Is it a taquito or a flauta? What is the difference? If you are a lover of Mexican food you may have wondered about this topic.
At first glance taquitos and flautas appear to be similar. Both are served stuffed, rolled into a cylinder shape and fried until golden and crispy. However, there are subtle differences between them.
What is a taquito?
Taquitos (literally 'little tacos') are small rolled tortillas filled with beef or chicken and a sprinkling of grated cheese, which are then deep-fried or shallow-fried until they are crisp. Generally speaking, taquitos are prepared with corn tortillas, and served with a dollop of guacamole or sour cream. They are often flattened somewhat so they can be fried in less oil.
What is a flauta?
On the other hand, flautas are usually made with flour tortillas. They are stuffed with much the same ingredients as taquitos, but are often larger and rolled round, so they retain their cylindrical shape while being deep-fried. Fun fact: flautas derive their name from the Spanish word for flutes. Read our favourites Mexican Flautas recipes.
So, what's the difference between flautas and taquitos?
Well, here’s the thing: taquitos are made of corn tortillas while flautas are made of flour tortillas, but some people use the word interchangeably. They may not be wrong necessarily. That’s because some restaurants make taquitos with flour tortillas and flautas with corn tortillas.
It really depends on whether or not you find yourself north or south of the border. So next time you are served this Mexican delicacy, glance at the tortilla for answers.
In the meantime, here is a must-try recipe for shredded beef and cheese flautas from Noreen's Kitchen that will help you further differentiate the two:
Find out How to make chicken and cheese quesadillas and how to make Poppadoms with Rosemay.
