An enchilada (, ) is a
Mexican dish consisting of a
corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a savory sauce. Enchiladas can be filled with various ingredients, including meats, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, or combinations. Enchilada sauces include
chili-based sauces, such as
salsa roja
Salsa roja () is a type of spicy red sauce in Mexican cuisine. It is made of jitomate (red tomato), ground with onion, garlic, chilli, salt and pepper to taste.
This red sauce comes in subtypes: ''salsa cocida'' ("cooked sauce"), in which the i ...
, various
mole
Mole (or Molé) may refer to:
Animals
* Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America
* Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...
s,
tomatillo
The tomatillo (''Physalis philadelphica'' and ''Physalis ixocarpa''), also known as the Mexican husk tomato, is a plant of the nightshade family bearing small, spherical, and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos originated i ...
-based sauces, such as
salsa verde
Salsa verde () is a type of spicy, green sauce in Mexican cuisine based on tomatillo and green chili peppers.
The tomatillo-based Mexican ''salsa verde'' dates to the Aztec Empire, as documented by the Spanish physician Francisco Hernández, ...
, or cheese-based sauces, such as
chile con queso
Chile con queso (Spanish for "chile with cheese"), sometimes simply called queso, is an appetizer or side dish of melted cheese and chili peppers, typically served in Tex-Mex restaurants as a dip for tortilla chips.
Background
Chile con queso ...
.
Etymology
The
Royal Spanish Academy defines the word ''enchilada'', as used in Mexico, as a rolled
maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...
tortilla
A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indigenous peoples of M ...
stuffed with meat and covered with a
tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
and
chili sauce
In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi-solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French wor ...
.
''Enchilada'' is the past participle of Spanish ''enchilar'', "to add
chili pepper
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
to"; literally, "to season (or decorate) with chili".
The idiomatic
American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances i ...
phrase "the whole enchilada" means "the whole thing".
History
Enchiladas originated in Mexico, where the practice of rolling tortillas around other food dates back at least to
Aztec
The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...
times.
The people living in the lake region of the
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico ( es, Valle de México) is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with present-day Mexico City and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico w ...
traditionally ate corn tortillas folded or rolled around small fish. Writing at the time of the Spanish conquistadors,
Bernal Díaz del Castillo
Bernal Díaz del Castillo ( 1492 – 3 February 1584) was a Spanish conquistador, who participated as a soldier in the conquest of the Aztec Empire under Hernán Cortés and late in his life wrote an account of the events. As an experience ...
documented a feast enjoyed by Europeans hosted by
Hernán Cortés in
Coyoacán
Coyoacán ( , ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City. The former village is now the borough's "historic center". The name comes from Nahuatl and most likely means "place of coyotes", when the Aztecs named a pre-Hispani ...
, which included foods served in corn tortillas. (Note that the native
Nahuatl name for the flat corn bread used was ''tlaxcalli''; the Spanish gave it the name ''tortilla''.)
The
Nahuatl word for enchilada is ''chīllapītzalli'' , which is formed of the Nahuatl word for "chili", ''chīlli'' and the Nahuatl word for "flute", ''
tlapītzalli
A tlapitzalli is an aerophone known from pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures, particularly the Aztec. It is a form of flute, made of ceramic, wood, clay, or bone. They are most often decorated with abstract designs or images of Aztec deities. T ...
'' . In the 19th century, as Mexican cuisine was being memorialized, enchiladas were mentioned in the first Mexican cookbook, ''El cocinero mexicano'' (''"The Mexican Chef"''), published in 1831,
and in Mariano Galvan Rivera's ''Diccionario de Cocina'', published in 1845.
Mexican cooking authority
Diana Kennedy
Diana Kennedy MBE (; 3 March 1923 – 24 July 2022) was a British food writer. A primary English-language authority on Mexican cuisine, Kennedy was known for her nine books on the subject, including '' The Cuisines of Mexico'', which changed ...
cites an early reference from an American traveler from 1883 who remarked, "Enchiladas, a greasy tortilla sandwich containing chiles and a number of other uninviting looking compounds and other nasty messes, are sold everywhere, filling the air with a pungent, nauseous smell." Kennedy goes on to heartily disagree with that characterization, likely brought on by
culture shock
Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration ...
