Question for you Mexican food fans

[leodem]

At work we were trying to figure out this difference between an enchilada, burrito, and fajita? Aren't they all just a mixture of meat, vegetables, and so on rolled up in a tortilla? Only thing I know is a Chimichanga is deep fried.

Anybody care to explain these crucial differences? :)

[IronLionZion]

1. different ingredients?

:shrug:

[lyrical di]

2. off the top of my head

I would say burritos have flour tortillas and different sauce.
Enchiladas tend to have corn tortillas and sauce over the top.
Fajitas are more like stir-fry that you wrap yourself.

My question is which is the chalupa and which is the tostada?

Of course, most of what we eat is not truly Mexican, but Tex-Mex.

[librechik]

4. chalupa is (usually) wheat flour and thick like frybread

abd a tostada is almost always on the crisp flat corn tortilla. "Enchilada" means served with (red) chile sauce. Enchiladas suiza have white cream sauce sometimes with green chiles. You're spot on with everything else.

[maveric]

3. Enchilada is a corn tortilla filled withmeat or cheese and covered with

a red sauce. A burrito is a flour tortilla thats wrapped with whatever you want to put in it(beef, chicken, fish, shrimp, veggies)and its hand held. Fajitas are pieces of thinly sliced staek or chicken pan fried (seared)with onions and peppers. You can wrap fajits in tortillas or simply use a fork.

[AspenRose]

5. Here's complicating things....

Coming to New Mexico from Texas I had NEVER seen "stacked enchiladas"....until I moved here.

That's right, STACKED...like pancakes or something. We went to a restaurant and I ordered enchiladas, and they asked me "stacked or rolled?" HUH?!?

And as for the sauce topping for enchiladas, in NM you can have GREEN CHILE sauce as well as RED chile sauce. The "Official" state question is, "RED or GREEN?" I kid you not:

http://existential.nmt.edu/RedorGreen/redorgreen.html

Just give me my Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas with chile con carne and onions anyday and I'll be fine.

[leftofthedial]

6. for starters

enchiladas are typically corn tortillas, a filling (meat, cheese, veggies, etc.,), served either flat or rolled and covered with a sauce (traditionally either green or red chili sauce, or in some places, a mole').

A burrito is a flour tortilla, stuffed with anything and rolled. Literally, a traditional burrito can have anything inside it. It is a common way to eat leftovers. Roll them up in a flour tortilla and have at it. It is also considered to be "portable" food, kind of like sandwiches. Smothered burritos (that is, covered with a sauce) are an anglo affectation--albeit a delicious one.

Enchiladas are generally a more refined food than burritos.

Fajitas are an anglo invention. Some use flour tortillas; some use corn. It is in effect, a kind of soft taco, with the ingredients served hot (and with some fanfare) at the table so you can stuff your own.

[SW FL Dem]

7. Easy

Burrito, usually filled with beans, rice, cheese and meatin a flour tortilla, no sauce.

Enchilada is meat and cheese baked in a corn tortilla with a red sauce over it.

Fajitas are smaller flour tortilla filled with a mixture of meat, sliced peppers and onions, usually made right at the table.

[wryter2000]

8. Quite different

An enchilada is a corn tortilla soaked in a sauce (either red chili or tomatillo). It's then stuffed and rolled up, placed in a dish, covered with more sauce and/or cheese and baked for a while. A burrito uses a large flour tortilla. Beans, rice, cheese, and/or various cooked and shredded meats, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, hot sauce are put in the center. That's wrapped and eaten. Fajitas are a smaller flour tortilla. Barbecued, sizzling meat in thin slices, lettuce, and various condiments are served on the side. The eater takes a tortilla and puts what he/she wants on it, wraps, and eats.

[havocmom]

9. Good place for a gringo to start

is Diana Kennedy cook book The Art of Mexican Cooking
This book will amaze and educate you. It will also make you drool.

When you wanna try something really good, go for rellanos... with green sauce