America’s Regional Burrito Styles [Infographic]

A good burrito can be found in almost every corner of the U.S. A mainstay on menus at stateside Mexican restaurants, they’ve got everything you could want in a meal — meat, carbs, veggies, and more — all rolled into a handheld pouch the size of a small child.

There are two theories regarding the origin of the roll-up, one of which points to a taco vendor in Cuidad Juárez, Mexico. Juan Méndez sold tacos in the city during the Mexican Revolution and wrapped his food in flour tortillas to keep it warm while riding his donkey around town. The “food of the donkey” allegedly became a popular item in Cuidad Juárez and was thus named burrito, or “little donkey” in Spanish.

The second and more popular theory posits that the dish was created in Sonora to simplify eating while in transit. Considering travel was often done on the back of a donkey, the burrito was named after the animal. Gustavo Arellano, author of “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America,” believes this to be the most plausible theory as the Sonora region of northwest Mexico is known for producing wheat, the main ingredient in flour tortillas.

While burritos may have originated south of the border, the original versions were much smaller and typically made with just one or two fillings. However, as migrant workers came to the U.S. in the early 1900s and burritos started popping up on menus in Southern California, the food took on a life of its own. Now, several burrito styles exist across the country, and while ingredients may differ, one thing remains consistent: their size. Stuffed with anything from rice and beans to french fries or potatoes, Mexican-American burritos are absolute belly-busters.

From interpretations native to San Diego to those created across the country in Grand Rapids, Mich., we sorted through the multitude of burrito styles in the U.S. to determine what sets each interpretation apart. Check out our infographic below for VinePair’s comprehensive guide to America’s regional burrito styles.

Breakfast Burrito: New Mexico

Breakfast burritos may be a common menu item at diners across the U.S., but New Mexico gets to call itself the home of the style. Stuffed with scrambled eggs, cheese, potatoes, mashed avocado, pico de gallo, and more, this burrito is believed to be an evolution of the breakfast taco, which was popular among miners in northern Mexico. Tia Sophia’s, a Mexican restaurant in Santa Fe, is credited with creating the burrito style in 1975. Today, the breakfast burrito on offer is served with eggs, potatoes, cheese, and guests’ choice of bacon, ham, sausage, or bologna with red or green sauce on top.

California Burrito: San Diego, California

While this style is named for the entire state, it’s actually hyper-regional to Southern California — San Diego, to be specific. It’s traditionally made with carne asada as the protein, but the real distinguishing feature of the California burrito is the presence of french fries in place of rice and beans. Additional fillings often include cheese, pico de gallo, grilled veggies, sour cream, and guacamole.

Chimichanga: Arizona

There’s nothing that screams U.S.A. like taking another culture’s culinary delicacies and deep-frying them. But in the case of the chimichanga, its creation was allegedly an accident. As the story goes, the owner of Tuscon’s El Charro restaurant unintentionally dropped a burrito in the fryer and screeched “Chimichanga!” (or “thingamajig” in Spanish). While many historians generally believe this version of events, a similar story persists at Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen in Phoenix, where it is alleged that the chimichanga came about intentionally after a fried burrito experiment. In their modern form, chimichangas are typically made by wrapping a flour tortilla around a protein and cheese before frying the whole thing and topping it with salsa and more cheese.

Korean Burrito: Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is home to the largest concentrations of Mexican and Korean immigrants in the U.S., so it was really only a matter of time before grub from the two cultures fused. Enter: the Korean Burrito. A popular street food option in the City of Angels, the burrito swaps out Mexican rice for white rice, which stars alongside Korean staples like beef bulgogi, chicken katsu, kimchi, and cabbage as filling.

L.A.-Style Burrito: Los Angeles, California

Yet another L.A. signature, this style is distinguished by the use of refried beans in the build. Guisado — a stew made from slow-cooked chicken, beef, or pork — is also a mainstay in the dish. Rounding things out are helpings of rice, cheese, and salsa.

Mission Burrito: San Francisco, California

Named for the Mission District of the style’s home city, Mission Burritos are defined by their size rather than their ingredients. Close to the length of a human forearm, the burritos are overstuffed with fillings like rice, beans, meat, grilled peppers and onions, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole. The massive meal is said to have been created in 1961 by Febronio Ontiveros, proprietor of local restaurant El Faro, who was looking to feed hungry firefighters. Fellow local restaurant Taqueria La Cumbre also claims to have created the Mission-style burrito, though the restaurant wasn’t opened until 1969, so the legitimacy of the claim is up for debate.

If you prefer your burritos with a crispier edge, look no further than the Dorado-style, which also originates in the Mission District. The Dorado takes the Mission-style burrito a step further by searing both sides of the rolled tortilla on an oiled plancha until golden.

Oregon Burrito: Salem, Oregon

Believed to be a take on the California-style, the Oregon burrito swaps out french fries in favor of grilled potatoes. Also made with carne asada, this burrito is stuffed with cheese, salsa or pico de gallo, roasted onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro. At local restaurant Muchas Gracias, customers can even DIY the Oregon burrito depending on their preferred fillings.

Wet Burrito: Grand Rapids, Michigan

While its name may be unfortunate, a full-sized burrito drenched in enchilada sauce still sounds delicious to us. Typically eaten with a fork and knife, these burritos are stuffed to the brim with rice, beans, cheese, meat, veggies, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole and smothered with a heaping portion of sauce. The style is said to have originated in Grand Rapids at the Beltline Bar in the mid-1960s, though some point to L.A. or Texas as the true birthplace of the wet burrito.

*Image retrieved from George Dolgikh via stock.adobe.com

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