. Another early English-language mention is found in the ''California Mexican-Spanish Cookbook'' (1914) by Bertha Haffner Ginger.
Varieties
In their original form as Mexican street food, enchiladas were simply corn tortillas dipped in
chili sauce and eaten without fillings.
There are now many varieties, which are distinguished primarily by their sauces, fillings and, in one instance, by their form. Various adjectives may be used to describe the recipe content or origin, e.g. ''enchilada tapatia'' would be a
recipe from
Jalisco.
Varieties include:
* ''Enchiladas con chile rojo'' (with red chile) is a traditional red enchilada sauce, meat, composed of dried red
chili pepper
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
s soaked and ground into a sauce with other
seasonings, ''Chile Colorado'' sauce adds a
tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
base.
* ''Enchiladas con mole'', instead of chili sauce, are served with
''mole'',
and are also known as ''enmoladas''.
* ''Enchiladas placera'' are
Michoacán plaza-style, made with vegetables and poultry.
* ''Enchiladas poblanas'' are soft corn tortillas filled with chicken and poblano peppers, topped with oaxaca cheese.
* ''Enchiladas potosinas'' originate from
San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and are made with cheese-filled, chili-spiced masa.
* ''Enchiladas San Miguel'' are
San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende () is the principal city in the municipality of San Miguel de Allende, located in the far eastern part of Guanajuato, Mexico. A part of the Bajío region, the city lies from Mexico City, 86 km (53 mi) from Queré ...
-style enchiladas flavored with
guajillo chili
A guajillo chili or guajillo chile or chile guaco ( es, chile guajillo) is the dried form of the mirasol chili, a landrace variety of chile pepper of the species '' Capsicum annuum.'' Guajillos are the second-most commonly used dried chili in M ...
es by searing the flavor into the tortillas in a frying pan.
* ''Enchiladas suizas'' (
Swiss-style) are topped with a milk- or cream-based white sauce such as ''
béchamel''. This appellation is derived from Swiss immigrants to Mexico who established dairies to produce cream and cheese.
* ''Enfrijoladas'' are topped with refried beans rather than chili sauce; their name comes from ''frijol'', meaning "
bean".
* ''
Entomatada
Entomatadas () are a typical Mexican dish made of a folded corn tortilla which has first been fried in oil and then bathed in a tomato sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, onion, oregano, chile serrano (optional) and salt. The recipes for the tomat ...
s'' are made with tomato sauce instead of chili sauce.
* ''
Enchiladas montadas'' (stacked enchiladas) are a
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
variation in which corn tortillas are fried flat until softened (but not tough) then stacked with red or green sauce, chopped onion and shredded cheese between the layers and on top of the stack. Ground beef or chicken can be added to the filling. The stack is often topped (''montada'') with a fried egg. Shredded lettuce and sliced black olives may be added as a garnish.
* ''Enchiladas verdes'' are sauced with
salsa verde
Salsa verde () is a type of spicy, green sauce in Mexican cuisine based on tomatillo and green chili peppers.
The tomatillo-based Mexican ''salsa verde'' dates to the Aztec Empire, as documented by the Spanish physician Francisco Hernández, ...
and typically made with white corn tortillas, filled with poached chicken breasts and topped with
queso fresco
Queso blanco (), literally ''white cheese'' in Spanish, can refer to many different kinds of cheeses whose only common trait is their white color. The specific cheese referred to depends on the region.
Production
Queso blanco is considered on ...
.
* ''Enjococadas'' are baked corn tortillas covered in
jocoque
Jocoque or jocoqui is a Mexican dairy product based on fermented milk, from uncertain origins, influenced by Lebanese cuisine.
Characteristics
Jocoque is a food produced from a milk base which, in its most artisanal form, is obtained by leavin ...
and filled with queso
panela
Panela () or rapadura (Portuguese pronunciation: ) is an unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Central and Latin America. It is a solid form of sucrose derived from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. Panela is known by other na ...
and chile poblano.
Fillings, toppings and garnishes
Fillings include
meat (e.g.
beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus'').
In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...
,
poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, ...
,
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...
,
seafood) or
cheese,
potatoes,
vegetables
Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...
,
beans
A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes thr ...
,
tofu
Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super f ...
