Enchiladas and (below) burritos

If you follow my column, you will be forgiven for wondering what is actually going through my mind when I sit at my desk and start writing these pieces. From kali dal to foie gras, I’ve written lovingly about all kinds of random food subjects. It’s true and as far as the critic is concerned, I will continue whether you like it or not. It’s not my fault I have a fascination for all things food! Maybe it’s time some of you get a life out there and start actually thinking about the food you eat as not just being needed for daily bodily functions, that we eat because we need to eat. There is a wonderful world out there waiting to be explored.

Now, I know you think I’m rambling but over the next few months, again randomly, to keep you on your toes, I’m going to try to explain to you a little about that wonderful world of bread. Every country has bread somewhere in its culinary make-up, all different but in many ways all similar. They all share a great historical and geographical journey.

I’m going to start with a simple flat bread from Mexico that is a staple of day-to-day life: the humble tortilla. I wanted to start here because in the past couple of years, whenever I’ve planned a vegetarian buffet, everyone seems to want a live tortilla counter. They’ve become a bit of a trendsetter, and why not? They tend to be made up of something familiar, with innumerable vegetarian toppings and fillings.

Now, I’m not the authority on tortillas but the Internet, somehow, makes life a lot easier when it comes to finding out about some facts. Tortillas, or tlaxcalli as they were known in the native language, are thought to date as far back as 10,000 B.C. According to Mayan legend, tortillas were invented in ancient times by a peasant for his hungry king.

I think that’s enough of a history lesson. But what I do know myself is that the Spanish, after reaching and returning from the South Americas, took the tortilla back home with them as they did with ‘chocolatl’. Again, if you’ve been following this column from the start, you should know what that is! As well as most of the commonly used vegetables in the world. Where would the culinary world be without tomatoes, the whole capsicum and chilli family, corn and of course, the all-time international staple, the potato?

The first tortilla I ever made was the Spanish version, which has no resemblance to the Mexican tortilla. It’s pretty much a thick omelette made with potatoes and onions fried till golden in olive oil. Eggs are added, cooked on both sides and it is eaten hot or cold. I’m sure, by it’s name, the Spanish tortilla started life as a thin omelette that probably resembled a thin, flat corn tortilla but I couldn’t find anything to give me any confirmation.

The Mexican tortilla, on the other hand, has many genres. Flour tortillas are pretty much like rumali rotis and corn tortillas the same as missi rotis. Both are used for mopping up gravies and juices in the same way we use our versions. They are also used in a completely different dimension, which has made them most famous — in all variety of wraps and rolls with a huge array of fillings and toppings. A whole industry has cropped up because of them as a fast food item in Mexico and America.

To name a few of the more commercially known ones, I suppose you have to start here: Burrito: Simple flour tortillas, filled and rolled with all manner of fillings such as re-fried beans, cheddar cheese, guacamole, chilli sauce, jalapenos, lettuce etc.

Enchiladas: The same as the above, rolled and covered with sauce and baked.

Tostadas: Flat, fried tortillas with various toppings.

Quesadillas: Folded, almost sandwiches with cheese.

Nachos: Fried corn tortillas, topped with cheese and jalapenos and grilled.

Tacos: Corn tortillas that have been baked, folded and filled.

Totopos: The tortilla chips that we all know and love, crisp and great for dipping.

Chilaquiles: Again, crisp tortillas, topped with cheese, jalapenos, salsa, onion etc.

Chimichangas: Fried parcels, filled with onion, cheese, potatoes etc.

Don’t expect that my next piece will be a follow up on this one. That would be too easy. But sometime soon, I’ll write a second piece on the wonderful world of bread.