Enchilada

:"Not to be confused with Enceladus."An enchilada (IPA-en|ˌɛntʃɪˈlɑdə) is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce. Enchiladas can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meat, cheese, potatoes, vegetables, seafood or combinations.

Etymology

The Real Academia Española defines the word "enchilada", as used in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua, as a rolled maize tortilla stuffed with meat and covered with a tomato and chile 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 |accessdate=2008-07-25 |publisher=Real Academia Española |isbn=8467003170 |year=2003 |language=Spanish] "Enchilada" is the past participle of Spanish "enchilar", "to add chili pepper to".

History

Enchiladas originated in Mexico. Anthropological evidence suggests that the indigenous 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. The feast included foods served in corn tortillas. (Note, however, that the native Nahuatl name for the flat corn bread used was "tlaxcalli". The Spanish give it the name "tortilla".)Cite web
url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070718154326/http://food.oregonstate.edu/ref/culture/mexico_smith.html
title=Tacos, Enchilidas and Refried Beans: The Invention of Mexican-American Cookery
accessdate=2008-07-14
publisher=Oregon State University
work=] Cite web
url=http://www.iccjournal.biz/StudentScholars/Undergraduate/history_of_mexican_cuisine.htm
title=History of Mexican Cuisine
accessdate=2008-07-09
first=Margaret |last=Parker
date=2006-10-12] Cite web
url=http://www.mexicanmercados.com/food/foodhist.htm
title=A Thumbnail History of Mexican Food
accessdate=2008-07-09
first=Jim |last=Conrad
work=] Cite web
url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Tortilla_Taco_history.htm
title=History of Tortillas & Tacos
accessdate=2008-07-14
first=Linda |last=Stradley
publisher=What's Cooking America] 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 |issn=1529-3262 |doi=10.1525/gfc.2008.8.1.26]

Varieties

Varieties of enchiladas are distinguished primarily by their sauces, fillings and, in one instance, by their form.

*Original Mexican street food: in their beginnings as a 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
accessdate=2008-07-31
Publisher=Gourmet Sleuth
date=2004] Cite web
url=http://www.rickbayless.com/tv/season1/enchilada.html
title=Mexico one plate at a time: The Whole Enchilada
accessdate=2008-07-31
first=Rick |last=Bayless
date=2008]
*"Enchiladas con chili colorado": with traditional red enchilada sauce composed of dried red chili peppers soaked and ground into a sauce with other seasonings. However, red enchilada sauce may also be tomato-based with red chilis added.Cite web
url=http://kitchen.losanderson.com/2007/09/chili-colorado.html
title=Chili colorado (recipe)
accessdate=2008-07-28
Publisher=Anderson Kitchen (blog)
date=2007]
*"Enchiladas verdes": "green enchiladas" made with "green" enchilada sauce composed of tomatillos and green chilis.
*"Enchiladas suizas": "suiza", meaning Swiss, is an adjective that indicates the dish is topped with a white, milk or cream-based sauce, such as béchamel. This appellation is derived from Swiss immigrants to Mexico who established dairies to produce cream and cheese.Cite web
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
accessdate=2008-07-29
first=Jacqueline |last=Higuera McMahan
date=2005]
*"Enchiladas con mole": with Mole sauce
*"Stacked enchiladas", also called "Enchiladas montadas": a New Mexico variation in which the enchiladas are served stacked, with the filling between flat tortillas, and often topped with a fried egg. Both red and green sauces are used.Cite web
url=http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/santafe.html
title=How to order enchiladas in Santa Fe
accessdate=2008-07-29
first=Dave |last=DeWitt
date=]

Fillings, toppings and garnishes

*Fillings include meat, such as chicken, beef or pork, seafood, cheese, potatoes, vegetables, and any combination of these.
*Commonly added toppings and garnishes include cheese, sour cream, lettuce, olives, chopped onions, chili peppers, and fresh cilantro.
*An enchilada topped with fried eggs may be called "enchilada montada" (the eggs are mounted, "montada", on top). Other adjectives may be used to describe the recipe origin, eg: "enchilada tapatia" would be a recipe from Jalisco.fact|date=July 2008 | Placeholder until cite can be confirmed
*An enchilada made with refried beans rather than chili sauce is called an "enfrijolada" (from frijol, "bean".)fact|date=July 2008 | Placeholder until cite can be confirmed
*An enchilada made with mole instead of chile sauce is called an "enmolada".fact|date=July 2008 | Placeholder until cite can be confirmed
*An enchilada made with tomato sauce instead of chile is called an "entomatada".fact|date=July 2008 | Placeholder until cite can be confirmed

References

Bibliography

*Mariano Galvan Rivera, "Diccionario de Cocina o el Nuevo Cocinero Mexicano en Forma Diccionario", Second edition (Mexico: Imprenta de I Cuplido, 1845).
*"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. (Mexico City: Imprenta de Galvan a cargo de Mariano Arevalo, 1831), 1:78-88.

ee also

Mexican cuisine

New Mexican cuisine

Tex-Mex cuisine