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|description= A burrito or burro in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the
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{{Short description|Tex-Mex dish consisting of a wheat flour tortilla wrapped to enclose the filling}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Pp-semi-indef}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Burrito
| image            = Burrito.JPG

| image_size       = 250px
| caption          = A Mexican-style burrito served with some limes
| country          = Mexico
| region           = 
| creator          = 
| course           = Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
| type             = Wrap
| 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       = {{ubl|Breakfast burrito|Mission burrito|Burro percherón|Chimichanga}}
| calories         = 
| other            = 
}}

A '''burrito''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|b|ə|ˈ|r|iː|t|oʊ}}, {{IPA|es|buˈrito|lang|Burritos.ogg|}})<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bayless |first1=Rick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lCkXPPSrXXEC&pg=PT197 |title=Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico |last2=Bayless |first2=Deann Groen |last3=Hirsheimer |first3=Christopher |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-06-137326-8 |page=197 |access-date=January 1, 2022 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703234616/https://books.google.com/books?id=lCkXPPSrXXEC&pg=PT197 |url-status=live }}</ref> or '''burro'''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sobarzo |first1=Horacio |title=Vocabulario Sonorense |date=1984 |publisher=Gobierno del Estado |location=Hermosillo |page=45 |edition=Second |url=https://redescubramossonora.mx/Libros_1979-1985/Sobarzo,%20H.%20(1984).%20Vocabulario%20Sonorense.pdf |access-date=17 October 2024}}</ref> in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the country. The term ''burrito'' was regional, specifically from Guanajuato, Guerrero, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Sonora and Sinaloa, for what is known as a ''taco'' in Mexico City and surrounding areas, and ''codzito'' in Yucatán and Quintana Roo.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ramos y Duarte |first=Féliz |url= http://bdh-rd.bne.es/viewer.vm?id=0000053673&page=95 |title=Diccionario de Mejicanismos |publisher=Imprenta de Eduardo Dublan |year=1895 |page=98}}</ref><ref name="Diccionario de Mejicanismos">{{cite book |last1=Santamaría |first1=Francisco Javier |title=Diccionario de Mejicanismos |date=1959 |publisher=Editorial Porrúa |location=Mexico |page=158 |url=https://archive.org/details/diccionariodemej00sant/page/158/mode/2up?view=theater&q=Taco |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref><ref name="Burrito">{{cite web |title=Burrito |url=https://dem.colmex.mx/Ver/burrito |website=Diccionario del Español de México |publisher=Colegio de México |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref> Due to the cultural influence of Mexico City, the term ''taco'' became the default, and the meaning of terms like ''burrito'' and ''codzito'' were forgotten, leading many people to create new meanings and folk histories.

In modern times, it is considered by many as a different dish in Mexican<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ramos y Duarte |first=Féliz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u2xQAAAAMAAJ&q=burrito |title=Diccionario de Mejicanismos |publisher=Imprenta de Eduardo Dublan |year=1895 |page=98}}<br/>{{Cite book |last=Pilcher |first=Jeffrey M. |title=Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-991158-5 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=UJskrNcyLGkC&pg=PA46 46]–[https://books.google.com/books?id=UJskrNcyLGkC&pg=PA47 47]}}<br/>{{Cite book |last=Arreola |first=Daniel D. |title=Tejano South Texas: A Mexican American Cultural Province |date=1 January 2010 |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=978-0-292-79314-9 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=RX_tNHHnGGIC&pg=PA174 174]–[https://books.google.com/books?id=RX_tNHHnGGIC&pg=PA175 175]}}<br/>{{Cite book |last=Miers |first=Thomasina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foI4AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT74 |title=Wahaca—Mexican Food at Home |date=21 June 2012 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |isbn=978-1-4447-5692-0 |pages=74–75}}</ref> and Tex-Mex cuisine<ref>{{Cite book |last=Anand |first=Karen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BWw-61xANqoC&pg=PA28 |title=International Cooking With Karen Anand |date=2005 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |isbn=978-81-7154-908-5 |page=28 |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703234611/https://books.google.com/books?id=BWw-61xANqoC&pg=PA28 |url-status=live }}<br/>{{Cite book |last1=Prandoni |first1=Anna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UWUdcASDk_kC&q=burritos+comida+texmex&pg=PT16 |title=Los Sabores de la Cocina Tex-Mex |last2=Zago |first2=Fabio |date=2013 |publisher=Parkstone International |isbn=978-84-315-5500-9 |language=es |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703234609/https://books.google.com/books?id=UWUdcASDk_kC&q=burritos+comida+texmex&pg=PT16 |url-status=live }}<br/>{{Cite book |last=Armendariz Sanz |first=Jose Luis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqNQAgAAQBAJ&q=burritos+comida+texmex&pg=PA86 |title=Gastronomía y nutrición |publisher=Ediciones Paraninfo, S.A. |isbn=978-84-9732-440-3 |page=86 |language=es |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703234610/https://books.google.com/books?id=LqNQAgAAQBAJ&q=burritos+comida+texmex&pg=PA86 |url-status=live }}</ref> that took form in Ciudad Juárez, consisting of a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylindrical shape around various ingredients.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Griffith |first=Dotty |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MnpFDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA140 |title=The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook: 125 Recipes for All Kinds of Make-Your-Own Tortillas--and for Burritos, Enchiladas, Tacos, and More |date=9 January 2018 |publisher=Harvard Common Press |isbn=978-0-7603-5488-9 |page=140 |access-date=April 6, 2018 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703234610/https://books.google.com/books?id=MnpFDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA140 |url-status=live }}<br/>{{Cite book |last=Morton |first=Paula E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_Y6BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA117 |title=Tortillas: A Cultural History |date=15 October 2014 |publisher=UNM Press |isbn=978-0-8263-5215-6 |page=117 |access-date=April 6, 2018 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703234610/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_Y6BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA117 |url-status=live }}<br/>{{Cite book |last1=Sparks |first1=Pat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lYV77mWEV7sC&pg=PA100 |title=Tortillas!: 75 Quick and Easy Ways to Turn Simple Tortillas Into Healthy Snacks and Mealtime Feasts |last2=Swanson |first2=Barbara |date=15 March 1993 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-312-08912-2 |page=100 |access-date=April 6, 2018 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703235116/https://books.google.com/books?id=lYV77mWEV7sC&pg=PA100 |url-status=live }}</ref> In Central and Southern Mexico, burritos are still considered tacos, and are known as ''tacos de harina'' ("wheat flour tacos").<ref name="Burrito"/> The tortilla is sometimes lightly grilled or steamed to soften it, make it more pliable, and allow it to adhere to itself. Burritos are often eaten by hand, as their tight wrapping keeps the ingredients together. Burritos can also be served "wet"; i.e., covered in a savory and spicy sauce, when they would be eaten with a fork and knife.

