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Green chile cheeseburger is New Mexico’s variation of the classic burger, made with green New Mexico chile-topped beef patty inside a burger bun. A slice of melted American cheese on top of the patty is mandatory. The dish has been popular at least since the 1950s, and nowadays it is practically a symbol of New Mexico.
This cheeseburger typically also contains other toppings such as onions and lettuce.
MOST ICONIC Green Chile Cheeseburger
Burrito is a dish consisting of a wheat flour tortilla that is wrapped in such a way that it is possible to fully enclose the flavorful filling on the interior. The filling consists of a combination of various ingredients such as meat, beans, rice, lettuce, guacamole, and cheese, among others.
Its name means little donkey in Spanish, and a popular theory suggests that it stems from the way the bedrolls and packs appeared on the donkeys that carried them. Some claim that the dish originated in the 19th century by either the vaqueros in Northern Mexico, farmers in California, or the miners from Sonora.
VARIATIONS OF Burrito
MOST ICONIC Burrito
Bizcochito is the official state cookie of New Mexico. Deeply rooted in its history, it was originally invented by the first Spanish colonists of New Mexico as a way of expressing the local culture, customs, and flavors through gastronomy. These crispy cookies consist of butter or lard, sugar, milk, flour, baking powder, and spices such as cinnamon and anise.
As other immigrants started to arrive in New Mexico, they brought their own recipes, and a variety of bizcochitos was created, with the two most popular versions originating from southern and northern New Mexico. The cookies are especially popular during festive events and celebrations such as Christmas and weddings.
MOST ICONIC Bizcochito
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Breakfast burrito is a unique variety of a burrito, consisting of a tortilla stuffed with ingredients that are usually a breakfast staple such as eggs, bacon, and potatoes. It was invented in 1975 in Tia Sophia, a café in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The breakfast burrito craze started to catch on and soon found its way into mainstream fast-food establishments such as McDonald's and Taco Bell. Although eggs, bacon, and potatoes are the key ingredients, there are no set rules on what constitutes a great breakfast burrito, so it can also be filled with other ingredients such as tomatoes, cheese, ham, spinach, and beans.
MOST ICONIC Breakfast Burrito
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Green and red chilis are synonymous with New Mexican cuisine, so much that even the road signs welcoming you to the state are marked with a pair of chilis. It is no wonder that green chili stew has some sort of a legendary status in New Mexico.
Although pork is the locals' favorite ingredient in the stew, it can also be made with lamb, beef, chicken, or turkey, traditionally accompanied by thick and fresh corn tortillas on the side. Some cooks like to add potatoes, beans, and tomatoes to the already flavorful stew.
Green chili has a cult-like following throughout New Mexico due to its strong vegetal taste and its heat, making the dishes prepared with it deep, complex, and rich, so it is not strange that the green chili stew has a status of the ultimate Southwestern comfort food.
MOST ICONIC Green Chili Stew
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The ubiquitous meatloaf is a dish celebrated for its simplicity and versatility. It is made with a substantial amount of minced meat, most commonly pork and beef that is bound by eggs or dairy products. Typically, it is placed in a special mold or formed by hand in the popular shape of a log.
After it has been baked, it is usually sliced and served with mashed potatoes or vegetables, all doused in the accompanying juicy sauce. Meatloaf is not a dish that is commonly found in high-end restaurants, nor does it belong to haute cuisine. It is rustic and ordinary, yet incredibly comforting and nutritious.
MOST ICONIC Meatloaf
Patty melt is an American sandwich consisting of Swiss cheese and an onion-topped hamburger patty between slices of grilled rye bread. The flavorful sandwich was invented in California in the late 1940s by Tiny Naylor, the owner of Biff's and Tiny Naylor restaurants.
It is believed that the dish served as an inspiration for the famous tuna melt, using tuna as a substitute for the hamburger patty. Most often, patty melt is served with French fries, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and a Thousand Island dressing on the side.
MOST ICONIC Patty Melt
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One of the staples of the Southern U.S. cuisine called chicken fried steak contains no chicken at all, contrary to what one might think upon seeing the name of the dish. It consists of a thin, breaded, and fried cut of beef that is traditionally served with a side of mashed potatoes and drizzled with cream gravy.
The dish got its name due to the fact that the method of preparation is very similar to that of fried chicken. Originally, the first recipes for batter-fried steaks had appeared in Southern cookbooks during the early 1800s. In the old days, the cut of beef was inexpensive and tough, usually round steak, but today many restaurants use more expensive cuts such as tenderloin and rib-eye.