enchilada

enchilada, savory Mexican dish traditionally consisting of a rolled corn tortilla filled with meat and other ingredients that is then covered in chili sauce and baked. Other fillings in addition to meat that are common in enchiladas include beans, cheese, potatoes, seafood, and a variety of vegetables. Enchiladas are sometimes made with flour tortillas in lieu of corn tortillas. Common chili-based enchilada sauces include salsa roja (red sauce), salsa verde (green sauce), chili con queso (cheese sauce), chili gravy (a mix of gravy and chili sauce), and mole (cooked chili sauce). Enchiladas have been a popular street food in Mexico since the early 1900s.

History

Records of a dish resembling an enchilada, known as papadzules, date to the Preclassic era (2500 bce to 200 ce). Papadzules are thought to have originated with the Maya of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is made by dipping a corn tortilla in a sauce prepared from ground pumpkin seeds and then wrapping the tortilla around a hard-boiled egg and spreading a tomato-pepper sauce on top.

The rolled tortilla dish that came to form the enchilada as it is known today was first described by Spanish conquistador Bernal Díaz del Castillo in Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España (“True History of the Conquest of New Spain”), completed in 1557 (published in 1632). Díaz wrote about a dish that the Aztecs called chīllapīzzali (Nahuatl, meaning “chili flute”), which he was served in 1519 when he arrived in Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital. After 1521, following the Battle of Tenochtitlán and the Spanish conquest of the Aztec people, Spaniards adopted the dish. It is thought that the word enchilada (past participle of the Spanish enchilar, meaning “to season with chili”) is derived from chīllapīzzali.

When Mexico gained independence from the Spanish in 1821, the enchilada became part of the new country’s cuisine. In 1831 enchilada recipes were included in El cocinero mexicano (“The Mexican Chef”), one of the first published Mexican recipe books. Enchiladas and other Mexican dishes entered into American cuisine in the 1840s, when the United States annexed several Mexican territories. By the early 1920s, enchiladas had gained popularity in the United States. Today they are one of the most popular Mexican dishes outside Mexico and appear on restaurant menus in many countries.

Varieties and garnishes

There are many varieties of enchiladas available today, with options as diverse as the ingredients used to fill them and the sauces and garnishes used to top them.

• Enchiladas rojas: typically filled with beef or chicken and topped with a red sauce made from a combination of chili peppers.
• Enchiladas verdes: traditionally filled with chicken and topped with a green sauce made from tomatillos and chili peppers.
• Enchiladas suizas: usually filled with shredded chicken and topped with a milk- or cream-based sauce.
• Enchiladas potosínas: prepared from corn tortillas that are dipped in guajillo chili sauce and filled with cheese; the tortillas are folded (not rolled) and cooked by frying. The recipe originated in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
• Enmoladas (mole enchiladas): filled with various ingredients, often chicken, and topped with mole.
• Enchiladas de camarón: filled with shrimp and topped with a tomato cream sauce.
• Enfrijoladas: fillings vary and sometimes include chicken, vegetables, cheese, or a combination of ingredients topped with a bean sauce made from refried beans and their juices.

The type of tortilla can also vary. Corn tortillas are the traditional choice. They have a distinct, slightly sweet flavor that complements savory fillings, and they maintain their shape when rolled, which prevents ingredients from seeping out. Some people, however, prefer flour tortillas because their relatively plain flavor allows the flavor of the enchilada’s fillings to stand out. They are also softer and can expand to hold more ingredients for a heartier enchilada.

Enchiladas did not originally include garnishes. However, various embellishments have been incorporated into recipes, resulting in numerous novel versions and presentations of enchiladas. Depending on the variety of enchilada, some examples of garnishes include freshly chopped cilantro, chopped onions, olives, or radishes.