Burritos are filled with savory ingredients, most often a meat such as beef, chicken, or pork, and often include other ingredients, such as rice, cooked beans (either whole or refried), vegetables, such as lettuce and tomatoes, cheese, and condiments such as salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, or crema.

Burritos are often contrasted in present times with similar dishes such as tacos, in which a small hand-sized tortilla is folded in half around the ingredients rather than wrapped and sealed, or with enchiladas, which use corn masa tortillas and are covered in a savory sauce to be eaten with a fork and knife.

==Etymology==
The word ''burrito'' means "little donkey" in Spanish, the diminutive form of ''burro'', or "donkey". Sonoran historian and politician, Horacio Sorbazo Díaz, explained that 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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sorbazo Díaz |first1=Horacio |title=Vocabulario Sonorense |date=1966 |publisher=Editorial Porrúa |location=Mexico |pages=45-46 |url=https://redescubramossonora.mx/Libros_1979-1985/Sobarzo,%20H.%20(1984).%20Vocabulario%20Sonorense.pdf |access-date=24 March 2025}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Duggan">{{Cite news |last=Duggan |first=Tara |date=2001-04-29 |title=The Silver Torpedo |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/04/29/CM162769.DTL |access-date=24 April 2007 |archive-date=February 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227141330/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/04/29/CM162769.DTL |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==

Before the development of the modern burrito, the Maya civilization of Mexico used corn tortillas as early as 1500 B.C. to wrap foods, with fillings of chili peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, squash, and avocados.<ref name="Morales">{{Cite book |last1=Morales |first1=Eric César |title=Celebrating Latino Folklore |last2=Carrillo |first2=Julián |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-313-34339-1 |editor-last=Herrera-Sobek, Maria |pages=178–180 |chapter=Burritos |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lY-tY62V1FIC&pg=PA178}}</ref> Historically, the Pueblo peoples of the Southwestern US also made tortillas filled with beans and meat sauce and prepared much like the modern burrito.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2002 |title=Snack foods |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World: 15,000 Years of Inventions and Innovations |publisher=Facts On File, Inc. |location=New York |last1=Keoke |first1=Emory Dean |page=240 |isbn=978-1-4381-0990-9 |last2=Porterfield |first2=Kay Marie}}</ref> But these preparations could also be said to be the origin of the simpler taco, rather than the modern burrito.

The precise origin of the modern burrito is not known, but there is evidence that in Mexico ''burrito'' was just another name, among others, for a ''taco'', a rolled tortilla, whether corn or wheat, filled with meat or other ingredients. In the 1895 {{Lang|es|Diccionario de Mejicanismos}} by Feliz Ramos i Duarte, ''burrito'' was identified as the regional name given in the Mexican state of Guanajuato to what is known as a ''taco'' in other regions:<ref name="Cumo2015" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ramos y Duarte |first=Féliz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u2xQAAAAMAAJ&q=burrito |title=Diccionario de Mejicanismos |publisher=Imprenta de Eduardo Dublan |year=1895 |page=98}}</ref>

{{blockquote
|multiline=yes
|author=Feliz Ramos i Duarte
|text={{lang|es|Burrito: Tortilla arrollada, con carne u otra cosa dentro, que en Yucatán llaman coçito, y en Cuernavaca y en Mexico, taco.}}
Burrito: Rolled-up tortilla, with meat or other things inside, what in Yucatán is called a {{Lang|es|coçito}} and in Cuernavaca and Mexico [City] a {{Lang|es|taco}}.}}

Both, ''Diccionario Agrícola Nacional'' (1935) by the Mexican ''Dirección General de Estadística''<ref>{{cite journal |title=Vocabulario Agrícola Nacional |journal=Investigaciones lingüísticas |date=1933 |volume=1-3 |page=244 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Investigaciones_lingü%C3%ADsticas/VMxPAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Burrito |access-date=23 January 2025}}</ref> and ''Diccionario de Mejicanismos'' (1959) by Mexican linguist and philologist Francisco J. Santamaría, identify ''burrito'' as another name for a ''taco'' in the state of Guerrero, while in the State of Sinaloa it is specifically a taco filled with salt:<ref name="Diccionario de Mejicanismos"/>

{{blockquote|multiline=yes|author=Francisco J. Santamaría|text={{lang|es|En el Estado de Guerrero, taco, en el sentido de tortilla arrollada con comida adentro. En Yucatan le llaman coorto. En Sinaloa, taco de tortilla con sal.}}
In the State of Guerrero, taco, in the sense of a rolled-up tortilla with food inside. In Yucatan they call it ''coorto''. In Sinaloa, a tortilla taco with salt.}}

The Dictionary of Mexican Spanish (Diccionario del Español de México) by the Colegio de México also provides those definitions, stating that it’s a regionalism from, both, the states of Guerrero and Michoacán for ''taco''; and also states that, in the state of Sinaloa, it’s a "''taco de sal''" (salt taco), a rolled corn tortilla with salt in it.<ref name="Burrito"/>

In ''Vocabulario Sonorense''  (1966), Sonoran writer, historian and politician, Horacio Sobarzo Díaz, states the same, writing that ''burro'' is another name for a taco, but argues that it's a regionalism from Sonora and that it originated from the fact that in some places in that state, donkey meat was sold instead of beef:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sobarzo |first1=Horacio |title=Vocabulario Sonorense |date=1984 |publisher=Gobierno del Estado |location=Hermosillo |page=45 |edition=Second |url=https://redescubramossonora.mx/Libros_1979-1985/Sobarzo,%20H.%20(1984).%20Vocabulario%20Sonorense.pdf |access-date=17 October 2024}}</ref> {{blockquote
|multiline=yes
|author=Horacio Sobarzo Díaz
|text={{lang|es|Burro, s.m. Envoltorio de tortilla con carne o algún otro alimento, taco. Alude el vocablo a la carne de burro que ha sido apetecida por nuestros indígenas. La carne seca del vacuno es muy gustada en Sonora, y se ha observado en algunas ocasiones que, aprovechándose esta circunstancia, se trafique fraudulentamente con carne oreada de burro. Es de presumirse que en lugares donde se servían fritangas se "diera gato por liebre", y aludiéndose a ello maliciosamente se denominara burro al taco.}}