, and any combination thereof. Enchiladas are commonly topped or garnished with
cheese,
sour cream
Sour cream (in North American English, Australian English and New Zealand English) or soured cream (British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, ...
,
lettuce
Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, ...
,
olives, chopped
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...
s,
chili pepper
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
s, sliced
avocado
The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...
, and
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
...
, or fresh
.
Image:Homemade green sauce enchiladas with red rice.jpg, Enchiladas
Image:Chicken Enchiladas with red sauce, red rice, black beans, and avocado.jpg, Chicken enchiladas with red sauce, red rice, black beans, and avocado
Image:Enchiladas_suizas.jpg, Enchiladas suizas
File:Enchiladas de mole caseras.jpg, Enchiladas de mole caseras
Regional variations
Costa Rica
In
Costa Rica, the enchilada is a common, small, spicy pastry made with
puff pastry
Puff pastry, also known as ', is a flaky light pastry made from a laminated dough composed of dough (') and butter or other solid fat ('). The butter is put inside the dough (or vice versa), making a ' that is repeatedly folded and rolled out befo ...
and filled with diced potatoes spiced with a common variation of
tabasco sauce
Tabasco is an American brand of hot sauce made from vinegar, tabasco peppers ('' Capsicum frutescens'' var. ''tabasco''), and salt. It is produced by McIlhenny Company of Avery Island in south Louisiana, having been created over 150 years ago ...
or other similar sauces. Other variations include fillings made of spicy chicken or minced meat.
Honduras
In
Honduras, enchiladas look and taste very different from those in Mexico; they are not corn tortillas rolled around a filling, but instead are flat, fried, corn tortillas topped with ground beef, salad toppings (usually consisting of cabbage and tomato slices), a tomato sauce (often ketchup blended with butter and other spices such as cumin), and crumbled or shredded cheese. They look and taste much like what many people call a
tostada.
Nicaragua
In
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...
, enchiladas are different from the other ones in Central America and resemble those in Mexico; they are corn tortillas filled with a mixture of ground beef and rice with chilli, they are then folded and covered in egg batter and deep fried. It is commonly served with a cabbage and tomato salad (either pickled salad or in cream and tomato sauce). The Nicaraguan enchilada resembles the
empanada
An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spanish, other Southern European, Latin American, and Iberian-influenced cultures around the world. The name comes from the Spanish (to bread, i.e., ...
of other countries.
Guatemala
In
Guatemala, enchiladas look much like Honduran enchiladas but the recipe is different. This version most commonly begins with a leaf of fresh lettuce, then a layer of 'picado de carne,' which includes meat (generally ground beef, shredded chicken, or pork) and diced vegetables (carrot, potato, onion, celery, green bean, peas, red bell pepper, garlic, bay leaf, seasoned with salt and black pepper). The next layer in the recipe is the 'curtido' layer which includes more vegetables (cabbage, beets, onions, and carrots). After this is two or three pieces of sliced hard boiled egg, then thin sliced white onion, and finally a drizzle of mild red salsa. The dish is topped with either queso seco or queso fresco and garnished with cilantro.
See also
*
Cannelloni
Cannelloni (; Italian for "large reeds") are a cylindrical type of lasagna generally served baked with a filling and covered by a sauce in Italian cuisine. Popular stuffings include spinach and ricotta or minced beef. The shells are then typi ...
*
Empalme
*
Enchirito
*
Mexican cuisine
*
New Mexican cuisine
New Mexican cuisine is the cuisine of the Southwestern US state of New Mexico. The region is primarily known for its fusion of Pueblo Native American cuisine with Hispano Spanish and Mexican cuisine originating in Nuevo México.
This cuisi ...
*
Tex-Mex cuisine
Tex-Mex cuisine (from the words ''Texan'' and ''Mexican'') is an American cuisine that derives from the culinary creations of the ''Tejano'' people of Texas. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern United ...
*
"Wet" burrito
*
List of Mexican dishes
Notes
References
*
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
Costa Rican cuisine
Cuisine of the Southwestern United States
Guatemalan cuisine
Honduran cuisine
Meat dishes
Mexican cuisine
New Mexican cuisine
Nicaraguan cuisine
Street food
Tex-Mex cuisine
Tortilla-based dishes
Mexican beef dishes