Tlayuda

Last updated
Tlayuda
Tlayuda12-05oaxaca013x.jpg
Open face tlayuda
Type Antojito
Place of origin Mexico
Region or state Oaxaca
Main ingredients Tortillas, refried beans, asiento (unrefined pork lard), lettuce or cabbage, avocado, meat (usually shredded chicken, beef tenderloin or pork), Oaxaca cheese, salsa
Tlayuda con falda, a tlayuda folded in half and topped with grilled skirt steak Tlayuda con falda.jpg
Tlayuda con falda, a tlayuda folded in half and topped with grilled skirt steak

Tlayuda (Spanish pronunciation: [tɬaˈʝuða] ), sometimes spelled clayuda, [1] [2] is a handmade dish in traditional Oaxacan cuisine, consisting of a large, thin, crunchy, partially fried or toasted tortilla [3] covered with a spread of refried beans, asiento (unrefined pork lard), lettuce or cabbage, avocado, meat (usually shredded chicken, beef tenderloin or pork), Oaxaca cheese, and salsa. [4] [5]

Contents

A popular antojito , the tlayuda is native to the state of Oaxaca. It is regarded as iconic in the local cuisine, and can be found particularly around Oaxaca City. [4] Tlayudas are also available in the center-south region of Mexico, such as Mexico City, Puebla, or Guadalajara.

The dinner plate-sized tortilla is either seared (usually on a comal) or charred on a grill. Refried beans are then applied, along with lard and vegetables, to serve as a base for the main ingredients. The rules for topping a tlayuda are not strict, and restaurants and street vendors often offer a variety of toppings, including "'tasajo" (cuts of meat typical of the Central Valley of Oaxaca), chorizo , and cecina enchilada (thin strips of chili powder-encrusted pork). They may be prepared open-faced or folded in half.

Its main characteristics are its large size (even more than 40 cm in diameter); its completely different flavor from other types of tortillas; and the slight hardness in its consistency (without being toasted, but rather leathery), which it acquires when it is cooked in a comal, usually made of clay. It is left there to semi-toast, that is, it is cooked for longer than other types of tortillas, and then stored in a tenate, a basket made of palm leaves. It thus acquires its characteristic consistency: flexible to semi-brittle, very slightly moist, fresh, difficult to chew for those who are not used to it, very light aroma like burnt tortilla, almost imperceptible. A very light amount of salt in the nixtamal dough with which it is prepared in some cases, as well as its cooking almost until it is toasted, make the tlayuda last longer without decomposing, unlike what happens with common tortillas. [6]

Tlayuda was featured on the Netflix TV series Street Food volume 2, which focuses on Latin American street food. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Mexico

Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and Maya who domesticated maize, created the standard process of nixtamalization, and established their foodways. Successive waves of other Mesoamerican groups brought with them their cooking methods. These included: the Teotihuacanos, Toltec, Huastec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Otomi, Purépecha, Totonac, Mazatec, Mazahua, and Nahua. With the Mexica formation of the multi-ethnic Triple Alliance, culinary foodways became infused.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enchilada</span> Corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a sauce

An enchilada 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corn tortilla</span> Unleavened flatbread made from nixtamalized maize

In North America, a corn tortilla or just tortilla is a type of thin, unleavened flatbread, made from hominy, that is the whole kernels of maize treated with alkali to improve their nutrition in a process called nixtamalization. A simple dough made of ground, dried hominy, salt and water is then formed into flat discs and cooked on a very hot surface, generally an iron griddle called a comal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tostada (tortilla)</span> Flat or bowl-shaped tortilla that is deep-fried or toasted

Tostada is the name given to various dishes in Mexico and Guatemala which include a toasted tortilla as the main base of their preparation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refried beans</span> Mexican dish of cooked, mashed, and fried beans

Refried beans is a dish of cooked and mashed beans that is a traditional staple of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, although each cuisine has a different approach when making the dish. Refried beans are also popular in many other Latin American countries. The English "refried beans" is a mistranslation, since the essence of "frijoles refritos" is the reheating and mashing of the beans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nachos</span> Tortilla chip dish

Nachos are a Tex-Mex culinary dish consisting of tortilla chips or totopos covered with cheese or cheese sauce, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats, vegetables, and condiments such as salsa, guacamole, or sour cream. At its most basic form, nachos may consist of merely chips covered with cheese, and served as an appetizer or snack, while other versions are substantial enough as a main course. The dish was created by, and named after, Mexican restaurateur Ignacio Anaya, who created it in 1943 for American customers at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quesadilla</span> Mexican dish of tortillas with melted cheese

A quesadilla is a Mexican dish consisting of a tortilla that is filled primarily with cheese, and sometimes meats, spices, and other fillings such as chocolate, and then cooked on a griddle or stove. Traditionally, a corn tortilla is used, but it can also be made with a flour tortilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tortilla chip</span> Snack food made from corn tortillas

A tortilla chip is a snack food made from corn tortillas, which are cut into triangles and then fried or baked. Corn tortillas are made of nixtamalized corn, vegetable oil, salt and water. Although first mass-produced commercially in the U.S. in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, tortilla chips grew out of Mexican cuisine, where similar items were well known, such as totopos and tostadas.

