Enchilada

{{Short description|Corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a sauce}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Enchilada

| image = Enchilada Rice Beans.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption = Enchiladas with mole, served with refried beans and Spanish rice

| alternate_name =

| country = Mexico

| region =

| creator =

| course =

| type =

| served =

| main_ingredient = Tortillas, chili pepper sauce, meat

| variations =

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}}

An enchilada ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɛ|n|tʃ|ᵻ|ˈ|l|ɑː|d|ə}}, {{IPA|es|entʃiˈlaða|lang}}) 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, various moles, tomatillo-based sauces, such as salsa verde, or cheese-based sauces, such as chile con queso.

Etymology

The Royal Spanish Academy defines the word enchilada, as used in Mexico, as a rolled maize tortilla stuffed with meat and covered with a tomato and chili sauce.{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Diccionario de la Lengua Española, Vigésima segunda edición |title=enchilada |url=http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=enchilada |access-date=25 July 2008 |publisher=Real Academia Española |isbn=84-670-0317-0 |year=2003 |language=es |author= |archive-date=4 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004231436/http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=enchilada |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last1=Styles Carvajal |first1=Carol |first2=Jane |last2=Horwood |first3=Nicholas |last3= Rollin |name-list-style=amp |title= Concise Oxford Spanish Dictionary: Spanish-English/English-Spanish |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780198609773/page/253 253] |url= https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780198609773 |url-access=registration |quote=enchilada. |isbn=9780198609773 |year=2004}} Enchilada is the past participle of the Mexican Spanish enchilar, "to add chili pepper to"; literally, "to season (or decorate) with chili".{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Diccionario de la Lengua Española, Vigésima segunda edición |title=enchilar |url=http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=enchilar |access-date=9 September 2010 |publisher=Real Academia Española |isbn=978-84-670-0317-8 |year=2015 |language=es |author= |archive-date=9 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609221329/http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=enchilar |url-status=live }}

History

Enchiladas originated in Mexico, where the practice of rolling tortillas around other food dates back at least to Aztec times.{{cite web |last=Zeldes |first=Leah A. |title=Eat this! Enchiladas, Mexican comfort food |work=Dining Chicago |publisher=Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. |date=10 November 2010 |url=http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/11/10/eat-this-enchiladas-mexican-comfort-food/ |access-date=18 May 2011 |archive-date=9 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409103456/http://www.diningchicago.com/blog/2010/11/10/eat-this-enchiladas-mexican-comfort-food/ |url-status=dead }} The people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate corn tortillas folded or rolled around small fish. Writing at the time of the Spanish conquistadors, Bernal Díaz del Castillo documented a feast enjoyed by Europeans hosted by Hernán Cortés in Coyoacán, 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.){{cite web|url=http://food.oregonstate.edu/ref/culture/mexico_smith.html |title=Tacos, Enchilidas and Refried Beans: The Invention of Mexican-American Cookery |access-date=14 July 2008 |publisher=Oregon State University |work=Mexican References Food And Culture |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070718154326/http://food.oregonstate.edu/ref/culture/mexico_smith.html |archive-date=18 July 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}{{cite web |url=http://www.iccjournal.biz/StudentScholars/Undergraduate/history_of_mexican_cuisine.htm |title=History of Mexican Cuisine |access-date=9 July 2008 |first=Margaret |last=Parker |date=12 October 2006 |work=Inner City Conservative Journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017034655/http://www.iccjournal.biz/StudentScholars/Undergraduate/history_of_mexican_cuisine.htm |archive-date=2008-10-17 |url-status=usurped}}{{cite web |url=http://www.mexicanmercados.com/food/foodhist.htm |title=A Thumbnail History of Mexican Food |access-date=9 July 2008 |first=Jim |last=Conrad |website=Mercados: Traditional Mexican Markets (blog) |date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705092347/http://www.mexicanmercados.com/food/foodhist.htm |archive-date=2008-07-05 |url-status=usurped}}{{cite web |url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Tortilla_Taco_history.htm |title=History of Tortillas & Tacos |access-date=14 July 2008 |first=Linda |last=Stradley |publisher=What's Cooking America (blog) |date= |archive-date=5 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705091928/http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Tortilla_Taco_history.htm |url-status=live }} The Nahuatl word for enchilada is chīllapītzalli {{IPA|nah|t͡ʃiːlːapiːˈt͡salːi|}}, which is formed of the Nahuatl word for "chili", chīlli {{IPA|nah|ˈt͡ʃiːlːi|}} and the Nahuatl word for "flute", tlapītzalli {{IPA|nah|t͡ɬapiːˈt͡salːi|}}.{{cite book |last=Karttunen |first=F. |year=1983 |title=An analytical dictionary of Nahuatl |publisher=University of Texas Press |page=52 |isbn=0-8061-2421-0}} 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.{{cite journal |last=Pilcher |first=Jeffrey |date=Winter 2008 |title=Was the Taco Invented in Southern California? |journal=Gastronomica |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=26–38 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, California |doi=10.1525/gfc.2008.8.1.26}}

