either etymologically, historically, or within cuisine. I am not sure I could order
something interesting in a Tex-mex restaurant. and although there are myriad tortilla
varieties at the supermarket, I pass on by because all that is foreign. Time to take a look.
Wikipedia informs us that the Spanish words taco and burrito mean pretty much the same
thing: corn flour flat-bread used to present fillings and garnishes. But taco is from Mexico City and burrito, the Yucatan. historically quite different places. The Yucatan, which many know as the home
of party-city Cancun, was a Maya region. Mexico City, by contrast, was an Aztec settlement,
which dates from 1300 in its last incarnation, thus later.
Tex-mex is what happens when this cuisine evolves and gets translated to restaurant
culture in the US. One can only guess what differences occur but the spices get toned
down, the tortilla gets deep fried for a crunchier taco, the burrito ( a saddle meal, with
the rice and beans wrapped within the tortilla for transport) gets a wet variety with an
oven baking sauce etc...
Taco Bell, the first Tex-mex chain, has two lonely restaurants in the Montreal region. From
their menu:
Chipotle, much appreciated by the health-conscious, is only present in Vancouver:
The ever-cheerful Mark Wiens takes us to Mexico City, for an epic taco crawl. What men
cook for each other on the street; notice the tortilla soaked in oil:
Perhaps the real difference is between a burrito and a fajita!? (The fajita being the meat
filling).
https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/176036/whats-the-difference-between-tacos-and-fajitas/
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