The Quesadilla is a dish made with corn tortillas and cheese.
Its name actually comes from the combination of the words cheese and tortilla.
Although Oaxaca cheese (or string cheese) is the most common filling, in the north of the country, besides melted cheese, quesadillas are accompanied by various ingredients.
These can include cooked vegetables, like potatoes with chorizo, squash blossoms, different types of meat, chicharron, tinga of chicken, beef, or pork.
Or avocado sauces or guacamole, chopped onion, tomato, serrano peppers, and cilantro.
A quesadilla should be folded and must have melted cheese.
We tasted it in Isla Mujeres during our trip in November 2023, with a filling of cheese, carrots, lettuce, and chicken.
Not to be confused with a typical Spanish dessert for Carnival in the Canary Islands:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 corn tortillas (large)
- 14 oz boiled chicken breast (shredded)
- 5.3 oz (or fresh cheese like mozzarella)
- 2 carrots
- to taste lettuce
Steps
If you want to make corn tortillas, follow this recipe.
Place the tortillas on a comal, flip and heat on both sides.
Distribute the cheese, chicken, julienned carrots, and lettuce.
Fold.
Heat the quesadilla until the cheese melts.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What are the variants of the Quesadilla?
Gringas and pochas.
The gringas are made with a flour tortilla accompanied by al pastor meat (used to make tacos al pastor) and Chihuahua cheese or queso menonita, a local cheese made by Mennonites.
The pochas are corn tortillas to which beef taco meat is added.
The quesadilla culture is different in Mexico City, where they are not automatically accompanied by cheese unless requested.
There are traditional varieties in Central and South America prepared with blue corn flour.What is chicken tinga?
Chicken thighs cut or shredded, to which a sauce made from tomato, onion, olive oil, and chipotle pepper is added.
