Let’s Pay Culinary Homage to the Humble Burrito on Its National Day of Celebration

Every day is something, as we have long learned, and today, besides being April Fool’s Day, is “National Burrito Day.” Seriously.

The origin of the humble burrito has long been disputed. Some say the rolled and filled flour tortilla (which is what they call an “omelet” in Spain, for some reason),  resembles the folded ears of a young burro. Others say it resembles the rolled sleeping roll often carried on the backs of burros by travelers.

According to the Diccionario de Mexicanismos, a burrito is a “rolled tortilla with meat or other ingredients inside, called ‘coçito’ in Yucatán and ‘taco’ in the city of Cuernavaca and in Mexico City.”

The Encyclopedia of Latino Culture offers a few theories: People from Sonora, a northwestern Mexican state,  invented the burrito because it was easy to travel with. The name “burrito” may have come from heretofore noted connection to the  donkey. Another theory is that the burrito came from Chihuahua, during the Mexican revolution in the 1910s. As one story has it, a vendor wrapped his food in a flour tortilla, and then transported his new creation on a small donkey.

There is also the idea of  Spanish origins, which is always a good answer for anything Mexico-related. Suffice to say that the burrito has become as American as Pollo Loco, and now feeds millions of people in North America every day, with a wide range of fillings and even toppings. (The burrito, not the people.)

These days few burritos are found in Southern Mexico. They’re tourist food sold near the US border and in tourist destinations.

Thus vaguely explains such monstrosities as the frozen burrito,  reportedly invented in California in the 1960s,  and the breakfast burrito, “invented” in a food lab in the 1970s.

Which brings us to 2021, and something called “Burritos or Bitcoin,” a Burrito Day game concocted by Chipotle, which is a Colorado-based company founded by Steve Ells, of which the McDonald’s Corporation is a major investor.

Chipotle and Stefan Thomas, the Founder and CEO of Coil, will launch a new interactive game called “Burritos or Bitcoin.” In a playful ode to Thomas’s experience losing the login to his hard drive that stored $387 million in Bitcoin, Chipotle is encouraging fans to carry out a mock “chiptocurrency” rescue mission and crack the code on its digital wallet.

Each player will have ten (10) tries to guess a valid six-digit code for a chance to win a free burrito or up to $25,000 in Bitcoin.

We’re still trying to figure out the burrito connection ourselves.

Meanwhile, if your desire is to simply locate a burrito for your own culinary homage, here is a list of every Mexican restaurant in Pasadena. Chances are very bueno that each offers a burrito. You’re welcome.

•Amigo’s Mexican Restaurant
1076 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena , CA 91106
(626) 577-1307
https://www.amigosmexrestaurant.com/

•Anaya’s Restaurant
630 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 460-8893
https://www.los-anaya.com/

•Cabrera’s Mexican Restaurant
655 N Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 795-0230
https://www.cabreras.com/pasadena-location

•Chipotle Mexican Grill
246 S Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 229-9173
https://locations.chipotle.com/ca/pasadena/246-s-lake-ave?utm_source=google&utm_medium=yext&utm_campaign=yext_listings

•Chiquita Bonita
3565 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107-3817
626-796-5592
http://restaurantwebexpert.com/ChiquitaBonita/

•El Cholo Cafe Pasadena
300 E. Colorado Blvd, Suite 214,
Pasadena Ca. 91101
at Paseo Colorado
(626) 795-5800
https://www.elcholopasadena.com/

•El Metate
12 N Mentor Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 229-0706
http://elmetate-cafe.com/

•El Matador Authentic Mexican Food
1806 E Washington Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 314-3449
https://el-matador-authentic-mexican-food.business.site/website/el-matador-authentic-mexican-food/

•El Portal Restaurant
695 E. Green St.
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 795-8553
https://www.elportalrestaurant.com/

•El Torito – Pasadena
3333 E Foothill Blvd,
Pasadena, CA
626.351.8995
https://www.eltorito.com/location/pasadena/

•IxTapa Cantina
119 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, Ca 91105
626.304.1000
http://www.cantinaixtapa.com/

•King Taco
45 N. Arroyo Parkway
Pasadena, Ca 91103
(626) 792-0405
https://kingtaco.com/index.html

•Lupita’s
2383 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 795-3499
https://lupitaspasadena.com/

•Maestro Restaurant
110 E Union St.
Pasadena, CA 91103
626-787-1512
https://www.maestropasadena.com/

•Margaritas Mexican Restaurant
155 S Rosemead Blvd, Pasadena CA 91107
(626) 449-4193
https://www.margaritaspasadena.com/

•Mercado Pasadena
140 S Lake Ave Suite 101
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 345-5778
https://www.cocinasycalaveras.com/#home

•Mijares Mexican Restaurant
145 Palmetto Dr, Pasadena, CA
626-792-2763
http://www.mijaresrestaurant.com/

•Salsa Picante Pasadena
1251 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, California 91104,
626-794-1780
https://picantepasadena.com/

•Rubio’s Coastal Grill
330 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-535-9383
https://www.rubios.com/restaurant-locations/california/pasadena-east-colorado-blvd

•Urbano Mexican Kitchen
147 W. California Blvd.
Pasadena, Ca 91105
626-578-1160
https://urbanomexicankitchen.com/

•Yahaira’s Cafe
698 E. Colorado St.
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 844-3254
https://www.yahairascafe.com/

•Yuca’s Pasadena
1075 S Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105
626-788-7448
https://www.yucasla.com/