Varieties

In their original form as Mexican street food, enchiladas were simply corn tortillas dipped in chili sauce and eaten without fillings.{{cite web |url=http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/enchiladas.htm |title=Enchiladas as Mexican street food |access-date=31 July 2008 |publisher=Gourmet Sleuth (blog) |year=2004 |first=Barbara |last=Bowman |date= |archive-date=4 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204101956/http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/enchiladas.htm |url-status=usurped }}{{cite web |url=http://www.rickbayless.com/tv/season1/enchilada.html |title=Mexico one plate at a time: The Whole Enchilada |access-date=31 July 2008 |first=Rick |last=Bayless |year=2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201020623/http://www.rickbayless.com/tv/season1/enchilada.html |archive-date=2008-12-01 |url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web |title=Recipe for Enchiladas Tapatias |url=http://www.mexicanrecipes.me/enchiladastapatias2.htm |access-date=7 April 2012 |date= |author= |website=MexicanRecipes.me |archive-date=22 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111222015543/http://www.mexicanrecipes.me/enchiladastapatias2.htm |url-status=live }}

Varieties include:

Enchiladas con chile rojo (with red chile) is a traditional red enchilada sauce, meat, composed of dried red chili peppers soaked and ground into a sauce with other seasonings, Chile Colorado sauce adds a tomato base.{{cite web |url=http://kitchen.losanderson.com/2007/09/chili-colorado.html |title=Chile colorado (recipe) |access-date=28 July 2008 |publisher=Anderson Kitchen (blog) |date=September 19, 2007 |first1=Don |last1=Anderson |first2=Janet |last2=Anderson |name-list-style=amp |archive-date=18 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418043702/http://kitchen.losanderson.com/2007/09/chili-colorado.html |url-status=live }}
Enchiladas con mole, instead of chili sauce, are served with mole,{{cite news |magazine=Texas Monthly |date=November 1989 |page=68 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pi4EAAAAMBAJ&q=enmolada+-chipiturca&pg=PA68 |title=Small, new, or offbeat places to try |author=}} and are also known as enmoladas.{{cite web |url=http://www.cocinamexicana.es/gastronomia-mexicana/glosario-gastronomico |work=Cocina Mexicana |title=Glosario Gastronómico |date= |author= |language=es |access-date=9 January 2016 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070546/http://www.cocinamexicana.es/gastronomia-mexicana/glosario-gastronomico |url-status=live }}
Enchiladas placeras are Michoacán plaza-style, made with vegetables and poultry.{{cite web |last=Potters |first=Cristina |title=Enchiladas Placeras |url=http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/07/delicias-de-noche-en-p%C3%A1tzcuaro-enchiladas-placeras-night-pleasures-in-p%C3%A1tzcuaro-plaza-style-enchiladas.html |access-date=7 April 2012 |date=July 26, 2008 |website=Mexico Cooks (blog) |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041019/http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/07/delicias-de-noche-en-p%C3%A1tzcuaro-enchiladas-placeras-night-pleasures-in-p%C3%A1tzcuaro-plaza-style-enchiladas.html |url-status=live }}
Enchiladas poblanas are soft corn tortillas filled with chicken and poblano peppers, topped with oaxaca cheese.{{cite web |last=Lee |first=Jackie |title=Enchiladas Poblanas |url=http://iamafeeder.net/chickenenchiladaspoblanas |website=I am a feeder (blog) |access-date=7 April 2012 |date=September 19, 2011 |archive-date=14 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414023816/http://rollybrook.com/ar-ench-potos.htm |url-status=live }}
Enchiladas potosinas originate from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and are made with cheese-filled, chili-spiced masa.{{cite web |url=http://rollybrook.com/ar-ench-potos.htm |title=Enchiladas Potosinas |access-date=2 February 2010 |publisher=Rollybrook.com (blog) |first=Adriana |last=Rosales |date= |archive-date=14 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414023816/http://rollybrook.com/ar-ench-potos.htm |url-status=live }}
Enchiladas San Miguel are San Miguel de Allende-style enchiladas flavored with guajillo chilies by searing the flavor into the tortillas in a frying pan.

