Quesadilla
A Mexican dish made by filling a tortilla with cheese and often other ingredients, then folding or layering it and cooking it until the filling melts.
Tortilla: A thin, round flatbread made chiefly from maize or wheat flour. It forms the edible wrapper or layered base of a quesadilla.
Maize tortilla: A tortilla made from maize dough, commonly called masa. It is the traditional tortilla base for many quesadillas.
Quesadilla in Mexico City: A local style of quesadilla that may be ordered with or without cheese, often with fillings such as mushrooms or squash blossoms. It illustrates a prominent regional difference in what counts as a quesadilla.
Etymology of quesadilla: The linguistic history of the Spanish word “quesadilla,” whose name is associated with cheese. The name's cheese association contrasts with cheese-free local versions.
Nixtamalization: A process that cooks and soaks maize in an alkaline solution before washing and grinding it. It is traditionally used to prepare maize for many Mexican tortillas.
Wheat tortilla: A soft flatbread made from wheat flour, water, fat, and salt. It is a common base for quesadillas, especially in northern Mexico.
Huitlacoche: An edible fungus that grows on maize kernels and is used as a delicacy in Mexican cooking. It is a distinctive filling for quesadillas.
Mexican regional cuisines: The distinct food traditions that developed across Mexico's regions and local environments. Regional variation explains differences in tortillas, fillings, and definitions of quesadilla.
Oaxaca cheese: A Mexican, pasta-filata cheese with a mild flavor and strands that separate easily. Its melting texture makes it a common quesadilla filling.
Melting cheese: Cheese that softens and flows when heated, with behavior shaped by its composition and structure. Heat turns the cheese filling soft enough to bind the tortilla layers.