From: "Karen Lim"
"... will someone please explain what the following are or the
differences between them
Burritos / Quesadillas / Fahjitas / Enchidillas / Chimichangas / Tacos
Thanks alot!
Karen"
Dear Karen:
I hope I can explain clearly. I've been eating these foods all my life,
but not anymore.
A burrito is typically a flour tortilla wrapping several ingredients
such as ground beef, refried beans, Spanish rice, chopped tomatoes,
diced onions, chopped lettuce, grated cheese and salsa as a garnish.
Some burritos include sour cream. One distinguishing things is that the
torilla's are soft.
Quesadillas are flour tortillas layed flat with melted cheese and salsa
on top. They are cut into pie shaped slices and eaten as finger food.
Fajitas are like burritos but the ingredients are drastically different.
They start with the same flour tortilla, but inside is strips of grilled
meat such as beef or chicken, grilled onions, green & red bell peppers,
and garlic. Whereas the veggies in the burritos are fresh a fajita's
inside is grilled. Also, the meat is marinated and seasoned differently.
Enchiladas are very different. They're made with soft corn tortillas
wrapped tightly around pre-cooked ground meat (beef or chicken) which
had been seasoned with garlic and onion, etc. Then the rolled up
tortillas are layed in a baking dish. Afterward they are covered in a
red enchillada sauce (tomato sauce heavily seasoned). also with grated
cheddar cheese and black chopped olives and baked until heated
thoroughly. It becomes a red gravy casserol type dish eaten with a fork
more like pizza than like burritos or tacos.
Now, tacos are typically made with a hardened corn tortilla formed into
a v-shape shell. This is done by frying in oil while bending carefully.
The resulting shell holds the same ingredients as can be found in
burritos i.e. seasoned ground beef, chopped tomatoes, onions, lettuce,
grated cheese, topped with salsa or sour cream.
Chimichangas are like burritos in that they use the flour tortilla, are
wrapped the same way (folded & ends tucked) yet no fresh uncooked
veggies inside. Chimichangas are deep fried resulting in a golden crisp
pocket tortilla holding meat, cheese, bean, and/or rice. Some times this
is served over a bed or chopped lettuce, and garnished with sour cream
and salsa.
That's it! None are fat free in their normal preparation.
Christina
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