Taco vs Burrito

The most basic difference between these two Mexican food items is that burritos as a rule are much larger than tacos with single burritos comprising a whole meal. In the case of tacos you would have to consume several of them to be able to feel like you have had a meal.

Tacos are an ancient food item and have been around for centuries. The traditional variety of tacos is made with warm corn tortillas wrapped around a single filling and often garnished with salsa, sour cream or other sauces. For filling one would use carne asada or pulled pork. The burrito on the other hand is a relatively recent arrival. There is an interesting story behind the development of the burrito. There was an enterprising merchant who desired to sell plates of rice and beans without actually having to provide plates. He came up with the ingenious idea of wrapping ingredients in an over sized wrapper made from a wheat tortilla, which then stood in for the plate! In keeping with the size burrito fillings consist of a variety of things. Rice, beans and cheese or rice, meat and vegetables are preferred choices.

Unlike in the case of tacos, corn tortillas are very rarely used in the case of burrito because they tend to crack and split due to the large size required for making one. Burrito would rather be made with flavored tortillas like spinach and tomato ones.

Typically a taco will have a soft flour or corn tortilla with some kind of meat. It may also have onion and cilantro on top. A burrito on the other hand will always be in a large flour tortilla with a lot more ingredients in it and will be rolled up in keeping with its origin of a substitute for a plate.
Thus we see two wonderful examples of Mexican food. One a traditional dish handed down for centuries and the other a twentieth century innovation born out the dictates of a clever marketer’s deft packaging. What is amazing is how these cuisines have evolved and are toady available in many local variations- for example in North America they have suitably Americanized the two cuisines by the simple expedient of using a lot more cheese!
Summary:
1.Burritos are much larger than tacos with single burritos comprising a whole meal. In the case of tacos you would have to consume several of them to be able to feel like you have had a meal.
2.Tacos are an ancient food item and have been around for centuries.
3.The burrito on the other hand is a relatively recent arrival.
4.Tacos are made with warm corn tortillas wrapped around a single filling and often garnished with salsa, sour cream or other sauces. For filling one uses carne asada or pulled pork. Burritos involves wrapping ingredients in an over sized wrapper made from a wheat tortilla, which stands in for the plate. Rice, beans and cheese or rice, meat and vegetables are preferred choices of filling.

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