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Mexican restaurants usually have a vast array of menu options, so it is easy to be overwhelmed. Interestingly, there are a million different ways to combine just beans, meat, and cheese, after all.
If you have narrowed down your choices to two of the most popular Mexican dish (burrito and enchilada) and want to know the difference between enchilada and burrito so you can make a choice, this post is for you.
We compared enchilada vs burrito heard-to-head to determine their major differences and which one you should be using.
What Is Enchilada?
Enchilada is an old Mexican dish that has evolved over time but is traditionally made as a thin corn tortilla folded around the filling of chicken or mutton and topped with chili sauce.
Enchilada is a Spanish term, which means “decorated with sauce.” These stuffed corn tortillas are truly decorated with sauce as it is covered with sauce and topped with cheese before placed in the oven to bake.
Enchilada is so popular that it has its own holiday; may 5th is celebrated as national enchilada day. Enchilada can be filled with a variety of items. It can be made with seafood and vegetables, and you can adjust the filling according to personal choice and craving.
You can even make enchiladas from leftovers; they are side dishes and needs to be served alongside the main course. Toppings and dressing are added to enchiladas, but it is not a lot when it comes to quantity.
When you take a bite of, enchilada the sauce burst into a mixture of flavors in your mouth. The abundance of sauce can make the dish impossible to eat with hands, and you will need a fork in order to eat it.
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What Is Burrito?
Burrito is another Mexican dish, but it uses flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. The tortilla is folded and used to wrap around the filling. It can be stuffed with various ingredients but usually contains beans and meat.
The ingredients used in the filling vary depending on not only personal preferences but also by location.
In Mexico, burrito fill is made of beans and meat and sometimes Mexican rice. But in the US, it is filled with lettuce, avocado, salsa, sour cream, and cheese mixed with basic beans and meat.
Burrito recipes do not usually carry fixed stuffing, and there is always a window for experiment with the taste.
Burrito is usually on the large side; in fact, one burrito can equal three enchiladas. Burrito is heavy, and a single serving can fill you up quickly.
A burrito does not usually need to be topped with a lot of sauce. It is wrapped with foil; this makes it easier to eat with hands as you only need to unwrap the foil.
Difference Between Enchilada And Burrito
1. Enchilada is made by wrapping a filling of choice with corn tortillas, whereas burritos filling is wrapped with flour tortillas.
2. Enchilada means decorated with sauce, and the dish is wrapped and drenched with sauce. But the burrito usually needs a few splashes of sauce, and it is always neatly wrapped.
3. Because enchilada is soaked with sauce, it can not be finger food and must be eaten with a fork and knife. But burrito is always neatly wrapped, making them easier to eat with hands.
4. An enchilada has a smaller size when compared with a burrito. A burrito is bigger, and a single burrito equals three enchiladas.
5. Enchilada is mainly stuffed with chicken or mutton, but burrito is mainly filled with beans and meat, and sometimes shredded beef.
6. Enchilada is topped with several layers of filling before it is soaked in sauce. But when making a burrito, the stuffing is mixed with sauce before it is rolled and enveloped with the flour tortilla.
Enchilada Vs Burrito: Which Is Better?
Now that you know the difference between enchilada and burrito, you may wonder which is better. Although they share many similarities, the fillings vary slightly between the two dishes; the differences, though few, set the two dishes apart.
If you prefer flour tortillas, then you need a burrito. You can get enchiladas if you want corn tortillas which is the way it is made traditionally in Mexico.
The amount of sauce added can also be a dealbreaker for some people. If you prefer a dish smothered in sauce, opt for an enchilada, but if you want your tortilla to be wrapped up nicely and easy to eat with your hands, opt for a burrito.
Mexican restaurants have a wide range of dishes; this can confuse the inexperienced trying out Mexican dishes for the first time.
Listed above are some of the differences between enchilada and burrito; this should enable you to make a quick decision whenever you are at a Mexican restaurant.
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