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Tostada

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Tortilla

A tostada is a corn tortilla dried or fried until flat and crisp, eaten plain or heaped with toppings such as beans, meat, lettuce, cream and salsa. The word also names a group of flat Mexican cookies.

Contents
  1. Types
  2. Toppings
  3. Regional variations
  4. Recipe
  5. Reviews
  6. See also
  7. References

Types

Larousse distinguishes three kinds. Tostadas de manteca are made from masa worked with plenty of pork lard; they are yellow, brittle and sold loose or in packets. Tostadas oreadas are fresh tortillas left in the sun until hard. Tostadas fritas, the most common nationwide, are dried tortillas fried in lard or oil; when fresh tortillas are used they are pierced first so they do not soak up fat.

Toppings

The usual layers include refried beans, shredded lettuce or cabbage, cheese, cream, meat, chiles or salsa and avocado. Shredded chicken and pork are the most common meats, and pickled jalapeño and chipotle in adobo the most common spicy additions.

Regional variations

Mexico City and Jalisco make tostadas of pork trotters; Jalisco's chicken tostadas combine beans, lettuce, onion, avocado, tomato, cream, fresh cheese and salsa. Puebla tops them with tinga, Oaxaca with chileajo or beans with potato and chorizo, and Hidalgo has tostadas curadas. Tabasco has pozol tostadas and in the Huasteca the crisp tortilla is called tochón.

Recipe

Makes 12 tostadas · Time: 20 minutes plus drying

Ingredients

  • 12 corn tortillas, ideally a day old
  • Vegetable oil or lard for frying
  • Salt

Steps

  1. Leave the tortillas spread out to dry for several hours or overnight, or dry them in a 120 C oven for 20 minutes.
  2. Heat 1 cm of fat in a skillet to about 180 C.
  3. Fry one tortilla at a time, pressing it flat with a spatula, about 1 minute per side until crisp and golden.
  4. Drain on paper towels and salt lightly.
  5. Top with refried beans, shredded meat, lettuce, cream, crumbled cheese and salsa.

For a lighter version, bake dried tortillas brushed with a little oil at 200 C for 8 to 10 minutes.

Reviews

Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.

See also

References

  1. "Tostada". Larousse Cocina (Diccionario enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Antojitos Fried foods Tortillas Tortillas and masa