In our series of stories about Hispanic Heritage Month we have been profiling several eateries and things like that of Hispanic culture, and one of these next stories is something that I had a lot of fun doing. I explored the history of the burrito and how San Francisco plays a big role. Although the burrito was said to be first served in Mexico as early as the 18 hundreds, it was in the United States where Mexican Americans changed it to be bigger and easier to take on the go Now, when you go get a burrito almost anywhere, Chances are they'll hand you something like this. Turned out at mom and pop shops and national chains all over the country. It's basically a full Mexican meal inside a flour tortilla wrapped in foil the recipe for the burrito the way you know it now is modified right here in San Francisco. It even has its own name, The mission style burrito or the mission burrito named after the mission District here in the city. But where was the first mission style burrito made to Korea's here in the mission District lay claim to it. The first one is El Faro on 20th and Folsom Street. Legend has it. The original owners of El Faro made the first super burrito for the firefighters of Station seven just down the street. The burrito started here like the way we make it, says Raymundo Ramirez, who is the current owner of El Faro. She told me in Spanish. She worked for the original owner who made that first big burrito for the firefighters in 1961 the super again chicken customers like this, keep coming back fro recently celebrated its 61st year in business. Not too far away is La Cumbre Zakariyah, where the sign outside, said, it's the originator of the mission style burrito. Edward Duran is a second generation owner here. He says the key to the burrito his family made was using the flour tortilla and all the ingredients contained inside . Initially what happened was that the predominant the Mexican heritage and the diet. And as such, was based around corn tortillas used at that time were all corn tortillas. But Raul and Mickey discovered through my grandmother and her recipe for flour tortillas that the corn when you try and roll them up and try and make them large, they break apart. They fall apart. You end up just wearing your lunch as opposed to eating your lunch. There's principle both stories. I think what makes the mission burrito Mission burrito is The foil that it's wrapped in and the rice that comes in it. And the condiments like guacamole, sour cream cheese salsa. Um and so Whoever , whichever you know, like, or El Faro did that first. I think that's the birth of the real mission Burrito. I heard the first one here was, you know, like corn tortillas wrapped up and made for the fireman. Nico Madrigal. Yankowski is a food writer for SF Gate. He says he's done extensive research into the history of the burrito. It's hard to find a bad to Korea in San Francisco. To be honest, especially if you're in the mission. None of the original firefighters from the sixties, of course, are still around at Station seven. Although the current group told me they still visit El Faro careers are seemingly everywhere in the mission. Well known ones like Pancho Villa on 16th Street and Zakariyah on Mission Street. Also less well known places are turning out big mission style burritos wherever you go to get yours a little bit of San Francisco's Mexican American culture will be their culture of being in the mission is part of what you get when you walk into a San Francisco to Korea. Um whether it be, you know the family recipes that are passed down through generations that Make the rice or the beans or how to grill the chicken, a culture that is still going strong decades later. In San Francisco South Castaneda, KTVU Fox two news and joining us now to talk more about the importance of the burrito to Hispanic culture and Hispanic heritage Month at all kind of intertwined is Nicole Madrigal Yankowski from SF Gate. Who is a food writer. Thank you for joining us, Nico. I had a lot of fun doing that story with you. Uh, Burritos. You said something that the ingredients inside that all the stuff is what makes a Mission breeder Mission Burrito . Absolutely I think you know, if you go to other places, you can find a burrito, and it has maybe a lot of meat or just meat, beans and cheese. But the San Francisco missions Alboreto. Always has rice. It has the meat . It has the condiments of guacamole, salsa, sour cream cheese, and that's neatly wrapped up in, you know, foil little bubble. You can go anywhere in the country. Now that it looks the same. It may not be the same, but that that torpedo thing with the with the foil. You can get it in Dallas so you can get it in New York, right? True, but it started here. It started here. The importance. You know, A lot of people say, Well, you know, you can't basically just talk about Hispanic culture and just focus on the food. But what people don't realize is food in our culture is very, very important. Absolutely Yeah. Yeah my grandma lives in the Central Valley and she's you know, growing up going to visit her always at the stove cooking a Part of soup or some rice and beans, tortillas. Whatever my mom as well, Great cook and our family gatherings are always, you know, revolve around food, So you know, long time ago, I realized that basically a burrito is just all the ingredients of a Mexican plate wrapped up in a in a flour tortilla. You can still go to these places and get a plate right? And they could just put that stuff on the plate. What is it about the actual vehicle? That tortilla that makes it so special? You know, I think it's just like a kind of a product of being in an urban city like San Francisco, where you got to eat things on the go, you know, And that's what makes it special. You can definitely go and sit down and eat it. And But I will. I wouldn't recommend cutting it with a knife and fork. I think that's kind of like a faux pas. Right You're going to want to eat it, Unwrap the foil, Eat it handheld, and that's what makes it special. Now you mentioned that you pick your burrito shops based on what kind of you know. Let's say if you want to Carnitas burrito, you go somewhere. Give us a few spots and tell you tell us why you go to those spots. Sure So for like you said, I picked my favorite to Korea's based on their meats. And so for Carnitas, which is like a crispy, deep fried pork. I really like l one Sabor because on the corner of 18th in Valencia because they throw the Carnitas on the plunge again to get a little extra crispy. Um and they do the same l method in the mission District which I really love for cotton Asada. I really love sorry. Zakariyah Cancun on mission in 19th, and there's just something nostalgic about it for me going there Late night. Um, and it's just a big, juicy cardinal Asada burrito. And then for my hidden gem, I think as to Acadia, San Francisco, um, near 24th and betrayal. Um they have asked for the grilled chicken there and they don't have guacamole. But they do the sliced avocado, which I think is a little extra special. And those are probably like my top four favorites. Alright well, quick, I want to ask you the price of the average burrito. Now is what 12 bucks Something like that. Yeah maybe somewhere around. I remember when it was I remember when it was like, Okay, six bucks. Eight bucks, not 12 bucks. You think it's going to level off? You know, I don't know. But I also think that you know, in a city where it's so expensive to live that these businessmen and women need to price their burritos at a certain price point so they can remain in the city and the mission. In Can the Tories can remain in the mission as well? Doesn't help that I'll pay almost any price, either. Yeah thank you for joining us. Thank you. And you can find out more of our stories marking Hispanic Heritage Month You can go to our website KTVU dot com slash hispanic heritage will take you directly to a section to mark
