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Huarache (food)
Encyclopedia
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...
consisting of an oblong, fried masa
Masa
Masa is Spanish for dough. In the Americas it is often short for masa de maíz, a maize dough made from freshly prepared hominy. It is used for making corn tortillas, tamales, pupusas, arepas and many other Latin American dishes. The dried and powdered form is called masa harina, masa de harina,...
base, with a variety of toppings. The name "Huarache" is derived from the shape of the masa, similar to the popular sandals of the same name
Huarache (shoe)
Huaraches are a type of Mexican sandal.Huaraches are pre-Columbian in origin, and are made from woven leather. The leather is traditionally hand-woven. The name "Huarache" is derived from the P'urhépecha language term kwarachi...
. The word Huarache is originally form Purepecha or Tarascan and the Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
word for huarache is kwarachi. Huaraches are similar to sope
Sope
A sope is a traditional Mexican dish originating in the city of Culiacán. Originally called gordita or pelliscadas in Culiacán. It is an antojito which at first sight looks like an unusually thick tortilla with vegetables and meat toppings...
s but differ in shape.
Huaraches originated in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
maybe in the early 1930s. Their origin was related with a stall at the shore of the La Viga navigation channel, where Mrs. Carmen Gomez Medina prepared tlacoyo
Tlacoyo
Tlacoyos are oval shaped fried or toasted cakes made of masa. They are similar to fresh corn tortillas, but are somewhat torpedo-shaped and fatter. Tlacoyos are stuffed with refried beans, cheese, fava beans, chicharron or other ingredients. Tlacoyos are often served as an accompaniment to soups...
s. When the La Viga navigation channel was covered to make the "Calzada de la Viga", Mrs. Gomez moved to another place and after 1957, when the Mercado de Jamaica was founded, she moved there and then to a little place at the Torno street. Because of the shape of the new "invention" of Mrs. Gomez was different of a sope or a tlacoyo, the people started to call it "huarache".
The name 'Huaraches' comes from the popular Mexican sandal due to its long ovular shape. It has a fried masa base, which is then topped with green or red sauce, onions, potato, cilantro and any manner of protein such as ground beef or tongue, and then finished with queso fresco cheese. This dish is of course, most popular in its hometown, Mexico City. Huaraches have branched out to places like Chicago, New York, and Houston but have yet to become widely available in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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