rt, some people said Chipotle is more like American food. Just want to know everybody’s opinion on this subject.
I’d categorize it firmly under “tex-mex”, with some “california cuisine” influences thrown in. Very heavy Mexican influence, but not exactly how Mexicans cook it.
Could also just call it “southwestern” or “mexican-american” if you want, both work. Probably southwestern would be most precise.
I consider Chipotle as Mexican as I consider Panda Express Chinese.
It’s modeled after mission burritos. You could say it’s San Franciscan. That’s essentially Mexican.
Going from first principles is a different story. Did you know potatoes come from Peru, South America? Shouldn’t they be called Peruvian Fries? Not French? Like half of all food is South American. It’s wild. Same for beans; which make up a part of a Chipotle.
Anyway, when dealing with cultural categories there’s no real facts to rely on. See sandwich vs hot dog.
I’d say it’s Mexican, but not sit-down-Mexican. That’s something different. You usually get wet burritos at sit down Mexican. There’s a million places call like El Rodeo, or La Michoana, or whatever. They aren’t a chain, but you know what you’re gonna get at a sit down Mexican. It’s never a Chipotle style burrito.
This is the most accurate description here. Growing up in central Mexico I always considered burritos American food. If I had been born further up north in Chihuahua Mexico maybe I would have called them Mexican food. At the end of the day, eat them if you like them and don’t worry too much about what it’s called. Like all good food there is a little bit of influence from multiple fronts.
Got any dishes that you feel represent the kind of Mexican food you grew up with? People are always so quick to say “x isn’t Mexican, y, isn’t Mexican, it’s so impossible to find real Mexican food if you don’t live close to the border”. But they never say what “real Mexican” is lol. I’d love to try something authentic but as someone from Florida whos apparently never had any real Mexican food in my life I have no idea where to start
Sorry for the delay,
Added some descriptions in case someone runs by this and is not familiar with some of the items. Keep in mind that this is what I was familiar with and does not necessarily represent what everyone experienced under the same dish name :)
Some of what I grew up with is already on the usual suspects list, but maybe there will be a new one here and there:
- Tacos: Soft corn tortilla with anything on it. E.g. at home you could do an egg with salsa and call it a taco.
- Tortas de Lomo: Pork back/loin/shoulder thinly sliced and included with onions, tomatos, avocado, sour creme (slightly different than american sour creme but similar). In my area the buns were either steamed before adding the ingredients or placed in a grill press like Panini. Meat could be replaced with: Cheese, chorizo, steak, etc. but pork was the most popular where I grew up (area was known for raising pigs).
- Tamales: Corn dough filled with one or more of: beef, pork, chicken, cheese & jalapenos, etc. Steamed in dry corn leaves.
- Pozole: Pork based soup with Hominy (not the same flavor as corn). Topped with lettuce/cabagge, radishes and lime juice (optional oil based chili sauce).
- Menudo: Grease beef based soup (generally tripe and other internals). Topped with some freshly diced onion and lime juice (optional oil based chili sauce).
- Enchiladas: Oil & chile fried corn tortillas, filled with potato or similar. Topped with cabbage and dried crumbled cheese.
Some of what I grew up with that is slightly less popular (in the US at least) but are likely available in some US restaurants (or many in some states):
- Chiles Rellenos: Pasilla or poblano peppers filled with cheese or some other item (e.g. chicken), surrounded in shallow fried egg mix. Generally paired with rice or in our case a tomato/onion homemade soup.
- Taquitos: deep fried corn tortillas (rolled or folded), filled with potatoes or some other ingredient. Topped with lettuce or cabbage and paired with pickled onions, carrots and salsa.
- Enfrijoladas. Watery/oily bean dipped/fried corn tortillas. Filled with potatoes/cheese/chicken, etc. Topped with cabbage and dried crumbled cheese.
