Mexican tostadas: what they are, toppings and how to eat them

What is it?

Tostadas are one of the most iconic antojitos of Mexican cuisine: a maize tortilla that is fried or dehydrated to acquire a crisp texture and becomes a canvas for all kinds of dishes. They are usually topped with refried beans, lettuce, cream, fresh cheese, salsa and a main dish, where tinga of shredded chicken in chipotle chilli is the most popular version. They are eaten in almost the whole country, both in eateries and markets and at family dinners and gatherings, and have very distinct variations: the pata or chicken tostadas of the centre, the regiomontana tostadas regias with melted cheese, or the ceviche tostadas of the coast. Their apparent simplicity hides a precise technique to prevent them from breaking at the first bite.

Origin and history

The tostada is a direct descendant of the pre-Hispanic totopo: in Mesoamerican cuisine, leaving tortillas in the sun to dehydrate them was a method of preservation that allowed them to be carried on long journeys. Sahagún already describes toasted tortillas in the Florentine Codex as a travel and market food. After the Conquest, the use of pork provided the lard with which they began to be fried, giving rise to the modern tostada. In the 20th century, the industrialisation of masa allowed packaged tostadas to be produced en masse, and brands such as Charras or Tía Rosa turned the product into a national pantry staple. In parallel, in Monterrey the tostadas regias were born, with a tortilla spread with lard and cheese melted on the comal, while on the Pacific coast the ceviche or tuna tostada took hold. Tinga, originally from Puebla and popularised by Josefina Velázquez de León in her recipe books of the mid-20th century, ended up consolidating the tostada-tinga pairing.

Characteristic ingredients

The base tortilla is made with nixtamalised maize; it is fried in oil or lard until rigid and golden, although there are also lighter baked versions. The classic tinga has cooked and shredded chicken, onion, tomato and chipotle chilli in adobo, which provides the characteristic smokiness; some variants include chorizo or are made with beef or pork. The accompaniments always include refried beans as an adhesive layer, shredded lettuce or cabbage, soured cream, crumbled fresh cheese, avocado and salsa. On the coast, the tostada is topped with ceviche, aguachile or tuna in mayonnaise; in Yucatán there is the cochinita tostada; in Sinaloa, the prawn one. The regiomontana tostadas regias differ because the tortilla is spread with lard and cheese before the comal, without being fried. Today tostadas of nopal, chia or gluten-free are also marketed for specific audiences.

Cultural significance

Tostadas represent the thrift and ingenuity of Mexican cuisine: they make use of the previous day's hard tortillas and turn any dish into a complete meal. They form part of the ritual of dinners at home, wakes and weekend gatherings, and are protagonists of eateries and street carts in markets such as La Merced or Coyoacán. Traditional Mexican cuisine, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010, includes the tortilla and its derivatives —among them tostadas— as pillars of gastronomic identity. Economically, the packaged-tostada industry generates billions of pesos annually and sustains tortilla shops and processors throughout the country. The tostadas regias of Monterrey are considered a regional hallmark of Nuevo León, while the pata tostadas are an emblem of Mexico City cuisine. Their versatility has also made them a star dish of the Mexican diaspora in the United States.

Frequently asked questions