Burro, s.m. A tortilla wrap with meat or some other food, taco. The word alludes to donkey meat that has been enjoyed by our indigenous people. Dried beef is very popular in Sonora, and it has been observed on some occasions that, taking advantage of this circumstance, dried donkey meat is fraudulently sold. It is presumed that in places where fried foods were served, a "bait and switch" was done, and alluding to this maliciously, the taco was called ''donkey'' (burro).}}

In her book ''Life in Mexico'' (1843) Scottish noblewoman Frances Erskine Inglis writes that she ate ''burros'', tortillas filled, in this case, with cheese, while on the road in Michoacán :<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erskine Inglis |first1=Frances |title=Life in Mexico |date=1843 |publisher=Chapman and Hall |location=London |page=387 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZP6M8x64RxYC&q=Burro |access-date=8 November 2023}}</ref>

{{blockquote|...&nbsp;the gentlemen from Morelia, suffering for their politeness in having escorted us, the two damsels of the bath, naiads of the boiling spring, pitying our hungry condition, came to offer their services; one asked me if I should like "to eat a burro in the mean time"? A burro being an ass, I was rather startled at the proposition, and assured her that I should infinitely prefer waiting a little longer before resorting to so desperate a measure. "Some people call them pecadoras", (female sinners!) said her sister. Upon this, the gentlemen came to our assistance, and ''burros'' or ''pecadoras'' were ordered forthwith. They proved to be hot tortillas, with cheese in them, and we found them particularly good.}} Being that ''burrito'' or ''burro'' was, originally, just a regional name for what is known as a ''taco'' or ''codzito'' in other regions of Mexico, the use of both, corn and wheat flour tortillas was understandable. In fact, references to ''burritos'' made with corn tortillas appear as late as 1938 in California. Ana Bégué de Packman, author of the book ''Early California Hospitality'' (1938) wrote that corn and flour tortillas could be used interchangeably for making burritos.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pilcher |first1=Jeffrey M. |title=Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food |date=2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City |isbn=9780190655778 |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lVT5DAAAQBAJ&dq=planet+taco+burritos+wheat&pg=PA47 |access-date=23 November 2023}}</ref> 

Currently, wheat flour tortilla burritos are known as "tacos de harina" (wheat flour tacos) in Central and Southern Mexico.<ref name="Burrito"/>
 
===Folk history===
Stemming from the belief that burritos are distinct from tacos, there are many myths and folk stories about the origin of burritos, most of them originating in the United States. 

An often repeated piece of folk history is the story of a man named Juan Méndez who sold tacos at a street stand in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Ciudad Juárez during the Mexican Revolution period (1910–1921), while using a donkey as a transport for himself and his food.<ref>See, e.g., {{Cite book |last=van Berkmoes |first=Ryan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W0DdKx5nJiYC&q=mendez&pg=PA101 |title=California Trips |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-74220-390-4 |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703235111/https://books.google.com/books?id=W0DdKx5nJiYC&q=mendez&pg=PA101 |url-status=live }}</ref> To keep the food warm, Méndez wrapped it in large homemade flour tortillas underneath a small tablecloth. As the "food of the ''burrito''" (i.e., "food of the little donkey") grew in popularity, "burrito" was eventually adopted as the name for these large tacos.<ref name="Morales" />

Some have speculated that it may have originated with ''vaqueros,'' the cowboys of northern Mexico in the 19th century.<ref name = Morales /><ref name="Cumo2015">{{Cite book |last=Cumo |first=Christopher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqfACQAAQBAJ&pg=PT75 |title=Foods that Changed History: How Foods Shaped Civilization from the Ancient World to the Present |date=30 June 2015 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-3537-7 |pages=75–76}}</ref>

In 1923, Alejandro Borquez opened the Sonora Cafe in Los Angeles that later changed its name to El Cholo Spanish Cafe.<ref name="shindler">{{Cite periodical |last=Shindler |first=Merrill |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5072/is_8_23/ai_70885200 |title=Comfort Food |date=February 2001 |magazine=Los Angeles Business Journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050520231428/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5072/is_8_23/ai_70885200 |archive-date=2005-05-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Burritos first appeared on American restaurant menus at the El Cholo Spanish Cafe in Los Angeles during the 1930s.<ref name="Smith2004">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |isbn=0-19-515437-1 |volume=1 |page=171}}</ref> Burritos were mentioned in the U.S. media for the first time in 1934,<ref name="Smith">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |title=Cultural and Historical Aspects of Foods |publisher=Corvallis: Oregon State University |year=1999 |editor-last=Mary Wallace Kelsey |pages=183–203 |chapter=Tacos, Enchiladas and Refried Beans: The Invention of Mexican-American Cookery |editor-last2=ZoeAnn Holmes |chapter-url=http://food.oregonstate.edu/ref/culture/latinamerica/mexico_smith.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206165621/http://food.oregonstate.edu/ref/culture/latinamerica/mexico_smith.html |archive-date=2012-02-06}}</ref> appearing in the ''Mexican Cookbook'', a collection of regional recipes from New Mexico that was written by historian Erna Fergusson.<ref name="Smith2007">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_e9i9/page/75 |title=The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-19-530796-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_e9i9/page/75 75]}}</ref> In 1956, a frozen burrito was developed in Southern California.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Edwards |first=Phil |date=1 May 2015 |title=How the burrito conquered America |work=Vox |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/5/1/8525335/burrito-history-invention-america |access-date=5 May 2018 |archive-date=May 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506104441/https://www.vox.com/2015/5/1/8525335/burrito-history-invention-america |url-status=live }}<br/>{{Cite news |last=Luna |first=Nancy |date=19 July 2007 |title=Burrito king grows from frozen to fine dining |work=The Orange County Register |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2007/07/19/burrito-king-grows-from-frozen-to-fine-dining/ |access-date=5 May 2018 |archive-date=May 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506110818/https://www.ocregister.com/2007/07/19/burrito-king-grows-from-frozen-to-fine-dining/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Arellano" />{{rp|192}}