File:Festival de la Enchilada 59.jpg

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.{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/03/23/FDG3MBSC0H1.DTL |title=Fond memories spur a Swiss enchilada quest |access-date=16 September 2013 |first=Jacqueline |last=Higuera McMahan |newspaper=The San Francisco Chronicle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050326062308/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F2005%2F03%2F23%2FFDG3MBSC0H1.DTL |archive-date=26 March 2005 |date=23 March 2005 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}
Enfrijoladas are topped with refried beans rather than chili sauce; their name comes from frijol, meaning "bean".{{cite web |url=http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081104/FEATURES12/811040303/1026/FEATURES12 |title=Twice Bitten: The thin place |access-date=10 December 2008 |first=Sharon |last=Nimtz |newspaper=Rutland Herald |date=November 4, 2008 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053608/http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20081104%2FFEATURES12%2F811040303%2F1026%2FFEATURES12 |url-status=dead }}{{cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Diana |author-link=Diana Kennedy |title=The Art of Mexican Cooking |publisher=Clarkson Potter |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-307-38325-9}}
Entomatadas are made with tomato sauce instead of chili sauce.
Enchiladas montadas (stacked enchiladas) are a New Mexico 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 black olive slices may be added as a garnish.{{cite web |url=http://www.fiery-foods.com/article-archives/88-humor/2431-how-to-order-enchiladas-in-santa-fe |title=How to order enchiladas in Santa Fe |access-date=6 August 2010 |first=Dave |last=DeWitt |date= 2010 |website=Fiery Foods (blog) |publisher=Sunbelt Shows, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124004727/http://www.fiery-foods.com/article-archives/88-humor/2431-how-to-order-enchiladas-in-santa-fe |archive-date=24 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}
Enchiladas verdes are sauced with salsa verde and typically made with white corn tortillas, filled with poached chicken breasts and topped with queso fresco.{{Cite news|url=http://www.skinnytaste.com/enchiladas-verdes-green-enchiladas/|title=Enchiladas Verdes (Green Enchiladas)|date=2017-01-10|work=Skinnytaste|access-date=2017-06-13|language=en-US|archive-date=14 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614051436/http://www.skinnytaste.com/enchiladas-verdes-green-enchiladas/|url-status=live}}
Enjococadas are baked corn tortillas covered in jocoque and filled with queso panela and chile poblano.{{Cite web|url=https://laroussecocina.mx/palabra/enjococadas/|title=Enjococadas ⋆ Larousse Cocina|access-date=17 October 2020|archive-date=18 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018170418/https://laroussecocina.mx/palabra/enjococadas/|url-status=live}}

Fillings, toppings and garnishes

Fillings include meat (e.g. beef, poultry, pork, seafood) or cheese, potatoes, vegetables, beans, tofu, and any combination thereof. Enchiladas are commonly topped or garnished with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, olives, chopped onions, chili peppers, sliced avocado, and salsa, or fresh cilantro.

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

File:Chicken enchiladas at La Casa Restaurant - January 2023 - Sarah Stierch.jpg|Enchiladas suizas

File:Enchiladas de mole caseras.jpg|Enchiladas de mole caseras

Outside of Mexico

=Costa Rica=

In Costa Rica, the enchilada is a common, small, spicy pastry made with puff pastry and filled with diced potatoes spiced with a common variation of Tabasco sauce or other similar sauces. Other variations include fillings made of spicy chicken or minced meat.{{cite web |title=Enchilada: Another Costa Rican Paradise |url=https://www.quericavida.com/recipes/enchilada-another-costa-rican-paradise/d4a77cc3-eede-453a-86a1-81077b36f5b6 |website=Qué Rica Vida |access-date=19 November 2020 |archive-date=19 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019070044/https://www.quericavida.com/recipes/enchilada-another-costa-rican-paradise/d4a77cc3-eede-453a-86a1-81077b36f5b6 |url-status=live }}

File:Enchilada costa rica.jpg, Costa Rica]]

=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.{{cite web |title=Honduran Enchiladas |url=https://www.quericavida.com/recetas/enchiladas-hondurenas/0dea3c93-def4-41f7-825b-00c44a6c5d66 |website=Qué Rica Vida |access-date=19 November 2020 |archive-date=19 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019070031/https://www.quericavida.com/recetas/enchiladas-hondurenas/0dea3c93-def4-41f7-825b-00c44a6c5d66 |url-status=live }}

File:Honduranenchilada.jpg

=Nicaragua=

In Nicaragua, 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 chili, 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 of other countries.{{cite web |title=Receta de la Enchilada Nicaragüense |url=https://recetasdenicaragua.com/gastronomia-nicaragua/enchilada/ |website=recetasdenicaragua.com |language=es |access-date=19 November 2020 |archive-date=20 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020004740/https://recetasdenicaragua.com/gastronomia-nicaragua/enchilada/ |url-status=live }}

=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.{{cite web |title=Receta para hacer Enchiladas guatemaltecas |url=https://aprende.guatemala.com/cultura-guatemalteca/cocina/receta-para-hacer-enchiladas-guatemaltecas/ |website=guatemala.com |date=17 November 2016 |language=es |access-date=19 November 2020 |archive-date=19 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019065824/https://aprende.guatemala.com/cultura-guatemalteca/cocina/receta-para-hacer-enchiladas-guatemaltecas/ |url-status=live }}

Notes

References

{{cite book |first=Mariano |last=Galvan Rivera |title=Diccionario de Cocina o el Nuevo Cocinero Mexicano en Forma Diccionario |edition=Second |location=Mexico |publisher=Imprenta de I Cuplido |year=1845 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NdQqAAAAYAAJ|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NdQqAAAAYAAJ/page/n304 297] |quote=enchiladas. }}
{{cite book |title=El Cocinero Mexicano o coleccion de los mejores recetas para guisar al estilo americano y de las mas selectas segun el metodo de los cocinas Espanola, Italiana, Francesca e Inglesa, 3 vols. |location=Mexico City |publisher=Imprenta de Galvan a cargo de Mariano Arevalo |year=1831 |volume=1 |pages=78–88 |oclc=34129684}}