The ultimate battle between two of Tex-Mex cuisine’s most iconic tortilla staples is a battle that’s bursting with salsa and brimming with guacamole. But as tasty as this foodie showdown is, are there really that many differences between these two types of food? Vegan chimichanga exactly what makes a burrito a burrito, and what’s in a chimichanga? To get to the bottom of this Tex-Mex mystery, we decided to delve deep into the world of chimichangas and burritos.

Keep reading to discover the answers to these important Tex-Mex questions and more. Everyone knows what a burrito is, right? You take a large burrito tortilla, and you wrap up beans, rice, meat, vegetables, cheese, and salsa, then chow down on this glorious creation. You can find burritos for sale across the world, but the most popular types of burritos today aren’t exactly the traditional burrito types. The burrito origin story is one that’s shrouded in myth. Little Donkey’, and it’s entirely unclear how the burrito ever got this name in the first place.

It is known, however, that burritos originated in northern Mexico, where flour tortillas became popular in the wake of Spanish colonization. The original Mexican burrito was only ever filled with beans and meat, but when the burrito made it over the border to the USA, things began to change. Rice, salsas, cheese, more beans, and lots of different meats and even seafood are added to Tex-Mex burritos, so today, finding a standard burrito definition is challenging. There are big burritos, small burritos, veggie burritos, and vegan burritos. Just like burritos, chimichangas are an evolution of ancient Mexican culinary traditions. The chimichanga is just one of many dishes involving a tortilla, but are chimichangas Mexican?

That’s uncertai, because the chimichanga origin story is even more blurred than that of its close cousin, the burrito. The major difference, however, is that chimichangas are deep-fried. In fact, the simplest way to define chimichanga is as a deep-fried burrito. It’s thought that a burrito was dropped into a deep fryer, with the result being what we now call Mexican chimichangas. This simple chimichanga definition skips over many different yet subtle nuances, which have evolved over time. The differences are considerable enough for it to be considered a distinct type of food on its own. As any Tex-Mex connoisseur will tell you, a chimichanga is not just a deep-fried burrito!