- Coctel de camaron y pulpo: Shrimp and octopus with diced goodies (generally, tomato, onion, cilantro, cucumber) in a red savory sauce/juice (tomato, ketchup, clamato, mandarin, chipotle, or other ingredients. depending on who prepared it).
- Pescado empanizado: Breaded fried fish, paired with rice, beans and a cole salad.
- Mojarra dorada: Fried fish (similar to tilapia I think), paired with rice, beans, salad.
Some items that are popular (and yummy when I’ve tried them), but not very common in my region:
- Sopa Purepecha (sometimes called Sopa Tarasca): bean based soup with fried tortilla strips and sour cream and cheese toppings.
- Chiles en nogada: Poblano or Pasilla chiles, generally filled with meat and topped with a nut sauce and pomegranate. Not super familiar with them growing up, but heard about them.
Some items that I mostly had at home, although I’ve seen it in restaurants from time to time
- Corundas: Corn dough steamed in a corn (green) leaves. Served halved and with sour cream, cheese and salsa (sour cream could be omitted).
- Picadillo: Ground meat, with potatoes, carrots and whatever you had at hand (corn, chickpeas, etc) in a broth to make a tasty soup. Could be finished with some lime juice and hot sauce (the bottled kind).
- Caldo de res: Beef bone with some meat on it. Boiled with veggies, and generally at least 1 corn on the husk (split in pieces).
- Caldo de pollo: Similar to caldo de res, but used chicken and chicken bones instead. Compared to chicken noodle soup, it is less salty and more mellow. Could have some small amount of rice added in to the bottom.
- Albondigas (meat balls, but very different from what is known in US). Very similar to Picadillo in terms of veggies, but the meat was packed into balls with some rice and egg to keep the shape.
- Frijoles de la olla: Beans from the pot (generally a clay pot). Had to be the fresh batch and paired with diced green onions, crumbled cheese and maybe some diced onion/tomato. They taste so much different when fresh.
Desserts and drinks
- Chongos Zamoranos - curdle milk with sugar and cinnamon. I would love this as a kid (now it is a little too sweet).
- Cajeta de Leche - Caramelized milk. Highly recommend the goat’s milk version. Generally added on top of bread (packaged sliced white bread was fine).
- Fresas con Cema - Frozen strawberries (for us from the Irapuato region known for strawberries) with Chantilly cream
- Aguas Frescas - Sugary water with lots of ice and fruit or similar base (popular flavors: Tamarind, Sweet Lime, Strawberry, Hibiscus & Orchata)
Hopefully you will find at least 1 item that is yummy and available in your area. Googling the name, might give you an idea of what to look for. Cheers!
Wow, thank you for going through all that trouble! I really appreciate it. I’m vegetarian but might have to make an exception for a couple of these lol. Not to say there aren’t plenty of vegetarian dishes in there as well. I’m pumped to try some new stuff out!
The same way that Olive Garden is authentic Italian food
Authentic fettuccine alfredo
Tex-mex. There is an authentic mexican restaurant in my town: menudo, lengua, jaritos…and they would laugh about Chipotle being considered mexican.
I would say more California than Tex - Tex Mex has heavier emphasis on fried foods. The company is headquartered in California. It looks like the owner got most of the inspiration in San Francisco, and then moved to Colorado.
I always thought of it as Californian, but now that I say that, I have no idea where it originates.
Edit: it was founded in Colorado, but is now headquartered in California.
It’s Americanized Mexican, at best. Personally, I cannot stand the taste though, so I’m also not the best judge probably.
It’s Tex mex just like Taco Bell
I’ve never really thought about it but chipotle has always been a Mexican/Spanish type thing in my mind.
I think it markets to our perception of Mexican food. And I know Mexican people who enjoy Chipotle. But I would be surprised to learn if it is truly traditional Mexican food.
I thought it was, but now that I read the title, I’m second-guessing my assumption. I know I was surprised to learn fortune cookies are not Chinese.
