Las Tortas

 So What is a Torta?

• Steak
• Chicken
• Pork Carnitas
• Milanesa
• Chicken Milanesa
• Pork Loin
• Pork Chops
• Smoked Ham
• Chorizo
• Hotdogs
• Fried Eggs
• Beef Barbacoa

Garnishes may include melted cheese, mayonnaise, avocado, tomato, onion, chipotle sauce and jalapeño. Tortas are available throughout Mexico, the American Southwest, and anywhere with a large number of Mexican immigrants. This “Torta” should not to be confused with a Spanish egg torta (or tortilla), a popular omelette-like dish.

The word 'Torta' means different things in different countries and even different regions within those countries. For example, 'Torta' as a sandwich, is understood throughout Mexico, yet in Mexico City ‘Torta’ can also refer to a small fried mixture of scrambled eggs, sauce, and beef with mashed potatoes or broccoli. In most South American countries, 'Torta' means a sweet cake, such as a wedding or birthday cake. In the Philippines, 'Torta' refers to a kind of omelette made with eggs, ground meat and sometimes minced onion and potato.

Specific to the Gualajaran region, you can find specialty Tortas, like the Torta Ahogada (a Torta made with crusty bolillo/birote bread smothered in spicy red sauces and topped with pickled onions) or the Torta Gema (a Torta made with crusty bolillo/birote bread smothered in a creamy orange-chipotle sauce). Eating these Tortas is an art-form — you use one hand to get messy eating the Torta and save the other hand to spoon on more sauce and pick up a cool drink!

Mexicans on the go make a quick stop in one of thousands of “Torterías” to replenish their energy with a hearty sandwich and fresh fruit juice before they head back to work. Sometimes they are seated or often standing up on the sidewalk in a small place that has little or no room for seating.