==Development of regional varieties==

===Mexico===
Burritos are a traditional food of Ciudad Juárez, a city bordering El Paso, Texas, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, where people buy them at restaurants and roadside stands. Northern Mexican border towns like Villa Ahumada have an established reputation for serving burritos. Authentic Mexican burritos are usually small and thin, with flour tortillas containing only one or two of several ingredients: either some form of meat or fish, potato, rice, beans, asadero cheese, {{Lang|es|chile rajas}}, or ''chile relleno''.<ref name="Franz">{{Cite book |last1=Franz |first1=Carl |title=The People's Guide to Mexico |last2=Havens |first2=Lorena |publisher=Avalon Travel Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=1-56691-711-5 |page=379}}</ref> Other ingredients may include: ''barbacoa'', ''mole'', refried beans and cheese (a "bean and cheese" burrito), or {{Lang|es|deshebrada}} (shredded slow-cooked flank steak). The {{Lang|es|deshebrada}} burrito has a variation with ''chile {{not a typo|colorado}}'' (mild to moderately hot) and one with ''salsa verde'' (very hot). The Mexican burrito may be a northern variation of the traditional {{Lang|es|taco de Canasta}}, which is eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-08-07 |title=What A Breakfast Burrito Will Do To Your Life |work=eatingwithyourhands.com |url=https://eatingwithyourhands.com/breakfast-burrito/ |url-status=dead |access-date=2016-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810131054/https://eatingwithyourhands.com/breakfast-burrito/ |archive-date=2016-08-10}}</ref>

Although burritos are one of the most popular examples of Mexican cuisine outside of Mexico, they are only popular in the northern part of Mexico. However, they are beginning to appear in some nontraditional venues in other parts of Mexico. Wheat flour tortillas (used in burritos) are now often seen throughout much of Mexico (possibly due to these areas being less than optimal for growing maize or corn), despite at one time being particular to northwestern Mexico, the Southwestern US Mexican-American community, and Pueblo Indian tribes.

Burritos are commonly called {{Lang|es|tacos de harina}} ("wheat flour tacos") in Central Mexico and Southern Mexico, and {{Lang|es|burritas}} (the feminine variation with 'a') in "northern-style" restaurants outside of northern Mexico proper. A long and thin fried burrito called a {{Lang|es|chivichanga}}'','' which is similar to a chimichanga, is prepared in the state of Sonora and vicinity.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bayless |first1=Rick |title=Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico |last2=Bayless |first2=Deann Groen |publisher=Morrow Cookbooks |year=1987 |isbn=0-688-04394-1 |page=142}}</ref>

A variation of the burrito found in the Mexican state of Sonora is known as the burro percherón.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

=== San Francisco Mission burrito ===
{{Main|Mission burrito}}
[[File:Shredded pork burrito.jpg|thumb|right|Mission-style burrito containing shredded pork, beans, and rice]]
The origins of the Mission burrito or Mission-style burrito can be traced back to San Francisco, in the Mission District taquerías of the 1960s and 1970s. This type of burrito is produced on a steam table assembly line, and is characterized by a large stuffed flour tortilla wrapped in aluminum foil, and may include fillings such as carne asada (beef), Mexican-style rice, whole beans (not {{Lang|es|refritos}}), sour cream and onion.

