Streetside Baleada Stand in Copan, Honduras
In El Salvador there are pupusas. In Mexico there are tacos. In Honduras there are Baleadas. The simple version consists of a thick flour – though sometimes corn – tortilla that has been put on a charcoal grill. It’s slathered in refried red beans and a bit of white farmer’s cheese then folded over like an American style soft Taco. It is the any time of the day snack. You can have one for breakfast and add eggs. In San Pedro Sula, which has more fast food joints than anywhere I have ever been, they have a few chains such as Baleada Express and Super Baleadas, which serve up massive baleadas filled with anything you want: avocado, sausage, plantains, bell peppers, onions, chiles, pork, jalapenos, etc. More often, baleadas are served at casetas, or streetside stalls often near night spots and costs usually 10 lempira (about fifty cents US).
Basic Baleada Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 cups of wheat flour
1 cup of water or tepid milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup oil
To make the Tortilla (the Baleada Shell):
-Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
-Knead the mixture until it is completely mixed and not sticky.
-Form the dough into golf ball size balls.
-Cover and let sit for about 20 minutes.
-Take each ball of dough and stretch it on a flat surface to make a large tortilla. Should be thick.
-Set the tortilla on a hot pan or grill until crisp.
-Turn the tortilla over and cook the other side.
Fillings:
Once the tortilla is ready you can fill it with anything you like much like a burrito. Traditionally in Honduras a baleada features refried red beans, fresh cream, and shredded cheese. To spice it up add avocado, or egg, or chile and fold the tortilla in half.
Writer and photographer Nicholas Gill is the editor/publisher of New World Review. He lives in Lima, Peru and Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CondeNast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, and Penthouse. Visit his personal website (nicholas-gill.com) for more information.
9 Comments
it sounds good i will have too make it
Clearly you’re crazy because no Hondurans would use wheat flour in any recipe. And black beans are only found in Marcala. And it’s called queso seco aka stinky cheese, which is only delicious when covered with lots of hot sauce. Baleadas still rock my face though; one of the few Honduran foods worth eating!
In northern Honduras, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, Trujillo, baleadas were always made with flour tortillas. The cheese was called queso blanco duro, although other areas just call it queso duro…it was salty, unlike queso seco. The beans were a local item I have never found outside Olanchito, a red bean that cooked to a deep rich brown such that it looked like black beans when refried.
I can’t eat enough baleadas. The refried black beans are my favorite, I don’t like when they put meat in them. Thanks for the recipe, I will try and make them!
I’m pretty sure she meant wheat flour as opposed to corn flour, not WHOLE wheat. I can’t believe anyone would say that baleadas are the only food worth eating here in Honduras though! Baleadas are great, but what about Honduran tacos made with chicken, chuleta with tajadas, rice and beans with coconut milk… oh my the list goes on. Maybe the food elsewhere in the country isn’t great, but here on the Northern Coast it’s awesome! So awesome in fact that after being a vegetarian most of my life I crumbled and began eating meat. I couldn’t resist. Love, love, love Honduran food when it’s done right 🙂
oh yeah, and the beans are never black as others mentioned. they are small red beans called silk beans.
la senora Aminta makes the best baleadas!!!
Honduras food is Delicious. We make the best soup (counch soup) and\ or salt beef, green babanas or plaintain, yuca n Yam- cooked in coconut milk. Yummy
Just spent a week at a very small resort in Roatan. My favorite food of the week was the night we had baleadas made by hand. Refried RED beans, cheese, cream and eggs. Couldn’t believe how good it was!