Delicious, fresh, easy and filling, the Burrito is a staple Mexican classic that ticks all the boxes! So, if you’re in the mood for Mexican food, look no further. In this week’s blog, we’re taking a closer look at the burrito and some classic burrito filling ideas to keep your customers coming back for more!
What Is A Burrito?
A Burrito is a Mexican flour tortilla wrap. It’s usually filled with refried beans, sauces, meat, cheese and vegetable toppings, then rolled shut and served piping hot! Interestingly, the word burrito translates to ‘little donkey’, stemming from ‘burro’ which means donkey, and ‘-ito’ which means little. The exact origins of the burrito aren’t known exactly, but the most popular theory is that they were founded in Chihuahua, Mexico. A street vendor decided to wrap his simple meat and vegetable rice dish in a flour tortilla to keep it warm and transport it on his small donkey. He then realised that wrapping the food in a tortilla was tasty, a good insulator and a great way to serve it!
Are Burrito’s and Fajita’s the Same?
There is often some confusion between burritos and fajitas. Let’s clear up the differences. One of the main differences is that a burrito comes ready wrapped, to keep the filling inside nice and hot. Fajitas are eaten with tortillas – you serve the filling on the tortilla and wrap your fajita as you go. A burrito also tends to be a lot larger than a fajita, stuffed full of meats, vegetables, cheese, dressings, beans, and even rice, rolled up tight and eaten with a knife and fork. Fajitas are smaller style finger food that contain grilled meat, vegetables, dressings and are eaten by rolling it all up in warmed tortillas as you go. Rice is also served on the side, rather than inside.
What Ingredients Go in A Burrito?
One of the best things about a burrito is that you can customise them to your liking! You can think of any burrito filling ideas and make it work. Traditionally, the essentials contain beans, meat or veggie protein and salsa, wrapped up in a flour tortilla. Extra vegetables, sour cream, guacamole, cheese and rice are also frequently added to the mix. Here is a list of the more traditional burrito filling ingredients.
- Refried beans
- Rice
- Meat – chicken, beef, pork
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Pico de Gallo
- Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Corn
- Lettuce
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Onion
10 Delicious Burrito Filling Ideas
Breakfast
Sausage, Egg and Cheese: Add scrambled eggs, cooked sausage and a mix of shredded cheddar cheese to your tortilla to make this easy breakfast wrap.
Chorizo, Potato and Egg: You can have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner in our opinion! Simply add pre-cooked potato, fresh spicy chorizo sausage and scrambled egg to your wrap and warm in the oven!
Veggie
Black Bean and Butternut Squash: Cook butternut squash with thyme and oil in a pan. Sauté some onions, red pepper and some garlic together. Stir in your black beans and add brown rice – roll in your tortilla with a sprinkling of cheese.
Avocado and Black Bean: For this tasty veggie filling, add black beans, softened onions, garlic and cumin to a pan. Simmer and lay in your tortilla with some slices of avocado and sour cream.
Roasted Veggie: Precook courgette, all colours of pepper, mushrooms and onions in the oven, drizzled with olive oil for 15 minutes. Add the cooked veggies, rice and feta cheese to your wrap. Douse with a sprinkling of mint and basil.
Pescatarian
Spicy Prawns and Avocado: Mix avocado, tomato, lime juice and raw red onion in a bowl to make a chunky guacamole. Cover large prawns in siracha, oil and a pinch of cinnamon. Sauté in a large skillet. Add the prawns and guacamole to your tortilla with rice and serve with coriander and sour cream.
Cheesy Baked Crab: Add a mix of your favourite cheeses, cream cheese and a teaspoon of paprika to a bowl. Mix in your crab meat. Roll into your burrito and bake on a high heat for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa – delicious!
Meat
Bean and Beef: As burrito filling ideas come, this one is a classic. Add minced or shredded beef to your burrito with Mexican spice seasonings, refried beans, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, onions and a large tablespoon of salsa!
Chicken Verde: Cook some chicken breasts or thighs with some green salsa. Let the mixture simmer for 45 minutes in a pan with a lid on. Once tender, shred the chicken and top with cheese and sour cream before folding into your tortilla.
Pulled Pork: Last but not least, smoked BBQ pulled pork is a firm favourite in a burrito! Heat your pork with black beans and coriander! Add a little rice and sour cream for a delicious texture.
Top tip: Ensure that your tortillas are warmed in the oven or microwave before you start wrapping your filling, or they are like to crack during the process! When wrapping, don’t overfill, or your burrito could break apart. Fold the left and right sides first, then the smaller ends, and you’ll have a delicious parcel to bake!
Top Burrito Herbs and Spices
As you’ll see from our burrito filling ideas, for that true Mexican Inspired taste, you’ll need to add some traditional herbs and spices to your burrito mix. You can be guided by your own tastebuds, but for that authentic cuisine, we’d recommend these herbs and spices.
Coriander: Will add a fresh and fragrant kick to your burrito.
Oregano: Bold, earthy and fresh, oregano will give your vegetables a depth of flavour.
Chilli: Will bring that traditional Mexican heat to your tortillas!
Cumin: Fresh, sweet and nutty, this will add an earthiness to your wraps.
Mexican Seasonings: Ready-made taco, fajita, tortilla, salsa and meat seasoning will add a kick to your meat or vegetables.
Get in Touch
So, there you have it, the burrito explained, complete with our favourite burrito filling ideas! If you’d like to know more about our herbs and spices for catering, then we’d love to hear from you!
At World of Spice, we understand the importance of authentic and traditional tasting cuisine. Our herbs and spices are known for their purity and potency, full of delicious flavour to give your food the edge. Our service is cost-effective and reliable; we go above and beyond for each of our customers to ensure that you get the produce you need for business.
From bespoke blends to a choice of packaging, complete with custom labelling, our comprehensive service can help you achieve your culinary goals. For more information about our services and what we can offer you, please contact us at orders@worldofspice.co.uk, or feel free to call our team on 01277 633303. We look forward to hearing from you.
