platter. I think of it as the Mexican equivalent of a British fry-up but considerably easier to make and optionally healthier so therefore preferable after a night out.
Nachos: Deep fried tortilla chips, conventionally more equivalent to a crisp/chip and designed for snacking and holding sauces/salsas.
Tacos: Open on three sides, too small to ever contain enough filling, and even then the second you take a bite it all falls out anyway. This is worsened considerably by hard shells, and makes actually biting into the fucker annoying, however every place insists on priding itself on hard shells that by the time you've gotten to the second one have gone soggy. Could be vastly improved by making literally any other form of filled tortilla instead.
Please explain why tacos are lauded when every other form of tortilla based food is superior in some regard. They just seem like the worst of every metric and are improved drastically by making them into something else.
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