An Enchilada History

Like many other types of Mexican food popular outside South America now, the enchilada has sprung from more traditional foods. The word “enchilada” invokes the image of a corn tortilla rolled around meat and cheese, dipped in chili sauce perhaps, and topped with chopped onions, cheese, or sour cream. This is not unlike “papadzules” (papak-tsuls) from which enchiladas have probably come. This traditional Mayan dish (still strongly associated with the Yucatan) has existed since pre-Columbian times. These corn tortillas were dipped in pumpkinseed sauce, rolled around chopped boiled egg, and smothered in tomato sauce. Meaning “food of the nobles,” this ancient Mayan dish was reserved for special occasions and royalty.

Nowadays, as a partial result of continuing attempts to Americanize Mexico and the incorporation of Mexican cuisine into American culture, it is not uncommon to find popular recipes for chayote and corn enchiladas, cheese enchiladas, enchiladas chipolte, enchilada style burritos, green enchiladas, marinated chicken enchiladas, seafood enchiladas, and various sauces.

In Que Vivan los Tamales!: Food & the Making of Mexican Identity, Pilcher notes several attempts by Mexican elites and governmental officials to define Mexico through a Europeanization of foods.  These attempts became extinct with the establishment of Mexican cuisine, a compromise between the two traditions, as the popular food during the 1940s. This enormous variety speaks both for the universal appeal and the versatility of the enchilada.

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Enchilada Recipes from the Internet

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