<i>Chicharrón</i> Pork dish of Spanish origin

Chicharrón is a dish generally consisting of fried pork belly or fried pork rinds. Chicharrón may also be made from chicken, mutton, or beef.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalupa</span> Mexican specialty dish

A chalupa is one of several specialty dishes of south-central Mexico, including the states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Guerrero, and Oaxaca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Mexican cuisine</span> Cuisine originating from New Mexico

New Mexican cuisine is the cuisine of the Southwestern US state of New Mexico. The region is primarily known for its fusion of Pueblo Native American cuisine with Hispano Spanish and Mexican cuisine originating in Nuevo México. This Southwestern culinary style is popular beyond the current boundaries of New Mexico, and is found throughout the old territories of Nuevo México and the New Mexico Territory, today the state of Arizona, parts of Texas, and the southern portions of Colorado, Utah, and Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnitas</span> Mexican dish

Carnitas, literally meaning "little meats", is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the state of Michoacán. Carnitas are made by braising or simmering pork in oil or preferably lard until tender. The process takes three to four hours, and the result is very tender and juicy meat, which is then typically served with chopped cilantro, diced onion, salsa, guacamole, tortillas, and refried beans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honduran cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Honduras

Honduran cuisine is a fusion of Mesoamerican, Spanish, Caribbean and African cuisines. There are also dishes from the Garifuna people. Coconut and coconut milk are featured in both sweet and savory dishes. Regional specialties include sopa de caracol, fried fish, tamales, carne asada and baleadas. Other popular dishes include meat roasted with chismol and carne asada, chicken with rice and corn, and fried fish with pickled onions and jalapeños. In the coastal areas and the Bay Islands, seafood and some meats are prepared in many ways, including with coconut milk. Among the soups the Hondurans enjoy are bean soup, mondongo soup, seafood soups and beef soups. Generally all of these soups are mixed with plantains, yuca, and cabbage, and served with corn tortillas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sope (food)</span> Traditional Mexican dish

A sope is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a fried masa base with savory toppings. Also known as picadita, it originates in the central and southern parts of Mexico, where it was sometimes first known as pellizcadas. It is an antojito, which at first sight looks like an unusually thick tortilla with vegetables and meat toppings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antojito</span> Mexican street food called "antojitos" in Spanish

Mexican street food, called antojitos, is prepared by street vendors and at small traditional markets in Mexico. Street foods include tacos, tamales, gorditas, quesadillas, empalmes, tostadas, chalupa, elote, tlayudas, cemita, pambazo, empanada, nachos, chilaquiles, fajita tortas, even hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as fresh fruits, vegetables, beverages and soups such as menudo, pozole and pancita. Most are available in the morning and the evening, as mid-afternoon is the time for the main formal meal of the day. Mexico has one of the most extensive street food cultures in Latin America, and Forbes named Mexico City as one of the foremost cities in the world in which to eat on the street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memela</span> Masa cake in Mexican cuisine

Memelas, also known as memelitas, are fried or toasted cakes made of masa topped with different fresh ingredients eaten as antojitos or snacks in the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico which has its origins in prehispanic food. They are similar to fresh corn tortillas, but are slightly thicker and usually oblong/oval in shape. Memela is the local name for the almost identical sope and huarache served in other parts of Mexico, but with different toppings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oaxacan cuisine</span> Regional cuisine of Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxacan cuisine is a regional cuisine of Mexico, centered on the city of Oaxaca, the capital of the eponymous state located in southern Mexico. Oaxaca is one of Mexico's major gastronomic, historical, and gastro-historical centers whose cuisine is known internationally. Like the rest of Mexican cuisine, Oaxacan food is based on staples such as corn, beans and chile peppers, but there is a great variety of other ingredients and food preparations due to the influence of the state's varied geography and indigenous cultures. Corn and many beans were first cultivated in Oaxaca. Well known features of the cuisine include ingredients such as chocolate, Oaxaca cheese, mezcal and grasshoppers (chapulines) with dishes such as tlayudas, Oaxacan style tamales and seven notable varieties of mole sauce. The cuisine has been praised and promoted by food experts such as Diana Kennedy and Rick Bayless and is part of the state's appeal for tourists.

References

  1. Mark Bittman (2009). Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express: 404 inspired seasonal dishes you can make in 20 minutes or less. Simon and Schuster. p. 43. ISBN   9781416578987 . Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  2. Anderson, Ian (November 9, 2020). "Brunch becomes a celebration at Cocina de Barrio". San Diego Reader . Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  3. "Tlayudas". Oaxaca Times. Archived from the original on 2009-08-18. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  4. 1 2 Bittman, Mark (2008-09-05). "Recipe of the Day: Tlayuda With Black Bean Purée". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  5. Bruce Geddes (2000). World Food Mexico. Hawthorn Victoria (Australia): Lonely Planet Publications PTY Ltd. p. 83. ISBN   1864500239.
  6. "Tlayuda oaxaqueña, la pizza mexicana". Crónica de Oaxaca (in Mexican Spanish). 2017-01-23. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
  7. "The tlayuda wins Netflix street food championship". Mexico News Daily. Mexico News Daily. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.