San Francisco burrito

In San Francisco, California, the Mexican-American burrito has become a city specialty, as the New York-based writer Calvin Trillin describes in his essay "Grandfather Knows Best": "In San Francisco, the burrito has been refined and embellished in much the same way that pizza has been refined and embellished in Chicago."

Related Topics:
San Francisco, California - Burrito - Calvin Trillin - Pizza - Chicago

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Particularly in the Mission District of the city, large numbers of taquerias, contrary to their taco-derived name, specialize in massive aluminum-foil wrapped burritos, usually using large steamed flour tortillas as the wrapping, and including many combinations of ingredients. Trillin writes that the San Francisco burrito "is distinguished partly by the amount of rice and other side dishes included in the package and partly by sheer size."

Related Topics:
Mission District - Taquerias

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Two key technologies that made the San Francisco burrito possible are the large flour tortilla and tortilla steamers, which together increase the flexibility and stretch of the tortilla. The tortilla steamer saturates the gluten-heavy tortilla with moisture and heat; this in turn allows for the massive size of the San Francisco burrito. Corn tortillas, the original indigenous pre-Colombian form of the tortilla, can not achieve either the size or the flexibility of the flour tortilla, and thus can not be used to make a San Francisco burrito. A few taquerias then grill the finished product before wrapping it in aluminum foil. The aluminum foil wrapping--present whether the customer is eating in the restaurant or taking out--acts as a structural support to ensure that the flexible tortilla does not burst its contents. One of the main difficulties of the San Francisco burrito is the issue of structural integrity, but skilled burrito makers consistently produce huge burritos which do not burst when handled or eaten.

Related Topics:
Tortilla - Pre-Colombian - Structural integrity

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Most San Francisco burrito purveyors also use a modified production line. Most or all possible burrito ingredients are laid out in metal serving containers, heated from below, and in front of a counter, shielded by glass or plastic from the customer. Workers move the tortilla along the counter, quickly scooping successive ingredients onto the tortilla. They then fold and tighten the tortilla around the large bundle of ingredients, and wrap the aluminum foil around that.

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Most San Francisco burritos include Spanish rice; many taquerias offer choices of beans, most often including refried, pinto or black beans.

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The burrito has become an important part of both bohemian and Chicano culture in San Francisco, as evidenced by an article originally published in the former SF Weekly, featuring La Raza studies professor Jose Cuellar, and archived on a website about sexuality. Long-time residents of the Mission District trace the origins of the San Francisco burrito back to the late 1960s.

Related Topics:
Bohemian - Chicano - Jose Cuellar - Mission District

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