{{Anchor|Super burrito}}Febronio Ontiveros claims to have offered the first retail burrito in San Francisco in 1961 at {{Lang|es|El Faro}} ("The Lighthouse"), a corner grocery store on Folsom Street. Ontiveros claims credit for inventing the "'''super burrito'''", a style which may have led to the early development of the "San Francisco style". This innovative style involves the addition of rice, sour cream and guacamole to the standard burrito of meat, beans, and cheese.<ref name="Roemer">{{Cite news |last=Roemer |first=John |date=1993-05-05 |title=Cylindrical God |publisher=SF Weekly}}</ref><ref name="chron_20060913">{{Cite news |last=Addison |first=Bill |date=13 September 2006 |title=In search of the transcendent taqueria / Our critic puts 85 beloved Bay Area burrito joints to the test |work=San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/In-search-of-the-transcendent-taqueria-Our-2488955.php |access-date=7 July 2015 |archive-date=July 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707122404/http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/In-search-of-the-transcendent-taqueria-Our-2488955.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The Mission burrito emerged as a regional culinary movement during the 1970s and 1980s. The popularity of San Francisco-style burritos has grown locally at Mission Street taquerias like {{Lang|es|El Farolito}}, and nationally at chains like Chipotle Mexican Grill,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Arrelano |first=Gustavo |date=2019-04-23 |title=There Is Only One Burrito in America Now, and That Burrito, Unfortunately, Is Chipotle|publisher=Eater |url=https://www.eater.com/2019/4/23/18410654/chipotle-burrito-american-pepper |access-date=2024-04-19}}</ref> Illegal Pete's, Chevy's Fresh Mex, Freebirds World Burrito, Qdoba, and Barberitos. Chili's had a brief stint with "Fresh Mex" foods and burritos between 2015 and 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-07-28 |title=Chili's to roll out burritos |work=Nation's Restaurant News |url=http://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/chili-s-roll-out-burritos |access-date=2018-02-11 |archive-date=February 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212083332/http://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/chili-s-roll-out-burritos |url-status=live }}<br/>{{Cite news |last=Pennell |first=Julie |title=Chili's is getting rid of a bunch of menu items |language=en |work=TODAY.com |url=https://www.today.com/food/chili-s-cutting-75-menu-items-t116178 |access-date=2018-02-11 |archive-date=February 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212084354/https://www.today.com/food/chili-s-cutting-75-menu-items-t116178 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1995, World Wrapps opened in San Francisco's Marina District and brought a burrito-inspired wrap style to the restaurant industry.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hanson |first=Gayle M.B. |date=1996-12-02 |title=It's a Wrap! California offers America the next food craze |publisher=Insight on the News |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_n45_v12/ai_18917409 |access-date=25 April 2007 |archive-date=November 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114141848/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_n45_v12/ai_18917409/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===San Diego===
[[File:Carne-asada-burrito.jpg|thumb|Contents of a carne asada burrito]]
San Diego–style burritos include "'''California burritos'''" and carne asada burritos. The style has been described by food writers as an "austere meal of meat, cheese and salsa", a contrast to the Mission-style burrito, which is typically larger and always contains more ingredients.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFXOSZmPQ4C&pg=PT201 |title=The Rough Guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area |date=17 January 2013 |publisher=Rough Guides Limited |isbn=978-1-4053-9039-2 |page=201 |access-date=April 7, 2018 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703235111/https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFXOSZmPQ4C&pg=PT201 |url-status=live }}</ref> A significant subgroup of Mexican restaurants in San Diego serves burritos described as "no-frills" and, in contrast to Mission-style burritos, the assembly line is not used.<ref name="Arellano">{{Cite book |last=Arellano |first=Gustavo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mbUwNDfOBxQC |title=Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America |date=16 April 2013 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4391-4862-4 |access-date=October 29, 2015 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703235115/https://books.google.com/books?id=mbUwNDfOBxQC |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|165}}<ref name="Cumo2015-40">{{Cite book |last=Cumo |first=Christopher Martin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqfACQAAQBAJ&pg=PA40 |title=Foods that Changed History: How Foods Shaped Civilization from the Ancient World to the Present: How Foods Shaped Civilization from the Ancient World to the Present |date=30 June 2015 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-3537-7 |page=40 |access-date=April 7, 2018 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703235112/https://books.google.com/books?id=WqfACQAAQBAJ&pg=PA40 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the early 1960s, Roberto Robledo opened a ''tortilleria'' in San Diego and learned the restaurant business. Robledo began selling small bean burritos (or {{Lang|es|burrititos}}) at {{Lang|es|La Lomita}} in the late 1960s, and by 1970, he had established the first Roberto's Taco Shop. By 1999, Roberto's restaurants had expanded to a chain of 60 taco shops offering fresh burritos known for their distinctive quality. Hoping to draw on the prestige of Roberto's, new taco shops in San Diego began using the "-bertos" suffix, with names like Alberto's, Filiberto's, Hilberto's, and others.<ref name="Arellano" />{{rp|166–169}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Jack |date=1999-06-20 |title=Roberto Robledo, 70; made chain of Roberto's taco shops an institution |work=San Diego Union-Tribune}}</ref>
[[File:Lolita's CA burrito.jpg|alt=A burrito sliced in half containing carne asada, fries, cheese, and sour creme|left|thumb|Contents of a California burrito]]
The California burrito originated at an unknown -berto's named restaurant in San Diego in the 1980s.<ref name="Arellano" />{{rp|165, 168}} The Fresh MXN chain (formerly Santana's) also claimed to be the originator of the California burrito.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sobel |first=Ben |date=25 September 2013 |title=Move Over, Ramen Burger: The French Fry-stuffed Burrito Is California's Secret Frankenfood |url=https://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2013/09/move-over-ramen-burger-the-french-fry-stuffed-burrito-is-californias-secret-frankenfood.html |journal=GQ |publisher=Conde Nast |access-date=28 May 2015 |archive-date=May 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529092342/http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-q/2013/09/move-over-ramen-burger-the-french-fry-stuffed-burrito-is-californias-secret-frankenfood.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The earliest-known published mention was in a 1995 article in the ''Albuquerque Tribune''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Arellano |first=Gustavo |date=13 May 2011 |title=When Did the California Burrito Become the California Burrito? |work=OC Weekly |url=http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2011/05/when_and_wheree_did_san_diegos.php |url-status=dead |access-date=22 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628125557/http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2011/05/when_and_wheree_did_san_diegos.php |archive-date=28 June 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The California burrito<ref name="Arellano2">{{Cite news |last=Arellano |first=Gustavo |date=2010-06-17 |title=The California Challenge at Pepe's |publisher=OC Weekly |url=http://www.ocweekly.com/2010-06-17/food/hole-in-the-wall-pepes-mexican-food/ |url-status=dead |access-date=24 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924071042/http://www.ocweekly.com/2010-06-17/food/hole-in-the-wall-pepes-mexican-food/ |archive-date=24 September 2015 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> typically consists of chunks of carne asada meat, French fries, cheese, and either cilantro, pico de gallo, sour cream, onion, or guacamole (or some combination of these five).<ref name="Arellano" />{{rp|153}}<ref name="Lee">{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Mike |date=13 July 2009 |title=Burritos aren't safe on their plate |publisher=San Diego Union-Tribune |url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2009/jul/13/1n13burrito234047-burritos-arent-safe-their-plate/ |access-date=10 January 2015 |archive-date=June 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603200800/http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2009/jul/13/1n13burrito234047-burritos-arent-safe-their-plate/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Hiss">{{Cite book |last=Hiss |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EpOL7Ml2mrMC&q=%22california+burrito%22&pg=PA13 |title=Frommer's San Diego 2011 |date=2010-08-06 |isbn=978-0-470-92916-2 |page=13 |publisher=Wiley |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703235113/https://books.google.com/books?id=EpOL7Ml2mrMC&q=%22california+burrito%22&pg=PA13 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hauck-Lawson |first=Annie S. |year=1998 |title=When Food is the Voice: A Case Study of a Polish-American Woman |journal=Journal for the Study of Food and Society |publisher=Association for the Study of Food and Society |volume=2 |issue=6 |page=23 |doi=10.2752/152897998786690592}}<br/>{{Cite journal |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2000 |title=Don Carlos Taco Shop |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yAckAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Sour+Cream%22+%22California+Burrito%22+%22San+Diego%22 |journal=San Diego Magazine |publisher=San Diego Magazine Publishing Company |page=67 |access-date=10 January 2015 |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704000117/https://books.google.com/books?id=yAckAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Sour+Cream%22+%22California+Burrito%22+%22San+Diego%22 |url-status=live }}<br/>{{Cite book |last1=Berkmoes |first1=Ryan Ver |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W0DdKx5nJiYC&pg=PA105 |title=Lonely Planet California Trips |last2=Averbuck |first2=Alexis |last3=Bender |first3=Andrew |last4=Bing |first4=Alison |last5=Cavalieri |first5=Nate |last6=Channell |first6=Dominique |last7=Kohn |first7=Beth |date=1 October 2010 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-74220-390-4 |page=105 |access-date=October 29, 2015 |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704000122/https://books.google.com/books?id=W0DdKx5nJiYC&pg=PA105 |url-status=live }}<br/>{{Cite news |last=Cappello |first=Nile |date=22 July 2013 |title=California Burrito: Get To Know This Local Favorite |work=Huffington Post |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/22/california-burrito_n_3625554.html |access-date=10 January 2015 |archive-date=January 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111015110/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/22/california-burrito_n_3625554.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The ingredients are similar to those used in the "carne asada fries" dish, and it is considered a staple of the local cuisine of San Diego.<ref>See for example: {{Cite book |last1=Berkmoes |first1=Ryan |title=California Trips |last2=Benson |first2=Sara |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-74179-727-5 |chapter=California Iconic Trips: A Burrito Odyssey}}</ref><ref name="IPike3OCT12" /> With the merging of French fries and more traditional burrito fillings, the California burrito is an example of fusion border food.<ref name="Cumo2015-40" /><ref name="IPike3OCT12">{{Cite news |last=Pike |first=Ian |date=3 October 2012 |title=The California Burrito, Part 1: Potatoes? |work=San Diego Reader |url=http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/feast/2012/oct/03/the-california-burrito-part-1-potatoes/ |access-date=29 December 2012 |archive-date=January 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108234605/http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/feast/2012/oct/03/the-california-burrito-part-1-potatoes/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ryan">{{Cite journal |last=Ryan |first=Richard |date=Winter 2003 |title=Is it border cuisine, or merely a case of NAFTA indigestion? |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=21–30 |doi=10.2752/152897903786769607 |periodical=Journal for the Study of Food and Society |s2cid=143599750}}</ref> The California burrito has also been described as a "trans-class" food item, as it is regularly consumed by people across socioeconomic lines.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wyer |first=Sarah C. |date=Fall 2014 |title=The San Diego Burrito |url=http://digest.champlain.edu/vol3_issue2/rn3_2_2.html |url-status=live |journal=Digest |publisher=Chaplain College |volume=3 |issue=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529091139/http://digest.champlain.edu/rn3_2_2.html |archive-date=May 29, 2015 |access-date=May 29, 2015}}</ref> Variants of this burrito may add shrimp (surf and turf),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hanson |first=Carly |date=6 October 2011 |title=Finding USD's favorite burritos |work=USD Vista |url=http://www.theusdvista.com/mobile/arts-culture/finding-usd-s-favorite-burritos-1.2634644 |url-status=dead |access-date=28 December 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204182605/http://www.theusdvista.com/mobile/arts-culture/finding-usd-s-favorite-burritos-1.2634644 |archive-date=4 February 2013 }}<br/>{{Cite web |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=San Diego Travel Guide |url=http://www.travelchannel.com/destinations/san-diego/san-diego-travel-guide |website=Travel Channel |publisher=Scripps Networks, LLC |access-date=December 28, 2012 |archive-date=March 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314132104/http://www.travelchannel.com/destinations/san-diego/san-diego-travel-guide |url-status=live }}<br/>{{Cite news |last=Deal |first=Chad |title=Burrito Barato: Surfin' California at Lucha Libre |work=San Diego Reader |url=http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/feast/2011/jul/16/burrito-barato-surfin-california-at-lucha-libre/ |access-date=28 December 2012 |archive-date=July 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730141740/http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/feast/2011/jul/16/burrito-barato-surfin-california-at-lucha-libre/ |url-status=live }}</ref> or substitute carnitas (pork)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hinton |first=Matt |date=5 May 2011 |title=10 great places to bite into a big burrito |work=USA Today |url=http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/10great/story/2011/04/10-great-places-to-bite-into-a-burrito/46613296/1 |access-date=28 December 2012 |archive-date=September 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904061924/http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/10great/story/2011/04/10-great-places-to-bite-into-a-burrito/46613296/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> or chicken<ref name="IPike3OCT12" /> for carne asada.

