Poll--Burro or Burrito?

[Willy]

When I first ate Mexican food it was 1971 and I had just moved to a little town in AZ named Globe, a town with fine Mexican. The menu was limited compared to today's multitude of options (even in Globe the choices have expanded greatly), but the tortilla wrapped critter was called a BURRO and it came in four flavors only--red, green, bean, and mixed. To this day, I can't call 'em burritos. How about you? I'm guessing burro is favored by a pretty small minority.

[EdF]

But hey, I'm from New England!

[FireMan]

That’s a baarrito, isn’t it?

[EdF]

I suppose if you're Boston Brahmin. I sound like you midwesterners! From Connecticut.

[barelfly]

Was it a gigantic tortilla wrapping some goodness? "ito" just means smaller burro really?

Around my parts, they are called burritos.

[Willy]

Yep--the existence of a burrito should imply the existence of a burro!

[texastweeter]

Burrito = small donkey
Burro = donkey
So I guess it depends on your appetite...or where in Tijuana you are visiting

[JimLinebarger]

For me, if it tastes good and fills me up I can call it either, but use to calling it burrito. Now, if it doesn't taste good it has an entirely different name.

[jgg85234]

I'll vote with you Willy

Been in Arizona a long time (1975). I learned to call them Burros here and in Chicago (no Mexican restaurants but family I knew was Mexican and Swedish and they introduced me to Mexican food in High School).

Jim

[Mudbeaver]

So like a moes burrito would be a burro?

[gcdmd]

They have a giant version in a Mexican restaurant here in south Texas , but they still call it a burrito. The first time I got one when I saw it I told the server, who was from Mexico, in Spanish, that that was not a burrito but a burron, which means big burro. We got a big laugh over it.

The big mystery to me is why what is actually a type of taco is called a donkey to begin with. Some of the possible answers are disgusting and probably should not be posted on a family web site.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Maybe not as bad as you imagine, here is a quote: "possibly derives from the tendency for burritos to contain a lot of different things similar to how a donkey would be able to carry a lot"

[Huskee]

Guessing refried beans are part of the story?

[surfdog]

Always heard that it was named after the pack they often would carry...thus a plate sized pack would only be carried by a small burro; thus burrito.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Depends on ethnicity. My experience living in San Deigo is Americans use burrito, Mexicans use burro. BTW, you forgot to include 'flautas' in your poll. Read the entomology section here.

[Huskee]

I'm American, whether that's good or bad to those from other nations, and northern at that (whether that's good or bad to other Americans) so I call it burrito and I love them! And now that song Despacito is once again stuck in my head, since I always sub the lyrics "Dis Burr-ito... "

[RonB]

I never had Mexican as a kid, (or Chinese, or even pizza!). The first time I had Mexican was when I was in the Navy and stationed in Pensacola FL. Some buddies and I had been out having a good time and decided to get something to eat. First place we saw was a Mexican Restaurant, so in we went. It was a good thing I had been drinking the stuff that makes you happy, because the food was terrible! It tasted like fried dirt, boiled dirt, (do the terrorists still win? ), and baked dirt. I promised myself that I would never eat Mexican again.

But, as luck would have it, I eventually wound up on a ship with a Captain from SoCal, and he loved Mexican. He tried to teach the Filipino cooks how to make Mexican. I don't know how good it was compared to "real" Mexican, but it was at least edible, and some was actually pretty good.

I eventually got up enough nerve to visit another Mexican Restaurant, and now I love Mexican.

[ComfortablyNumb]

When I was a kid I n Southern California restaurants were 'Mexican-American'. They served the full Mexican menu, and then had some 'American' food on the menu for those who were too timid to try. Eventually Mexican food was adopted and now they stand on their own.

[Troutman]

Filipinos rule. I often tell my Filipino wife that they are literally the Hispanics of the rest of the world !! Here in Houston Hispanics are the cooks in 90% of all restaurants, on cruise ships and in Asia you find Phils in the same boat !!!

[Livermoron]

God...do I remember the Filipino cooks...seemed like every ship had them...

[surfdog]

IDK...but the term burrito has been in use, especially in the central state of Guanajuato, since at least 1895.
At least according to the Diccionario de Mexicanismos. ;-)

[Willy]

Interesting!

[jgg85234]

Burro is Sonoran which is why they were called that when I moved to AZ. Most often, we avoided the issue by ordering shredded beef chimichangas. Seared flautas (actually deep fried)🤪

Jim

[texastweeter]

ever heard the story of how the chimichanga supposedly got its name?

[jgg85234]

Both stories. The lady in Tucson in the 20s dropping a flauta into boiling oil and the Woody Johnson story from 1946. He and his wife created Macayo’s which has been afavorite place since I moved to Phoenix in the 70s. Macayo’s also claims the invention of Fajitas

[Troutman]

I love burritos (burros, burrons, whatever !!), they are a major food group for me

[texastweeter]

It gets even more confusing when you find taquarias selling "quesadillas" that are rolled up and not skilleted in butter. El Lugar here has a great super quesadilla

[Livermoron]

In Central Cal, we called them burritos. My wife (from the Bay Area) calls them burros...