Kelley
In keeping with the Latin American tradition of violence, "baleada" means someone who has been shot. Only in Honduras would a delicious food be named after that.

Baleadas are my favorite thing to eat here. You start with a thick, delicious flour tortilla. If I can figure out how to make this kind of tortilla, I will be able to bag me a world class husband. Straight up. Thick tortilla baleadas taste better than thin ones. A plain baleada has refried beans, cheese, and cream (kind of like sour cream, but a little sweeter). Sometimes the plain will have eggs as well. My favorite baleada is beans, chicken, avocado, cream, and encurtido. I had one for dinner last night. It is almost like a light version of a fajita, but without all of the negative connotations that come from being light, and with a better tortilla than you have ever had. I truly cannot stress how much better this tortilla is than any other tortilla out there. I fully understand why I am not married, as I am unable to produce this amazing tortilla.

The best baleada I have eaten is from the cafe on the corner near my apartment, El Cocodrilo Cafe. But a very close second comes from Baleadas Express. It is like a Subway, but with baleadas. And fortunately, they operate on the Starbucks business plan, so you can find one on literally any street corner in Honduras.

This picture does not show the baleada in the most appealing light. And it is a baleada from the school cafeteria, which is still delicious, but definitely not the best. But alas it is the best picture of an uneaten baleada that I have. Many of my adventures down here have been fueled by baleadas, though, so you have already reaped one of the many rewards of baleada consumption.

2 Responses
  1. Mary Sue Says:

    Hi, they are not named for violence however, the word baleada does mean to get shot. So, a bala is a bullet and to be shot is to be baleada or baleado depending on whether it is a female or male who has been shot. The true baleadas are made with frijoes not smashed or refried. They are made with cooked honduran beans that are still whole. They are called frijoles parados. Parados means they are standing up. When they are whole they are believed to be more potent as to give you more ammunition. That is why they are called baleadas . So true baleadas have whole beans.


  2. Anonymous Says:

    In the ten years I was in La Ceiba (birthplace of baleadas), I never encountered any (home made or for sale - even at Doña Tere's) with whole beans. When I watched them being made, the beans I saw were cooked how Americans would call "refried" (and that is how I make them for myself, now that I am back in America).


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