Let's see. The quesadilla is a kind of taco which, as you can see, has "cheese" in its name. Now, some regions in the country (the capital, for example) treat it a taco filled with stew, making cheese optional. Other regions, like the north, insist it has to have cheese (of the melty type) first, and anything else is second and optional. Discussions over the subject get... heated...
Now, some regions in the country (the capital, for example) treat it a taco filled with stew, making cheese optional.
How do you make a quesadilla with stew? Isn't that a liquid? Living in California we got the norther region's culinary traditions, so I have no reference for a stew filled taco.
How do you make a quesadilla with stew? Isn't that a liquid? Living in California we got the norther region's culinary traditions, so I have no reference for a stew filled taco.
Beans are stewed. Carne guisada is also a stew (by definition, because that's what "guisada" means). You don't really need that much liquid to qualify as a stew. Anything that is cooked in a liquid ("stewed down") and served with the resulting gravy is a stew, and some can be quite dry (since most of the liquid has evaporated off). Malay/Indonesian rendang is another one such example.
Cheese is 'queso' in Spanish (Queso-quesa/dilla). A quesadilla is a taco made with melted cheese, in which you can also put another kinds of fillings, like, meats, veggies, stews and braised dishes.
Like Lord of Roses said, in some places of Mexico, principally in Mexico City and Estado de Mexico, two of the most populated places in our country, they call your typical stew tacos (without cheese), as quesadillas, making the cheese as an optional.
This as triggered a "meme war" (its not like we don't need another conflict in this country) between the grand part of Mexico (demographically speaking) that says that a quesadilla MUST have melted cheese, versus both the capital and biggest state of our country, that says cheese is an optional in a quesadilla (so you have abominations like "quesadilla con queso", like having a fish and chips without the fish or apple pie, but made with pecans).
... yeah, as ridiculous as it sounds, its a debatable topic in Mexico.
Fenir said:
How do you make a quesadilla with stew?
Stews in Mexico are much thicker, like the consistency of gravy and curry. Light stews are called caldos (broth translated), but, again, thicker consistency than non-Mexicans broths (?).
Tacology 101: Fillings shouldn't saturate the taco, it only must add flavor to the tortilla and working together with the other fillings (if it have them). That's why Mexican stews are overwhelming in spices and spiciness, to compensate the mildness of the tortilla.
Pronak said: Tacology 101: Fillings shouldn't saturate the taco
This is exactly why I love soft-shell tacos (which is subject to its own debate). Different regions have the own style of quesadillas. Cuban Quesadillas substitute the heavier beef for the lighter tasting ham.
Let's see. The quesadilla is a kind of taco which, as you can see, has "cheese" in its name. Now, some regions in the country (the capital, for example) treat it a taco filled with stew, making cheese optional. Other regions, like the north, insist it has to have cheese (of the melty type) first, and anything else is second and optional. Discussions over the subject get... heated...
Allow me to provide context:
One of the hottest topics in Mexican social media is: why is it possible for quesadillas in Mexico City to not have cheese?
The definition of quesadilla is: a tortilla stuffed with molten cheese and maybe something else. The moment you remove the cheese from your quesadilla, it's not a quesadilla anymore and becomes a taco. A taco is just a tortilla stuffed with something; a quesadilla is a tortilla stuffed with cheese and maybe something else.
Therefore, outside of Mexico City, when you ask for a quesadilla, you don't order it with cheese, because the cheese is implicit, it is part of the quesadilla.
However, in the ebb and flow of Mexico City's language and customs, for some reason, street food peddlers at one point redefined "quesadilla" as being synonymous with "taco". Which means that, in Mexico City, if you want a tortilla stuffed with cheese and beef, you must order "una quesadilla de queso con bistec", i.e. you must order your quesadillas with cheese. And if a street food peddler offers you a quesadilla along with a sandwich, they will offer you a taco.
This custom is entrenched in Mexico City to the point that locals will look at you in confusion when a foreigner tells them that quesadillas always have cheese.
This cultural clash has caught many visitors off guard in Mexico City. Countless people from abroad have stood at a street stand, ordered a "quesadilla de chorizo" expecting a tortilla stuffed with cheese and chorizo, ended up being served a tortilla stuffed with only chorizo, and then misunderstandings ensue. And, we Mexicans love picking fights; and in Facebook, where people from all over the country come together, that means people are going to pick fights over whether a quesadilla must have queso or not.
Hence why in Mexican social networks, one of the hottest topics is: should quesadillas have cheese?
This as triggered a "meme war" (its not like we don't need another conflict in this country) between the grand part of Mexico (demographically speaking) that says that a quesadilla MUST have melted cheese, versus both the capital and biggest state of our country, that says cheese is an optional in a quesadilla (so you have abominations like "quesadilla con queso", like having a fish and chips without the fish or apple pie, but made with pecans).
Leave a comment