Tacos are tortillas folded into a half-moon and filled.
Tacos de papa have a vegetarian filling made of spiced potatoes and cheese.
They can also be made with zucchini flowers, grilled peppers (rajas) or nopales, which are cactus cut into sticks and pan-cooked.
I often hear the tortilla mistakenly compared to the piadina…
Here are the differences:
▶ TORTILLA
A type of flat unleavened bread, made from corn or wheat flour, typical of Mexico.
If made from corn flour it is gluten-free
It’s made with a dough of water and flour, pressed and cooked.
It is not eaten alone but is the base for typical dishes like tacos, quesadillas, and burritos, often with meat-based fillings.
They vary in size from about 6 to over 12 inches, depending on the region of the country and the dish for which they are intended.
▶ PIADINA
A typical food product of Romagna, consisting of a thin flatbread made from wheat flour, lard or olive oil, baking soda or yeast (after the 50s), salt, and water, traditionally cooked on a round terracotta slab, after being rolled out with a rolling pin.
The piada, from which the diminutive piadina comes, is traditionally prepared at home, or bought at characteristic kiosks where the piadinare roll it out and cook it on the spot, selling both plain pies and filled ones.
It is cut into squares (wedges) that are typically 4, and filled with cured meats or squacquerone cheese or grilled sausage or sliced porchetta.
Originally the piadina was cooked on a terracotta disc, over time the terracotta gave way to metal.
It has a diameter between 6 – 10 inches.
I hope I have clarified things a bit…
On the blog, you can find both recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 20 pieces
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 20 tortillas
- 1.1 lbs potatoes
- 4.6 oz queso fresco (or feta)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 onion
- 3 tomatoes
- to taste salt and pepper
Tools
- 1 Tortillada
Steps
Find the tortillas recipe HERE.
For the filling:
Boil the potatoes
Peel them and transfer to a bowl.
Mash them with a potato masher until you achieve the desired consistency.
Add the crumbled cheese, paprika, cumin, pepper, and garlic.
Season with salt.
Place a flat tortilla and fill half of it with about 1 tablespoon of potato mixture.
Fold in half and press down slightly.
Arrange the tacos on plates and add onions and tomatoes on top.
If you like, you can also garnish with sauce and crumbled cheese.
The comal plate (Mexican kitchen utensil) is used in Mexico to cook the tortillas, commonly known as: tortillada.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How to remove rust from the tortillada and cast iron pot?
Soak the cast iron support in a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar for a couple of hours.
Use a metal brush (or steel wool) to remove as much rust as possible.
