It’s a Wrap

Brian Balogh:
If you’re not hungry from all that talk of cheese or you just want more cheesy jokes, don’t worry. We’ve got just a little bit more for you.

Brian Balogh:
I wanted to end this edition of the best of Backstory with an interview I did with Pati Jinich, the host of the PBS show Pati’s Mexican Kitchen.

Brian Balogh:
Back in 2017, I visited Pati at her home outside of Washington D.C. We talked about all things cooking. In particular, the roots of a Mexican staple turned American classic, the burrito. And I’m not talking about mules.

Pati Jinich:
Hey.

Brian Balogh:
Hola.

Pati Jinich:
Hey, Brian.

Brian Balogh:
Soy Brian.

Pati Jinich:
How are you?

Brian Balogh:
Como estas?

Pati Jinich:
Nice to meet you.

Brian Balogh:
Ramona?

Pati Jinich:
Of course- [crosstalk 00:16:20]

Brian Balogh:
Beautiful house.

Pati Jinich:
Thank you. Thank you. It’s a little bit not Mexican outside, but once you come in it feels very-

Brian Balogh:
She takes us into her kitchen and picks up something that looks kind of like a bell pepper.

Pati Jinich:
So this is the poblano chile. It’s my favorite chile because it’s adorable. Just look at it. It’s like super curvy, it’s chubby, it’s shiny.

Brian Balogh:
You mean you play favorites with your chile.

Pati Jinich:
This is my favorite, really, of them. Well, no. The chipotle, too. Now, I don’t know. I mean, I love the poblanos. So this is fresh. And the-

Brian Balogh:
Jinich is passionate about Mexican food. She grew up in Mexico City and she’s lived in the US for 20 years now. So I was anxious to hear her thoughts on Mexican food in the US, especially the American burrito.

Pati Jinich:
I don’t know who decided to add everything into the burrito, which was the meat, the seasoned meat or chicken or whatever protein. And then, oh, if you’re going to eat the rice and the beans, why don’t we throw it in there too? So it’s the rice and the beans and the guacamole. And then these other American garnishes are added. The sour cream and the cheddar cheese and more salsa. I think that Americans absolutely love the burritos and Mexicans look at the American burritos and think, “Oh my God, what did they do to this dish?” So I want to show you the Mexican way.

Brian Balogh:
So you might have found something like the burrito in the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadors introduced wheat flour to the native diet.

Pati Jinich:
So in the South of Mexico, everybody was making corn tortillas. And there was no way to add flour tortillas to that repertoire. Because the South of Mexico adores it’s corn tortillas. But from the center to the north, they started adapting the tortillas to the flour tortilla, which was also sort of a variation of the pan arabe, or pita bread, that the Spanish had brought with them.

Brian Balogh:
It turns out the American burrito is a direct descendant of the Mexican burrita.

Pati Jinich:
Always made with a flour tortilla that is fresh. Either just made or from tortilleria. And it’s always heated, it’s never served cold or as a wrap. It only has one ingredient, but the gradient is one exquisite ingredient. It’s not a piece of meat that you throw in there. It’s chilorio, for example, which is what I made for you, which is pork butt or shoulder. You have to use meat that still has fat in it and it has orange juice and water. So the meat first cooks in that until it’s completely cooked and it starts caramelizing. And then you shred that meat and you finish it off in an ancho chile sauce or adobo. The ancho chile sauce or adobo has ancho chiles. You have to remove the stem.

Pati Jinich:
And then after you remove the stem, you open it up and then you let all of the seeds out. White onion, garlic cloves, parsley, oregano, a judicious amount of cumin, black pepper, and vinegar. I like to add a splash of apple cider vinegar. And then you just let that cook until the liquid has become very thick and the meat has really absorbed it. And then you have this.

Brian Balogh:
Pati rolled the chilorio in a flour tortilla. And when I finally got to taste it…

Brian Balogh:
That’s amazing.

Pati Jinich:
What does it taste like?

Brian Balogh:
It tastes succulent and spicy. The flavors just keep exploding. They’re absolutely amazing.

Pati Jinich:
So some people will also add some avocado slices on the side or guacamole. But the thing is when you don’t pack everything together, you can really shine a light on the taste of the chilorio and a well-made flour tortilla. When you throw everything in there, you can’t appreciate, I think.

Brian Balogh:
It’s almost like a philosophy for life.

Pati Jinich:
Right. Right. Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Brian Balogh:
I must tell you, this is really the most amazing food.

Pati Jinich:
This is really low-key Mexican food. I mean, this is nothing sophisticated. This is really, burritos or burritas made with chilorio or machaca are really workers, construction site workers.

Brian Balogh:
Right. The guys doing your street.

Pati Jinich:
Yeah. But there’s this pride for all Mexicans that no matter who you are, where you come from, food is fabulous.

Brian Balogh:
It was one final step in my burrito investigation. We brought a pork burrito from a popular national chain, which I will not name, for a taste test for scientific rigor.

Pati Jinich:
I’m game.

Brian Balogh:
Okay, let’s open this up. I’ll give you instructions too.

Pati Jinich:
Okay.

Brian Balogh:
First you opened the bag.

Pati Jinich:
Right.

Brian Balogh:
Right? Many would throw the bag out their car window. No, I’m just kidding. We would never do that. So already you can see the difference. This is gigantic. Gargantuan. You might say even after we cut it in half.

Pati Jinich:
Tortilla is probably the size of a pizza, right?

Brian Balogh:
This is the Burrito H Chicago, apparently.

Pati Jinich:
Oh my gosh.

Brian Balogh:
Right?

Pati Jinich:
Okay.

Brian Balogh:
Mind you, whoever assembled this didn’t begin to put all the possibilities in yet. There are what, at least five, six, seven different ingredients.

Pati Jinich:
I want to taste the meat that went in here.

Brian Balogh:
Okay.

Pati Jinich:
Okay. Let me see.

Brian Balogh:
This is the first time I’ve seen you stopped smiling since we walked into the house.

Pati Jinich:
I don’t love it. This, I think, is like if you’re starving and they give this to you, you eat it and you’re thankful. But I don’t think this is something that you stop and sit down for.

Brian Balogh:
Right. Entirely forgettable.

Pati Jinich:
Right. But I’m very grateful that you brought it.

Brian Balogh:
Pati Jinich hosts the award winning PBS show Pati’s Mexican Table. You can find a recipe for chilorio burritas on our website at backstoryradio.org.

Brian Balogh:
That’s going to do it for us today. Thanks for joining me in this look back to some of my favorite moments from Backstory. I’d love to know your thoughts about these segments. But what some of your favorite backstory moments have been? You’ll find us at backstoryradio.org. Or send an email to backstory@virginia.edu. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter @backstoryradio.

Brian Balogh:
Backstory is produced from Virginia Humanities. Major support is provided by an anonymous donor, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, the Johns Hopkins University and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Additional support is provided by the Tomato Fund, cultivating fresh ideas in the arts, the humanities, and the environment.

Brian Balogh:
Brian Balogh is professor of history at the University of Virginia. Ed Ayers is professor of the humanities and president emeritus of the University of Richmond. Joanne Freeman is professor of history and American studies at Yale University. Nathan Connolly is the Herbert Baxter Adams associate professor of history at the Johns Hopkins University.

Brian Balogh:
Backstory was created by Andrew Wyndham for Virginia Humanities.