Pepito: the Mexico City torta with steak, cheese and avocado

What is it?

The pepito or torta de pepito is one of the most beloved tortas of the Mexican street repertoire, especially popular in Mexico City and the centre of the country. It is prepared with a telera or bolillo bun, opened and toasted on a griddle, generally spread with mayonnaise or refried beans, filled with beef steak in thin strips — arrachera, skirt or steak — griddled to order, melted cheese (Oaxaca, Manchego or asadero), sliced avocado, tomato, onion and pickled jalapeño chillies. Unlike the excessive torta cubana, the pepito is a focused and simple torta: the star is the griddled meat, and the other ingredients complement without saturating. Pati Jinich and Cocina Delirante document it as an essential torta of the chilango repertoire. Larousse Cocina lists it in its 'Top 10 Mexican tortas' as the representative of griddled-meat tortas in Mexico City style, distinct from the Guadalajara torta ahogada or the excessive cubana.

Origin and history

The pepito originates in the Mexico City street cuisine of the 20th century. Larousse Cocina notes that the name 'pepito' comes from the affectionate Spanish diminutive and was used to name small and simple tortas from the 1940s-1950s onwards in torterías of the Historic Centre and the Roma district. The pepito follows the tradition of 20th-century tortería tortas in Mexico City, when griddled steak became popular as a quick, high-protein filling for the lunches of workers, office staff and students. The incorporation of melted cheese reflects Tex-Mex influence and that of the American 'Philly cheesesteaks' that were already circulating in North-American-style restaurants in Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez and Monterrey since the 1950s. In Spain, where the pepito also exists — a small meat bocadillo — the origin of the name is very different: it is attributed to the son of King Pepín (Philip?) or to a regular customer of a Madrid restaurant. The Mexican version was consolidated with its own identity by using telera bread, Oaxaca cheese and avocado. Cocina Delirante highlights the marinated arrachera version as the most popular contemporary evolution in torta restaurants of the 1990s and 2000s.

Characteristic ingredients

Telera bread is the ideal base: oval, flat, divided into three by two surface grooves, made with wheat flour, lard, yeast and a little sugar. It measures about 15-20 cm and is briefly toasted on a hot griddle with a little oil or butter so that the crust browns and the crumb absorbs flavour. The steak used is beef in thin strips (1-2 mm thick), commonly marinated arrachera, skirt, top sirloin or eye-of-round steak. The meat is seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and cumin, and is grilled quickly on a very hot griddle or pan so that it browns on the outside and stays juicy inside. Some pepitos carry the meat chopped into small cubes 'Philly steak' style. The cheese is generally grated Oaxaca or asadero, which melts directly over the meat on the griddle. Assembly: bread spread with mayonnaise or refried beans, on top the meat with melted cheese, sliced or mashed avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce and pickled jalapeño chillies. Variants: arrachera pepito (finer), beef pepito (classic), pepito with melted Manchego cheese, pepito with mushrooms, grilled chicken pepito. Cocina Delirante describes the canonical recipe with arrachera marinated in beer, lime juice and soy sauce.

Cultural significance

The pepito forms part of the corpus of chilango tortas that defines the street culinary identity of Mexico City. Historic torterías such as 'Tortas Don Polo', 'Tortas Robles', 'La Castellana' and 'Las Tlayudas' serve it among their best-selling tortas. In Roma, Condesa and Polanco, restaurants and bars offer it as a snack or starter. The 2010 UNESCO declaration of traditional Mexican cuisine implicitly includes capital street cuisine as a living expression of the national repertoire. In popular culture, the pepito appears as a quick office sandwich, a student lunch and a street antojito. The marinated-meat industry for arrachera and steak, with brands such as Bafar, Sigma and Su Karne, has facilitated its mass adoption. Economically, the pepito sustains thousands of torterías and street stalls. Pati Jinich has included it in her programme Pati's Mexican Table as an example of the everyday Mexican torta that deserves its own identity. Mexican restaurants in the United States serve it as one of the favourites: the Tortas Frontera chain by Rick Bayless in Chicago and Tortas Neza in Bell Gardens, California, highlight it on their menus. It is a perfect example of the Mexican torta focused on the quality of a main ingredient — griddled meat — rather than the excess of the cubana.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Mexican pepito and a Spanish pepito?

They share the name but are completely different. The Spanish pepito is a small French-bread bocadillo filled only with thin grilled meat (loin or veal) and optionally cheese — it is minimalist. The Mexican pepito uses telera bread, carries steak or arrachera with melted cheese (generally Oaxaca), avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce and pickled jalapeños. The Mexican one is a full torta; the Spanish one is a simple sandwich.

What does a pepito taste like?

It tastes of beef steak or arrachera grilled to order, with a deep toasted-smoky profile, creamy and elastic melted Oaxaca cheese, unctuous ripe avocado, freshness from the tomato and lettuce, moderate heat from the pickled jalapeños and the softness of the toasted telera. It is a balanced torta, not excessive, where the meat is the star and all the other ingredients complement it harmoniously.

How is a pepito served?

It is served hot, freshly assembled on the griddle, with the cheese still melted. It is wrapped in waxed paper to take away or served on a plate with a side of chips or toreado chillies. It is accompanied with green or red salsa to taste, extra pickled chillies and a soft drink or agua fresca. It is a single dish for lunch or supper. In torterías of Polanco, Roma and Condesa it is also served as a snack at bars and cantinas.

Where does the pepito originate from?

It originates from Mexico City, where it was consolidated between the 1940s and 1960s in torterías of the Historic Centre, Roma and Condesa. The name 'pepito' is an affectionate Spanish diminutive. The dish evolved from the Spanish pepito but adopted a totally Mexican identity by using telera, Oaxaca cheese, avocado and jalapeño chillies. Today it is found in torterías and restaurants throughout Mexico.