Quesadilla

A quesadilla is a Mexican tortilla folded over a filling, most often melted cheese, and cooked on a griddle until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is browned. It is one of the most common street and home dishes in Mexico.

What it really is

The classic quesadilla is made with a corn tortilla (or sometimes a wheat flour tortilla in northern Mexico) folded in half around melted cheese, usually a melting cheese such as Oaxaca cheese or queso Chihuahua. The tortilla is placed on a hot comal or griddle with no added fat and pressed as the cheese softens, then the folded tortilla is turned until both sides are lightly toasted. Fillings such as squash blossom, huitlacoche, chicharrón, or potato with chorizo are added to the cheese in regional versions.

The name comes from queso, the Spanish word for cheese. A quesadilla is distinct from a taco, where the tortilla wraps a filling without being cooked closed around it, and from a sope or gordita, which are thicker masa bases. In Mexico a quesadilla is generally a small, thin, folded tortilla, while the large flour-tortilla cheese quesadilla common in the United States is a separate, larger-format dish.

How it's served

• Served hot from the griddle, cut into wedges or left folded.
• Eaten by hand, usually with salsa roja or salsa verde on the side.
• Often finished with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of chopped onion and coriander.
• Accompanied by crema, pickled jalapeños, or guacamole as an optional extra.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the tortilla and the cheese, for example: corn tortilla quesadilla with Oaxaca cheese.
• State whether the tortilla is corn or wheat flour, since wheat flour tortillas contain WHEAT.
• Flag MILK for the cheese and any crema or sour cream served alongside.
• List the filling if one is used, for example squash blossom or huitlacoche, and say whether it is a regional style.