Stuffed gorditas: the puffed-dough antojito with stews from the centre and north

What is it?

Gorditas are Mexican antojitos of nixtamalised maize dough (or maize flour) cooked on a comal, forming round pieces thicker than a tortilla but smaller than a sope. Once cooked, they are split open on one side with a knife, forming a pouch, and filled with stews: chicharrón in green or red salsa, picadillo, shredded beef, curd cheese, beans with cheese, potato with chorizo, nopales, rajas with cheese or mole. They are one of the most renowned gastronomic specialities of Aguascalientes — where the annual 'National Gordita Fair' is held — Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Durango and other areas of central and northern Mexico. In Mexico City, the chicharrón gorditas of the Villa de Guadalupe are iconic. Mexico Travel Club and Aguascalientes Top document them as a regional identity antojito. The versatility of fillings makes them a complete dish for lunch or a quick supper, and they are served with chopped onion, green or red salsa and lime to taste.

Origin and history

Gorditas have pre-Hispanic origins. The word 'gordita' is a Spanish affectionate diminutive applied to a native preparation: Mesoamerican cultures cooked thick tortillas on the comal that they called 'tlaxcalli' or regional variants. Colonial documents such as those of Sahagún (16th century) describe thick tortillas cooked to accompany stews. The current form of the gordita — opened on one side to fill — is consolidated in the 19th century in the Bajío and the north, especially in Aguascalientes, where ranchers and miners prepared them as portable lunch. Aguascalientes developed in particular the 'oven gordita' or gordita de migajas, made with maize dough, lard and panela cooked in an earth oven. The gordita de la Villa, popular at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, arose in the 19th century to feed the pilgrims who visited the shrine, sold by women of the area. In Zacatecas and Durango 'oven gorditas' and 'curd gorditas' are made. In the north (Sonora, Chihuahua) the gordita is made with wheat flour, not maize, a legacy of northern wheat farming. Today they are one of the most-sold antojitos in markets, patron-saint fairs and antojerías throughout the country.

Characteristic ingredients

The dough can be fresh nixtamalised maize or maize flour (Maseca or another) hydrated with water and salt. In northern Mexico wheat-flour dough with lard is used, giving 'flour gorditas'. The dough is formed into balls of 60-80 grams, flattened in a press or by hand to 1-1.5 cm thick, and cooked on a dry comal on both sides (3-4 minutes per side) until they puff up and form an inner air pocket. Immediately a cut is made on the side with a knife to open the pocket. Some are finished in hot lard to brown the surface. The classic fillings are: pressed chicharrón in green salsa (the most popular at the Villa), beef picadillo with potato, shredded beef, curd cheese with epazote, rajas with cheese, mole with chicken, refried beans with cheese, nopales in salsa. In Aguascalientes, the gorditas of 'Doña Maguita' and the oven gorditas with piloncillo or sugar are famous. In Querétaro there are 'martajada gorditas' made with stone-cracked maize. The northern flour gordita is prepared with pork or vegetable lard, soft and folded.

Cultural significance

Gorditas are one of the gastronomic emblems of the Bajío and northern Mexico. Aguascalientes has celebrated the 'National Gordita Fair' since 1995 every August in the municipality of Pabellón de Arteaga, where more than a hundred antojito makers compete in traditional and creative presentations. The Tourism Secretariat of Aguascalientes promotes the gordita as a regional icon alongside the San Marcos festival and the aguardiente. In Mexico City, the 'Villa gorditas' are part of the obligatory route of the Guadalupe pilgrim: there is documentation of antojito makers selling them since the 19th century at the stalls around the Basilica of Guadalupe. The 2010 UNESCO declaration of traditional Mexican cuisine implicitly includes maize antojitos — gorditas, sopes, tlacoyos — as living expressions of the Mexican gastronomic system. Economically, gorditas sustain thousands of small family businesses; at some patron-saint fairs, hundreds of thousands of pieces can be sold in a week. Chefs such as Carmen Titita Ramírez Degollado, Margarita Carrillo and Mónica Patiño have elevated gorditas to contemporary haute Mexican cuisine.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between gordita, sope and tlacoyo?

All three are maize-dough antojitos but differ in shape and way of serving. The gordita is round and thick, puffs up on the comal and is split open on one side to be stuffed with stews. The sope is thinner (1 cm), small and round, with a pinched rim to serve stews on top. The tlacoyo is oval and elongated, stuffed from the raw dough with broad bean, bean or curd cheese, cooked on the comal.

What do gorditas taste like?

They taste of nixtamalised maize dough cooked on a comal, with a hint of lard when they are browned. The real flavour depends on the filling: chicharrón in green salsa is acidic and spicy; picadillo, sweet and spiced; curd cheese, soft and lactic; mole, complex and deep. The rustic dough of the Bajío with native maize has a deeper profile than industrial ones. The oven gorditas of Aguascalientes can be sweet with piloncillo.

How are gorditas served?

They are served hot, freshly made, with the filling peeking out of the side opening. They are accompanied with green or red salsa, chopped onion, coriander and lime to taste. At the Villa de Guadalupe they are eaten on the go, wrapped in waxed paper. In Aguascalientes they are served on a flat plate with crumbled fresh cheese and cream. They are lunch or a quick supper, a complete dish when accompanied with frijoles charros and agua fresca.

Where do gorditas originate from?

They have Mesoamerican pre-Hispanic origins — thick tortillas on the comal are documented by Sahagún in the 16th century. The current stuffed form is consolidated in the Bajío and the north in the 19th century, with Aguascalientes as traditional capital. The Villa de Guadalupe in Mexico City popularised them as a pilgrims' antojito. In the north (Sonora, Chihuahua) there are wheat-flour gorditas, a regional variant.