Burrito
A regional Mexican name for a taco, later a distinct dish.
A burrito, also called a burro, was originally a local name in Mexico for what people elsewhere in the country call a taco—basically, a tortilla wrapped around food. This term was used in the states of Guanajuato, Guerrero, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, and Sinaloa. In Mexico City and its surroundings, the same thing was called a taco, while in Yucatán and Quintana Roo it was known as a codzito. Because Mexico City’s culture became so influential, the word taco took over as the standard term. As a result, the original meanings of words like burrito and codzito faded, and people started inventing new definitions and folk explanations. Today, many see the burrito as a separate dish in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking, though its exact origins are debated and no single city is widely accepted as its birthplace. It’s made by wrapping a flour tortilla into a sealed cylinder around various fillings. In central and southern Mexico, burritos are still considered a type of taco and are called tacos de harina, or wheat flour tacos. The tortilla may be lightly grilled or steamed to make it softer, more flexible, and able to stick to itself. People usually eat burritos by hand because the tight wrap keeps the ingredients together. They can also be served “wet,” covered in a savory, spicy sauce, in which case they’re eaten with a fork and knife. The fillings are savory, most often beef, chicken, or pork, and often include rice, cooked beans (whole or refried), vegetables like lettuce and tomatoes, cheese, and condiments such as salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, or crema. Today, burritos are often compared to similar dishes: tacos, where a small hand-sized tortilla is folded in half around the ingredients instead of wrapped and sealed, and enchiladas, which use corn masa tortillas and are covered in a savory sauce, meant to be eaten with a fork and knife.
The word burrito means “little donkey” in Spanish, a diminutive of burro (donkey). One folk explanation suggests the term started in Sonora, where some questionable taco stands sold donkey meat instead of beef, leading people to call these tacos “burritos” as a sly joke. However, no verifiable historical record supports this story. Another possible origin is that the name comes from the way a burrito holds many different things, much like a donkey can carry a heavy load.
Quick Facts
- Country
- Mexico
- Course
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Served
- Hot or room temperature
- Main Ingredient
- Flour tortillas, meat and beans or refried beans
- Minor Ingredient
- Cheese, rice, lettuce, guacamole, salsa, sour cream
- Variations
- Breakfast burrito · Mission burrito · Burro percherón · Chimichanga
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The word burrito means 'little donkey' in Spanish, the diminutive form of burro. One folk explanation claims the term originated in Sonora where some dubious taco stands would sell donkey meat instead of beef, and people, maliciously, began calling tacos 'burritos' implying they were made with donkey meat. However, no verifiable historical record supports this story. Another possible origin is that it derives from the tendency for burritos to contain a lot of different things similar to how a donkey would be able to carry a large burden.
Reader's Guide
The burrito's significance lies in its evolution from a regional synonym for taco in several Mexican states to a distinct dish in modern Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, particularly associated with Ciudad Juárez. Its legacy is marked by a shift in meaning: due to the cultural influence of Mexico City, the term taco became the default, and the original regional meanings of burrito and codzito were largely forgotten, leading to new folk histories and definitions. In Central and Southern Mexico, burritos are still considered tacos and are known as tacos de harina ('wheat flour tacos'). The modern burrito, typically made with a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylindrical shape, is often contrasted with tacos (folded tortillas) and enchiladas (corn masa tortillas covered in sauce). The dish has also developed regional variations, including 'wet' burritos covered in sauce. Folk histories, mostly originating in the United States, include stories of a vendor named Juan Méndez in Ciudad Juárez during the Mexican Revolution and of vaqueros in northern Mexico. The burrito first appeared on American restaurant menus in Los Angeles in the 1930s and was mentioned in U.S. media in 1934. A frozen burrito was developed in Southern California in 1956 by Duane Roberts.
Did You Know?
- The word 'burrito' is the diminutive form of Spanish 'burro' (donkey).
- In the 1895 Diccionario de Mejicanismos, burrito was defined as a rolled-up tortilla with meat or other things inside, known as a taco in Mexico City and a coçito in Yucatán.
- Scottish noblewoman Frances Erskine Inglis wrote in 1843 that she ate 'burros' (tortillas filled with cheese) in Michoacán.
