Quesadilla
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A quesadilla (Template:IPAc-en; Template:IPA; Spanish diminutive of quesada<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref>) is a Mexican dish made from two tortillas that are filled with cheese (queso), and sometimes meats, spices, and other fillings, and then cooked on a griddle or stove.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Traditionally, corn tortillas are used, but the dish can also be made with flour tortillas. Quesadillas are frequently sold at Mexican restaurants all over the world.
Types
Original Mexican quesadilla
The quesadilla has its origins in colonial Mexico, but has changed and evolved over the years.<ref name=Cambridge>Template:Cite book</ref>
In the central and southern regions of Mexico, a quesadilla is formed by warming a tortilla in a comal, adding fillings (which typically include cheese), folding it in half, and heating it through until the cheese has completely melted. Fillings typically include Oaxaca cheese (a stringy Mexican cheese made by the pasta filata (stretched-curd) method), and may include cooked meats such as tinga made of chicken or beef, pork, or chicharron, cooked vegetables or mixes such as potatoes combined with chorizo, and items such as squash blossoms and huitlacoche.
Other popular fillings and toppings include green or red salsa, avocado or guacamole, chopped onion, tomato, chiles, and cilantro.<ref name=culture>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="cooking school">Template:Cite web</ref>
Quesadillas fritas are made by frying a folded filled quesadilla until golden and crispy.<ref name=quesadillas>Template:Cite news</ref> These may be made with tortillas, or by frying rings of masa in oil.
Other variations include using wheat flour tortillas, especially in Northern Mexico, mainly filled with Chihuahua cheese or queso menonita, a local cheese made by Mennonites.<ref name=sand>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the cuisine of Mexico City, quesadillas are not assumed to come with cheese unless specifically requested. This is in contrast to the rest of Mexico, where quesadillas are considered to include cheese by definition (quesadilla literally meaning "little cheesy thing" in Spanish).<ref>In Mexico City, if you want cheese in your quesadilla, you have to ask</ref> This cultural trend cannot be traced back to a single origin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The combination of cheese and ham sandwiched between two flour tortillas, cooked and wedged – commonly known as a sincronizada (Spanish for "synchronized") in Mexico<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> – is not regarded as a quesadilla. Tourists are frequently confused because the dish is typically called a quesadilla in most Mexican restaurants outside of Mexico.<ref name=Salud>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=Raichlen-2000>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:-
In the United States
The quesadilla is a regional favorite in the Southwestern U.S., where it is similar to a grilled cheese sandwich, with the inclusion of local ingredients. A flour tortilla is heated on a griddle, then flipped and sprinkled with a grated, usually high-moisture, melting cheese (queso quesadilla), such as Monterey Jack, Cheddar cheese, or Colby Jack. Once the cheese melts, other ingredients, such as shredded meat, peppers, onions, or guacamole may be added, and it is then folded and served.<ref name=cooks>Template:Cite web</ref>
Another preparation involves cheese and other ingredients sandwiched between two flour tortillas, with the whole package grilled on an oiled griddle and flipped so both sides are cooked and the cheese is melted.<ref name=vegetarian>Template:Cite news</ref> This version is often cut into wedges to be served. A home appliance (quesadilla maker) is sold to produce this kind of quesadilla, although it does not use oil and cooks both sides at once. This type is similar to the Mexican sincronizada, but in the United States, fajita beef or chicken or other ingredients instead of ham are often used. In Mexico, this type of quesadilla is called "gringa" (the name varies in some regions in Mexico, including a type of quesadilla called "chavindeca").
Regional variations to specific recipes exist throughout the Southwest.
Variations
Quesadillas have been adapted to many different styles. In the United States, many restaurants serve them as appetizers.<ref name=blackbean>Template:Cite news</ref> Some variations use goat cheese, black beans, spinach, zucchini, or tofu.<ref name=spinach>Template:Cite news</ref> A variation that combines the ingredients and cooking technique of a quesadilla with pizza toppings has been described as a "pizzadilla".<ref name="BBC Good Food - Pizzadilla">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Breakfast quesadillas include ingredients such as eggs, cheese and bacon, and are sometimes known as an "eggadilla".
Dessert quesadillas use ingredients such as chocolate, butterscotch, caramel and different fruits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
- Arepa, similar dish native to northern South America
- List of maize dishes
- List of Mexican dishes
- Quesadilla Salvadoreña, a pan dulce traditional to Salvadoran cuisine
References
Further reading
External links
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