The {{Lang|es|carne asada burrito}} is considered one of the regional foods of San Diego.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780307480583/page/23 |title=Fodor's Essential USA: Spectacular Cities, Natural Wonders, and Great American Road Trips |publisher=Fodor's Travel |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-307-48058-3 |editor-last=Matthew Lombardi |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780307480583/page/23 23] |editor-last2=Eric Wechter}}</ref> Carolynn Carreno has said that to San Diegans, "carne asada burritos are as integral to the experience of the place as a slice of (pizza) pie is to a New Yorker."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carreno |first=Carolynn |date=November 10, 2004 |title=The Wrap that Ate L.A. |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-nov-10-fo-burrito10-story.html |access-date=17 January 2013 |archive-date=April 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412015152/http://articles.latimes.com/2004/nov/10/food/fo-burrito10 |url-status=live }}</ref> The San Diego–style carne asada burrito is served with chunks of carne asada, guacamole, and pico de gallo salsa.<ref name="Weisbrod">{{Cite news |last=Weisbrod |first=Justin |date=2008-03-18 |title=Burritology 101: What lies beneath the tortilla |publisher=The Daily Aztec |url=http://www.thedailyaztec.com/2.7448/burritology-101-what-lies-beneath-the-tortilla-1.793963 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601165319/http://www.thedailyaztec.com/2.7448/burritology-101-what-lies-beneath-the-tortilla-1.793963 |archive-date=June 1, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Billing">{{Cite web |last=Billing |first=Karen |date=2007-08-17 |title=Roberto's restaurant provides beach burrito bliss |url=http://www.robertos.us/articles.php |website=Del Mar Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403204515/http://www.robertos.us/articles.php |archive-date=April 3, 2014 }}, 15 Jan 2013.</ref> This "wall-to-wall" use of meat contrasts to burrito styles that use rice and beans as filler ingredients.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kalk Derby |first=Samara |date=February 27, 2014 |title=Get Some Burritos offers "San Diego-style" burritos in Madison |work=Wisconsin State Journal |url=http://host.madison.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-get-some-burritos-offers-san-diego-style-burritos/article_ddaeedd3-d914-5b62-92e8-f21eb59ee3e4.html#ixzz3bYIJXkpz |access-date=May 29, 2015 |archive-date=July 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707115615/http://host.madison.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-get-some-burritos-offers-san-diego-style-burritos/article_ddaeedd3-d914-5b62-92e8-f21eb59ee3e4.html#ixzz3bYIJXkpz |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Los Angeles===
Los Angeles also has several unique local burrito varieties. The first is the most traditional and is exemplified by the versions at Mexican-American restaurants such as Al & Bea's, Lupe's #2, and Burrito King.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gold |first=Jonathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Agxy6i_QeT0C&pg=PA34 |title=Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles |date=1 December 2000 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-312-27634-8 |page=34}}</ref><ref name="Gold">{{Cite news |last=Gold |first=Jonathan |date=22 Oct 2009 |title=What Is a Burrito? A Primer |work=LA Weekly |url=http://www.laweekly.com/2009-10-22/eat-drink/what-is-a-burrito/full/ |access-date=1 February 2013 |archive-date=November 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102215359/http://www.laweekly.com/2009-10-22/eat-drink/what-is-a-burrito/full/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> These restaurants have often been in existence for decades, and they offer a distinctly Americanized menu compared with the typical taqueria. The burrito of L.A. itself can take multiple forms, but is almost always dominated by some combination of: refried beans, meat (often stewed beef or chili), and cheese (usually cheddar), with rice and other ingredients typical of Mission burritos offered as add-ons, if at all.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gold |first=Jonathan |date=12 May 2009 |title=Ask Mr. Gold: Battle Burrito—L.A. vs. S.F. |work=LA Weekly |url=http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2009/05/ask_mr_gold_battle_burrito_--.php |url-status=dead |access-date=1 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021230013/http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2009/05/ask_mr_gold_battle_burrito_--.php |archive-date=21 October 2012}}</ref>