Origins & Regional Identity
The breakfast burrito traces its roots to New Mexican cuisine, where rolled tortillas filled with eggs, bacon, potatoes, and cheese were a longstanding staple long before anyone pinned a formal name to the dish. The term "breakfast burrito" itself first appeared on a menu at Tia Sophia's, a Santa Fe diner, in 1975. While that date marks the moment the phrase entered the written record, the preparation itself predates it by an unknown span of years within the regional food culture. From New Mexico, the concept radiated outward into broader Southwestern and Tex-Mex culinary traditions, adapting to local tastes and ingredient availability. The dish's identity remains deeply tied to its New Mexican heritage, where specific preparations like the "smothered" and "handheld" styles distinguish it from the more generic versions found elsewhere in the country.
The Fast Food Revolution
The breakfast burrito's journey from regional diner fare to a nationwide staple was largely driven by the fast food industry. McDonald's introduced its own interpretation in the late 1980s, a move that signaled the dish's potential for mass-market appeal. The following decade saw a wave of competitors follow suit: Sonic Drive-In, Hardee's, and Carl's Jr. all added breakfast burritos to their menus, cementing the format as a breakfast menu fixture across the country. By 2014, even Taco Bell, a brand long associated with Mexican-inspired fare, launched a dedicated breakfast lineup headlined by its own burrito offering. Today, the dish is a standard presence at Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts, and McDonald's locations nationwide. This commercial embrace transformed what was once a distinctly New Mexican preparation into a ubiquitous American breakfast item, available at virtually every corner of the country.
Culinary Composition & Preparation
The breakfast burrito is defined less by a single fixed recipe than by the freedom to combine a wide array of breakfast ingredients within a flour tortilla. Core components typically include scrambled eggs, potatoes, and beans, but the filling palette extends to cheese, various peppers (New Mexico chile, jalapeño, or bell peppers), salsa, onions, chorizo, bacon, and sour cream. Additional variations incorporate tomatoes, ham, sausage, Canadian bacon, avocado, spinach, and even olives. In New Mexico, the dish carries two distinctive serving traditions: the "smothered" style, where a chile sauce is ladled over the top, and the "handheld" style, which tucks chile sauce or chopped green chile inside the wrap. The burrito is generally served heated or freshly cooked, ensuring the tortilla stays pliable and the fillings meld together. This flexibility in composition is what has allowed the dish to adapt across regions while retaining its essential wrapped-tortilla identity.
Street Food & Modern Culture
Beyond the fast food counter, the breakfast burrito has carved out a vibrant place in the street food and food truck landscape. In cities like Los Angeles, food trucks serve breakfast burritos as a go-to grab-and-go meal, offering a more artisanal or regionally inspired take compared to the standardized versions found at chain restaurants. The dish's portability—everything enclosed in a single tortilla—makes it inherently suited to the street food format, where diners eat on the move. Outside the American Southwest, the same preparation is often rebranded as a "breakfast wrap," a linguistic shift that reflects how the dish has been absorbed into broader American culinary vocabulary. Whether served from a Santa Fe diner counter or a downtown LA truck, the breakfast burrito continues to straddle the line between humble regional tradition and modern urban convenience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a burrito?
A burrito is a flour tortilla rolled into a sealed cylindrical shape and stuffed with fillings. It evolved from a regional Mexican term that originally simply meant a tortilla-wrapped food, essentially what other areas call a taco.
Where did the name 'burrito' originally come from?
The word was a local label used in several Mexican states, including Guanajuato, Guerrero, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, and Sinaloa, to describe what people elsewhere referred to as a taco. It was not a unique dish at first but just a regional synonym for the same basic preparation.
How is a burrito different from a taco?
Historically, in much of Mexico they were the same thing—just different names for a tortilla wrapped around food. The modern burrito, however, is a distinct sealed cylindrical roll made with a flour tortilla, while the taco generally refers to an open or folded corn-tortilla preparation.
When was the first frozen burrito created?
The first frozen burrito was invented in 1964. This marked the point at which the dish began moving beyond fresh, made-to-order street and restaurant food into a mass-produced, shelf-stable product.
Why did the term 'burrito' lose its original meaning in Mexico?
Mexico City's dominant cultural influence pushed the word 'taco' into the role of the standard, nationwide term for tortilla-wrapped food. As a result, regional labels like burrito and the Yucatán term codzito gradually faded from everyday use, and burrito eventually took on its own separate identity as a distinct dish.
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