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Aisle guide
Mexican and Latin plates
A burrito is a fold, not a species. Split the filling, the tortilla fat, the cheese, and the salsa. Pork carnitas is the pig. A bean burrito still inherits lard in some tortillas and rennet in the cheese.
Two-minute taqueria check
- Name the filling. Beef, chicken, pork carnitas, bean. The word burrito or taco does not name the animal.
- Then the fat and the cheese. Lard in masa and some tortillas. Queso and nacho cheese inherit rennet and often E471.
- Then the plate extras. Elote (mayo, cotija), sour cream, a shared griddle with chorizo.
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Source-dependent
Burrito
A wrapped flour tortilla. The filling names the ruling — beef, chicken, pork carnitas, bean. Sour cream, cheese, lard in the tortilla. A burrito is a …
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Source-dependent
Quesadilla
A folded tortilla with cheese. Cheese is the rennet sister. Meat quesadillas add a second check. Lard in some tortillas. Not a burrito.
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Source-dependent
Enchilada
A sauced rolled tortilla. The filling (cheese, chicken, beef, pork) and a lard-roux sauce. A cheese enchilada still inherits rennet. The chilli sauce …
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Source-dependent
Fajita
Sizzling strips of meat with pepper and onion. Skirt steak or chicken; a shared griddle with fajita-and-chorizo. The tortilla and the sour cream are e…
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Source-dependent
Taco seasoning
Chilli, cumin, onion, garlic, salt — plus anti-caking starch, E621, and sometimes lactose or hydrolysed protein. A spice tin is not a taco certificate…
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Source-dependent
Nachos
Tortilla chips with melted cheese, jalapeño, salsa, sour cream, sometimes beef or chicken. Cheese sauce (rennet, E471, whey) is the usual doubt. A bag…
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Source-dependent
Nacho cheese
A pourable cheese sauce. Cheese, whey, E471, colour (often E160b or E110), and sometimes animal lipase. Not a bag of chips. See nachos.
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Source-dependent
Tamale
Masa steamed in a husk. Lard in the masa is common; oil versions exist. Fillings: pork, chicken, cheese, chilli, sweet. The husk is not the ruling.
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Source-dependent
Elote
Grilled corn with mayo, cotija, chilli, lime. Mayo and cheese are the live rows. Esquites is the cup version. Corn is plant.
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Unverified
Horchata
A rice (or tiger-nut) sweet drink, cinnamon, sugar. Plant. Dairy horchatas exist in some shops. Unverified as a class. Not a horchata-and-rum cocktail…
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Source-dependent
Empanada
A stuffed pastry. Beef, chicken, cheese, or spiced potato. Lard vs butter vs oil in the dough. Argentine, Filipino and Spanish empanadas share the fol…
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Unverified
Arepa
A corn cake, split and filled. The cake is masa. Fillings (cheese, shredded beef, avocado) are separate. Unverified as a class because cornmeal is not…
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Source-dependent
Churro
Fried dough, sugar, cinnamon. The dough is flour and water or egg. Shared fryer with meat, and a chocolate dip (E471, dairy). A fairground churro is n…
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Source-dependent
Tres leches
Sponge soaked in evaporated, condensed and cream. Dairy. Gelatin in some shop cakes. The three milks are not a rennet question by themselves; a fillin…
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Source-dependent
Dulce de leche
Slow-cooked milk and sugar. Dairy. Cajeta is often goat. A jar may add flavour. Not a caramel made with E150d alone. Condensed-milk sister.
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Source-dependent
Salsa
Tomato, chilli, onion, coriander. Jarred salsa may add natural flavour, vinegar, and rarely carmine in “restaurant style” reds. Fresh pico is a differ…
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Source-dependent
Guacamole
Avocado, lime, onion, chilli. Restaurant guacamole is sometimes bulked with sour cream, gelatin, or “natural flavour.” A short homemade list is not th…
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Source-dependent
Chorizo
A paprika-cured sausage. Spanish and Mexican supermarket chorizo is usually pork. Chicken and beef chorizo exist. The spice blend does not settle the …
A procedure for reading a pack - not a product certification and not a fatwa. See the methodology.