Tortillas, a staple in Mexican dishes, act as the perfect base for a variety of fillings. Burrito, Chimichanga, Enchilada, Fajita, and Taco are popular Mexican or Mex-Tex dishes that can be made with tortillas. The key difference between Burrito, Chimichanga, Enchilada, Fajita, and Taco lies in the filling, type of tortilla used and the method of preparation. Burritos and Chimichangas are made with wheat tortillas whereas enchiladas are made with corn tortillas. Tacos can be made with both wheat and corn tortillas whereas fajita refers to the cut of meat that is eaten with tortillas.
What is Burrito?
Burrito is a large wheat flour tortilla with a filling. The tortilla is usually wrapped around the filling, in a closed ended cylinder shape. It is sometimes lightly steamed or grilled to make it soft and pliable, allowing it to adhere to itself when wrapped.
Traditionally, burrito fillings only contained meat and refried beans, but nowadays burritos may include a number of ingredients such as Mexican-style rice or plain rice, beans/refried beans, salsa, lettuce, cheese, meat, guacamole, sour cream and various vegetables. Burritos come in different sizes too.
What is Chimichanga?
Chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito that is popular in Tex-Mex cuisine. It is made by filling the tortilla with a variety of ingredients, folding it into a rectangular package and deep frying it. Chimichanga fillings mostly contain rice, cheese, adobada (marinated meat), machaca (dried meat), carne seca, or shredded chicken. It can be accompanied with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and/or cheese.
What is Enchilada?
Enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce. The filling of enchiladas can include a variety of ingredients, including meat, beans, potatoes, cheese, vegetables or a combination of them.
What is Fajita?
Fajita is a popular dish in Tex-Mex cuisine. Fajita commonly refers to any grilled meat that is usually served with taco on flour or corn tortilla. The difference between fajita and rest of the dishes discussed here is that fajita specifically refers to the meat, not the wrap.
This term was originally used to refer to a cut of beef. Since beef cuts were not very tender, they were marinated in spiced sauces, barbecued and served with hot sauces. Today fajita refers to chicken, lamb, port, shrimp, and other meats. In restaurants, fajita is cooked with bell peppers and onions. Sour cream, cheese, tomato, shredded lettuce, guacamole, salsa, and pico de gallo are some popular condiments.
What is Taco?
A taco is a corn or wheat tortilla folded around a filling. The filling could include a variety of ingredients including chicken, beef, pork, seafood, vegetables and cheese. It can be accompanied by garnishes such as salsa, guacamole, tomatoes, onions, cilantro (coriander) and lettuce. There are many varieties of tacos.
What is the difference between Burrito Chimichanga Enchilada Fajita and Taco?
Description:
Burrito is a large wheat flour tortilla wrapped around a filling.
Chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito.
Enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce
Fajita refers to any grilled meat that is usually served with tortillas.
Taco is a corn or wheat tortilla folded around a filling.
Type of Tortilla:
Burritos are made with a wheat tortilla.
Chimichangas are made with wheat tortillas.
Enchiladas are made with corn tortillas.
Fajita can be eaten with tortillas.
Tacos are made with corn or wheat tortillas.
Image Courtesy:
“Breakfast burritos” By jeffreyw – Mmm… breakfast is served- Uploaded by Fe (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
“Mmm… fried pork and cheddar burritos” jeffreyw (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
“Vegan Enchiladas (4023917617)” By Kari Sullivan from Austin, TX – Enchiladas for breakfast (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
“Beef Fajitas Costa Rica” By Eric T Gunther – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
“001 Tacos de carnitas, carne asada y al pastor” By Larry Miller – Flickr: Tinos Tacos, Roseburg, Ore. (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia