Enchiladas are a delicious Latin American food. The dishes usually features tortillas with sauce, cheese and meat. It’s a common dish in many Mexican/Latin American restaurants, and it’s easy to make from home. We can focus on making some from home later, but today we’ll be talking about the history of the enchilada.
Origination
Like many would predict, enchiladas originated in Mexico. Even back in Mayan times, the people of that time would roll other foods into tortillas. It’s been a practice in that part of the world for many centuries. The first types of enchiladas ever created were most likely corn tortillas with fish inside them. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, they kept detailed records of everything the locals were eating. They talked a lot about enchiladas, and how it was made almost everywhere. Enchiladas were featured in one of the first-ever Mexican cookbooks in the early 1800s.
Enchiladas Today
Food has since gone international, with most places hosting a variety of different food types. You can find delicious enchiladas all over Canada as well as the United States. Although, enchiladas created in these countries are typically less traditional than ones you’d find in Mexico. Todays Enchiladas contain a variety of meat types, including chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, fish and more. There are also vegetarian enchiladas, ones stuffed with potatoes or vegetables. Typical enchiladas are just covered in some kind of chili sauce, with meet and cheese inside, and then more chili sauce on top with more melted cheese. Frying the tortilla covered in chili sauce, first, creating kind of a crispy edge, makes some enchiladas.
Styles of Enchiladas
In the United States and Canada, the most common presentation style of enchiladas are filled, rolled and then topped with more sauce and cheese. In Mexico and some of the southern United States, the stacked enchilada is more common. This is where a tortilla is fried, then topped with meat, cheese and other toppings, and then another enchilada is added on top. This is typically done three times. Enchiladas can consist of Chile based sauces, cream based sauces or even traditional mole sauce.
Enchiladas are a delicious Latin American food. It’s been around for centuries and has been adapted over the years to resemble what we know as enchiladas. Head to your local Fresh is Best for delicious enchiladas ingredients so you can make your own!