The most basic version of this burrito consists of only beans and cheese; beyond this, there are the "green chile" and "red chile" burritos, which may simply mean the addition of chiles or a meatless chile sauce to the plain beans (as at Al & Bea's), meat or cheese as well.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gold |first=Jonathan |date=26 Jan 2006 |title=Old-School Bean & Cheese |work=LA Weekly |url=http://www.laweekly.com/2006-01-26/eat-drink/old-school-bean-cheese/full/ |access-date=1 February 2013 |archive-date=November 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102215446/http://www.laweekly.com/2006-01-26/eat-drink/old-school-bean-cheese/full/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Rice, again, is rarely included, which, along with the choice of chiles, is one of the style's most defining traits.<ref name="Gold" /> The menu will then usually go on to list multiple other combinations, such as beef and bean, all-beef, a "special" with further ingredients, etc. If the restaurant also offers hamburgers and sandwiches, it may sell a burrito version of these, such as a "hot dog burrito".<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Nov 2009 |title=Lupe's #2 |url=http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/668392 |access-date=7 February 2013 |publisher=Chowhound |archive-date=November 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102002721/http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/668392 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In addition to the version described, Los Angeles is also home to three burrito styles that can be said to fall under the category of Mexican fusion cuisine.<ref name="Schrag2007">{{Cite book |last=Schrag |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p9cY37X1-nYC&pg=PA76 |title=California: America's High-Stakes Experiment |date=1 December 2007 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-93447-4 |page=76}}</ref> The first is the famed "kosher burrito," served since 1946 at its eponymous restaurant at 1st Street and Main in Downtown Los Angeles.<ref name="Pilcher2012">{{Cite book |last=Pilcher |first=Jeffrey M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h0CvArl9ft8C&pg=PA144 |title=Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food |date=18 October 2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-974006-2 |page=144}}</ref> Another is the Korean kogi burrito, invented by American chef Roy Choi, the first to combine Mexican and Korean cuisines.<ref name="kogi">{{Cite news |last=Cabral |first=Javier |date=January 12, 2012 |title=9 Best Burritos in Los Angeles |url=http://www.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/01/12/9-best-burritos-in-los-angeles |access-date=28 January 2014 |archive-date=December 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224024725/http://www.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/01/12/9-best-burritos-in-los-angeles |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Yek |first=Grace |date=January 23, 2014 |title=The Global Table: Red Sesame Food Truck brings flavors of BBQ, Korea & Mexico to the Tri-State |publisher=WCPO |url=http://www.wcpo.com/lifestyle/food/the-global-table-red-sesame-food-truck-brings-flavors-of-bbq-korea-mexico-to-the-tri-state |url-status=dead |access-date=28 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125192229/http://www.wcpo.com/lifestyle/food/the-global-table-red-sesame-food-truck-brings-flavors-of-bbq-korea-mexico-to-the-tri-state |archive-date=25 January 2014}}</ref> The kogi burrito was named the seventh best burrito in Los Angeles in 2012 by the ''LA Weekly''.<ref name=kogi/> The kogi burrito is accented with chile-soy vinaigrette, sesame oil, and fresh lime juice. Food writer Cathy Chaplin has said that "this is what Los Angeles tastes like."<ref name="Chaplin2013">{{Cite book |last=Chaplin |first=Cathy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B09RAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 |title=Food Lovers' Guide To® Los Angeles: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings |date=17 December 2013 |publisher=Globe Pequot |isbn=978-0-7627-8112-6 |page=44}}</ref> Finally, there is the sushi burrito, most notably the version sold at the ''Jogasaki'' food truck.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tan |first=Rebecca Lynne |date=October 20, 2013 |title=Mex out on food—Mexican cuisine hits Singapore in a big way, with more eateries |publisher=The Sunday Times (Singapore)}}</ref> Wrapped in flour tortillas, ''sushi burritos'' include such fillings as spicy tuna, tempura, and cucumber.<ref name="Chaplin2013" />

The existence of such a large truly Mexican community in Los Angeles also makes it possible to find a variety of authentic burrito dishes from different regions of Mexico: from Oaxaca to Hidalgo.<ref name=kogi/>

==Variations and similar dishes==
{{anchor|Wet burrito}}
*A '''wet burrito''' is covered with a red chili sauce similar to a red enchilada sauce, with melted shredded cheese on top. It is usually eaten from a plate using a knife and fork, rather than eaten with the hands.<ref>{{ cite book | last =Palmatier | first= Robert Allen | date= 2000 | url= https://archive.org/details/isbn_0313314365/page/372 <!-- quote="wet burrito". --> | url-access= registration | title= Food: a dictionary of literal and nonliteral terms | lccn=99-088203 | publisher= Greenwood Press | page= 372 | isbn = 0313314365}}</ref> This variety is sometimes called "smothered", "enchilada-style", ''mojado'' (Spanish for "wet"), or {{Lang|es|suizo}} ("Swiss"; used in Spanish to indicate dishes topped with cheese or cream). 

{{anchor|Burrito bowl}}
* A '''burrito bowl''' is not technically a burrito despite its name, as it consists of burrito fillings served without the tortilla. The fillings are placed in a bowl, and a layer of rice is put at the bottom.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=idVODwAAQBAJ&pg=PT70 |title=The World's Best Bowl Food: Where to find it and how to make it |date=1 March 2018 |series=Lonely Planet Food |publisher=Lonely Planet Global Limited |isbn=978-1-78701-921-8 |page=70 |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704000123/https://books.google.com/books?id=idVODwAAQBAJ&pg=PT70 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, a Meal, Ready-to-Eat version of a burrito bowl was introduced.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Panzino |first=Charlsy |date=10 December 2016 |title=Burrito bowls, meat sticks and more are coming to your MREs in 2017 |work=Army Times |location=Virginia, United States |url=https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2016/12/10/burrito-bowls-meat-sticks-and-more-are-coming-to-your-mres-in-2017/ |access-date=5 May 2018 |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704000145/https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2016/12/10/burrito-bowls-meat-sticks-and-more-are-coming-to-your-mres-in-2017/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is not to be confused with a taco salad, which has a foundation of lettuce inside a fried tortilla (tostada).
* A breakfast burrito is composed of breakfast foods from American cuisine, particularly scrambled eggs, wrapped in a flour tortilla. This style was invented and popularized in several regional American cuisines, most notably New Mexican cuisine, Southwestern cuisine, Californian cuisine, and Tex-Mex.
* A chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito popular in Southwestern and Tex-Mex cuisines, and in the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora.<ref>Sen, Amit. (2005). [https://archive.org/details/fooddictionaryof00palm/page/372 <!-- quote="wet burrito". --> Academic Dictionary of Cooking] Isha Books. p. 84.</ref>
* A taco is similar to a burrito, but is served open rather than closed, is generally smaller, and is often made with corn tortillas rather than wheat tortillas.<ref name="bible">{{Cite book |last=Partaker |first=Eric |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V7duDwAAQBAJ |title=The Chilango Burrito Bible |date=2019-05-02 |publisher=Little, Brown Book Group |isbn=978-0-7515-7352-7 |language=en |access-date=September 12, 2019 |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704000132/https://books.google.com/books?id=V7duDwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> The taco editor of ''Texas Monthly'' argues that burritos are a type of taco.<ref name="actually">{{Cite magazine |last=Rosner |first=Helen |date=2019-09-12 |title=America's First Taco Editor Says That Burritos Are Actually Tacos |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/americas-first-taco-editor-says-that-burritos-are-actually-tacos |magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref>
* Dürüm is a Turkish wrap that is usually filled with typical doner kebab ingredients.

