A tlacoyo is an oval-shaped
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
dish of
pre-Hispanic origin made of
masa. Tlacoyos are thicker than fresh corn
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A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour.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 ...
s and are stuffed with
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During productio ...
,
fava beans, cooked ground beans,
chicharron, and other ingredients before being fried or toasted. Tlacoyos can be served as an accompaniment to soups and stews or as appetizers for celebrations.
Most traditional tlacoyos do not have
lard
Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig.[Lard]
entry in the ...
or salt in the masa, and if not eaten soon after they are cooked, they become very tough and dry, even if reheated. In Mexican markets, vendors keep their tlacoyos warm by putting them in a covered basket, with the additional effect that the steam keeps them moist for a longer time.
Etymology
The word ''tlacoyo'' derives from the
Nahuatl
Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have small ...
word ''tlahtlaōyoh'' ),
[''Nahuatl Dictionary.'' (1997). Wired Humanities Project. University of Oregon. Retrieved August 29, 2012, fro]
link
/ref> a name given to an antojito ('snack' or appetizer) typical of central Mexico. Spelling variations include ''tlayoyis'', ''clacoyos'', ''tlatloyos'', ''tlayoyos'' and ''tlaoyos''.
Variations
Since it is similar in shape to a huarache (but smaller), and is made of the same corn as the sope and is even thicker (so it has more resistance to wet toppings), Mexican street vendors, especially in Mexico City,["Hay Tlacoyos: Tradicional Recipes from Mexico City" (2012)]
link
sometimes sell it with toppings on it, as an alternative to the sopes and huaraches. However, the traditional tlacoyo is supposed to be consumed without any toppings on it except for fresh 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:
A ...
. This is the form in which they are typically found in the streets.
Tlacoyos come in three different colors, although no artificial colors are added to its preparation. The color comes from the cornmeal used to prepare the masa which the tlacoyo is made with. The most common is blue masa, made from blue corn kernels.
File:Tlacoyo.jpg, blue corn meal tlacoyo
File:Tlacoyera.jpg, Woman preparing tlacoyos over the sidewalk in Colonia Condesa
Condesa or La Condesa is an area in the Cuauhtémoc Borough of Mexico City, south of Zona Rosa and 4 to 5 km west of the Zócalo, the city's main square. It is immediately west of Colonia Roma, together with which it is designated as ...
in Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. The tlacoyo is cooked over a comal which is over an anafre, a kind of coal stove used in Mexican households without any heating energy
See also
* Huarache
*Sope
Sope may refer to:
People
* Barak Sopé (born 1951), Vanuatu politician
* Sope Aluko (born 1975), Nigerian-born British American actress
* Sope Dirisu (born 1991), British Nigerian actor
* Sope Johnson
* Sope Willams Elegbe (born 1975), Niger ...
* List of Mexican dishes
The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire occurred in the 16th century. The basic staples since then remain native foods such as corn, beans, squash and chili peppers, but the Europeans introduced many other foods, the most important of which were ...
*
References
{{Pancakes
Maize dishes
Mexican cuisine
Pancakes