A tlacoyo is a Mexican cuisine dish of pre-Hispanic origin made of masa. Tlacoyos are thicker than fresh corn and are stuffed with cheese, fava beans, cooked ground beans, chicharron, and other ingredients before being fried or toasted. Tlacoyos can be served as an accompaniment to soups and stews or as appetizers for celebrations. They are made in varying shapes, most being oval and some also triangular.
Most traditional tlacoyos do not have lard or salt in the masa, and if not eaten soon after they are cooked, they become very tough and dry, even if reheated. In Mexican markets, vendors keep their tlacoyos warm by putting them in a covered basket, with the additional effect that the steam keeps them moist for a longer time.
Etymology
The word
tlacoyo derives from the
Nahuatl word
tlahtlaōyoh ),
[ Nahuatl Dictionary. (1997). Wired Humanities Project. University of Oregon. Retrieved August 29, 2012, from link ] a name given to an
antojito ('snack' or appetizer) typical of central Mexico. Spelling variations include
tlayoyis,
clacoyos,
tlatloyos,
tlayoyos and
tlaoyos.
Variations
Since it is similar in shape to a huarache (but smaller), and is made of the same corn as the sope and is even thicker (so it has more resistance to wet toppings), Mexican street vendors, especially in Mexico City,
["Hay Tlacoyos: Tradicional Recipes from Mexico City" (2012). link ] sometimes sell it with toppings on it, as an alternative to the sopes and huaraches. However, the traditional tlacoyo is supposed to be consumed without any toppings on it except for fresh salsa. This is the form in which they are typically found in the streets. In the state of
Puebla, Tlacoyos are smaller and in the shape of triangles.
Tlacoyos come in three different colors, although no artificial colors are added in its preparation. The color comes from the cornmeal used to prepare the masa which the tlacoyo is made with. The most common is blue masa, made from Cornmeal.
File:Tlacoyo.jpg|cornmeal tlacoyo
File:Tlacoyera.jpg|Woman preparing tlacoyos over the sidewalk in Colonia Condesa in Mexico City. The tlacoyo is cooked over a comal which is over an anafre, a kind of coal stove used in Mexican households without any heating energy
See also
-
Huarache
-
Sope
-
List of Mexican dishes