== Gallery ==
<gallery class="center" caption="" widths="220px" heights="160px">
File:Diana's wet burrito.jpg|A wet burrito
File:Burrito Bowl.jpg|A steak burrito bowl
File:Chorizo and egg burrito with salsa.jpg|A chorizo-and-egg breakfast burrito with salsa
File:Chimichanga in Bremen 7095.JPG|A chimichanga
</gallery>

==Research==
Taco Bell research chef Anne Albertine experimented with grilling burritos to enhance portability. This grilling technique allowed large burritos to remain sealed without spilling their contents.<ref>Crosby, Olivia. (Fall, 2002). [http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/careertraining/?article=researchchef You're a What? Research Chef] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226001433/http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/careertraining/?article=researchchef |date=December 26, 2007 }}. ''Occupational Outlook Quarterly''. Vol. 46, Num. 3.</ref> This is a well-known cooking technique used by some San Francisco taquerias and Northern Mexican burrito stands. Traditionally, grilled burritos are cooked on a comal (griddle).

Bean burritos, which are high in protein and low in saturated fat, have been touted for their health benefits.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zpIPandkB5oC&dq=%22bean+burrito%22+protein+%22saturated+fat%22&pg=PA228 Clinical Lipidology: A Companion to Braunwald's Heart Disease] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704000142/https://books.google.com/books?id=zpIPandkB5oC&dq=%22bean+burrito%22+protein+%22saturated+fat%22&pg=PA228 |date=July 4, 2023 }}), Christie M. Ballantyne, ed. 2009. p. 228.</ref> Black bean burritos are also a good source of dietary fiber and phytochemicals.<ref>The University of Pennsylvania Health System. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060325211924/http://www.pennhealth.com/pahosp/cancer/prog_comp/entrees.html Breakfast, Dinner or Anytime Burrito]. Adapted from the Cancer Nutrition Information, LLC. Archive URL: Mar 25, 2006.</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Food|Mexico}}
* Dürüm (a similar Turkish wrap)
* French tacos
* Kati roll
* List of Mexican dishes
* List of tortilla-based dishes
* Sushi burrito or sushirrito

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last1=Ellman |first1=Mark |title=Maui Tacos Cookbook |last2=Santos |first2=Barbara |publisher=Pendulum Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=0-9652243-3-3}}
* {{Cite web |last=Fox |first=Peter |date=1998-07-02 |title=Burrito Search |url=https://www.npr.org/ramfiles/980702.atc.14.ram |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991113023023/http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/980702.atc.14.ram |archive-date=1999-11-13 |website=All Things Considered |publisher=National Public Radio |format=RealMedia}}
* {{Cite web |last=Fox |first=Peter |date=1998-07-17 |title=Burrito Odyssey |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1034371 |website=All Things Considered |publisher=National Public Radio |format=RealMedia}}
* {{Cite web |last=Fox |first=Peter |date=1998-07-31 |title=Burrito |url=https://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/19980731.atc.15.ram |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991002025235/http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/19980731.atc.15.ram |archive-date=1999-10-02 |website=All Things Considered |publisher=National Public Radio |format=RealMedia}}
* {{Cite web |last=Fox |first=Peter |date=1998-08-12 |title=Burrito Trail |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1033908 |website=All Things Considered |publisher=National Public Radio |format=RealMedia}}
* {{Cite web |last=Fox |first=Peter |date=1998-09-03 |title=End of the Burrito Trail |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1033459 |website=All Things Considered |publisher=National Public Radio |format=RealMedia}}
* {{Cite news |last=Fox |first=Peter |date=1998-11-04 |title=Burritos: A Search For Beginnings |pages=E.01 |department=Food |newspaper=The Washington Post}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gold |first=Jonathan |url=https://archive.org/details/counterintellige00jona |title=Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles |publisher=Macmillan |year=2000 |isbn=0-312-26723-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Lisa |url=https://archive.org/details/mindyourxsyss00john |title=Mind Your X's and Y's: Satisfying the 10 Cravings of a New Generation of Consumers |publisher=Free Press |year=2006 |isbn=0-7432-7750-3}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Sparks |first1=Pat |url=https://archive.org/details/tortillas0000spar |title=Tortillas! |last2=Swanson |first2=Barbara |publisher=Macmillan |year=1993 |isbn=0-312-08912-0}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Thomsen |first1=David |url=https://archive.org/details/burritoshotontra0000thom |title=Burritos! Hot on the Trail of the Little Burro |last2=Wilson |first2=Derek |publisher=Gibbs Smith Publishers |year=1998 |isbn=0-87905-835-8 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite web |last=Young |first=Marc |date=2005-02-25 |title=Bringing the Burrito to Berlin |url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1500156,00.html |access-date=18 February 2008 |website=Culture & Lifestyle |publisher=Deutsche Welle}}

==External links==
* [https://www.ocweekly.com/four-big-facts-the-daily-got-wrong-in-its-history-of-the-burrito-6627691 FOUR BIG FACTS THE DAILY GOT WRONG IN ITS HISTORY OF THE BURRITO]
* [https://beyond.britannica.com/what-is-the-history-of-the-burrito What is the history of the burrito?] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128071641/https://beyond.britannica.com/what-is-the-history-of-the-burrito |date=November 28, 2021 }})

{{Mexican cuisine}}
{{Street food}}
{{Authority control}}

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