- Cemita
= Mexico =
There are several kinds of "cemitas" in México.
A "cemita", also known as a "cemita poblana", is a Mexican sandwich and street food that originated in the city of Puebla. [ [http://www.laweekly.com/eat+drink/counter-intelligence/keep-on-trucking/9436/ LA Weekly article on cemitas trucks in Los Angeles] ]
It is distinguished from a
torta by the fluffy sesame-seeded egg roll that it is served on. Additionally, the ingredients usually are restricted to slicedavocado , meat, white cheese, onions and red sauce (salsa roja). [ [http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/11/20/travel/20T-PUEBLA.html New York Times article on food of Puebla] ] Recently it has appeared on the streets of New York, Los Angeles, and other cities with Mexican food vendors.The most popular meat in a cemita is
beef milanesa , a thinly pounded and deep-fried piece of beef. Cueritos (pickled pig skin), queso de puerco (pork head cheese), andcarnitas (stewed pork) are also popular. The cheese is often "panela ", a bland white cheese with the consistency of freshmozzarella . "Quesillo ", a Mexican string cheese, is also used.Although the name is the same, there are diverse types of cemitas depending on the region. The cemita of
Sahuayo ,Michoacán , is a smooth bread, withoutsesame seed s and including "piloncillo ". Its flavor is somewhat sweet and very flavorful; usually it is accompanied by a glass of milk, a cornflour drink (atole ), or some sort of hot drink. It is not used like a sandwich.Name
The
Real Academia Española , [http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=cemita] says "cemita" comes from "" (archaic Spanish for "bran") [http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=acemite] which in turns comes from Aramaic, and is related to Greek (semídalis) ("semolina").Use of the word may be influenced by a popular belief that the root of "cemita" is related to "" (""), referring to the Lebanese immigrants to Mexico who are said to have introduced the particular style of roll that goes into the sandwich, but this is likely a
folk etymology due to the obvious similarity between the words.Argentina
In northern Argentina the term "cemita" (also spelled "semita") refers to a type of bread made from brown flour, grease and other ingredients.
Central America
In El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua the term "cemita" refers to a kind of cake made with certain tropical fruits, usually caramelized
pineapple .See also
*
Mexican cuisine
*References
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