If you think of quesadillas as Mexican food you get for your kids, you’re doing them—and yourself—a disservice. In its simplest form, a quesadilla is melted cheese inside a toasted tortilla, but it can be much more than that. Before quesadillas became the warm cheesy snacks we know today, they started as something pretty different. Because June 4th was National Cheese Day, we thought now would be a good time to show the quesadilla a little love.
How much do you know about quesadillas? Let’s take a closer look at this underappreciated Mexican food.
Pre-Columbian Origins
As with all traditional Mexican food, the quesadilla was different from what we know today in the pre-Columbian era of Mexico and South and Central America. Today, a quesadilla is a flour tortilla filled with cheese. However, before the Spanish arrived in the Americas, neither of those things were available in America. In its earliest form, the quesadilla was a corn tortilla filled with local ingredients like squash. That’s a surprising start for a food whose name literally means “little cheesy thing”!
New Ingredients from the Old World
Although we once called the Americas the “New World,” people from the “Old World” introduced several new foods and ingredients to Mexican cooking. Two of those things were essential to the quesadillas as we know it today: wheat flour and milk. In the 1500s, the Spanish brought sheep and cows to the Americas, which allowed them to make cheese. They also introduced wheat as an alternative to corn, making the flour tortilla an option. Flour tortillas become crispy when toasted, adding a satisfying crunch to the soft and gooey interior of the quesadilla.
Delicious Mexican Food from Vallarta Tacos & Burritos
Today, quesadillas grace appetizers and kids’ menus at Mexican restaurants everywhere. But quesadillas deserve better than that! A quesadilla is a versatile Mexican food and can be a snack or a meal. At Vallarta Tacos & Burritos, our quesadillas begin with a 12-inch flour tortilla filled with cheese. From there, you can add your choice of protein, plus cilantro, onions, sour cream, tomatillo salsa, or pico de gallo. Load it up with your favorite ingredients and enjoy!
