Food - Drink
What Sets LA-Style Burritos Apart From Other Varieties?
By ERICA MARTINEZ
As legend has it, a food vendor named Juan Mendez brought the food creation known as the burrito from Juarez, Mexico to the area of the United States where Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico meet. From there the creation gained popularity throughout the country, morphing to fit specific regional preferences, like the unique, almost authentic burritos found in LA.
Not to be confused with a California burrito which incorporates carne asada, guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese, and french fries, an LA burrito is made with guisado, refried beans, salsa, and cheese wrapped in a tortilla. Guisado is a meat stew, and since traditional Mexican-style burritos consist of guisado and sometimes beans, LA burritos stay close to the authentic recipe.
Notably absent from an LA burrito are popular ingredients like lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and rice, and while burritos can vary in size from the massive mission burritos in San Francisco to the small burritos found in Mexico, LA burritos fall somewhere in the middle. Some popular LA spots for burritos include Burritos La Palma, Cilantro Mexican Grill, and El Ruso.