What Makes Tortas So Good—Plus, How to Make This Mexican Sandwich at Home

The Mexican torta, with its layers of flavorful ingredients, is a sandwich unlike the typical ones found North of the border. Mexican tortas are a combination of European breads and New World ingredients that come together in a uniquely Mexican and delicious way. They are more portable and substantial than tacos yet equally as creative in their execution. Also like tacos, they reflect each region of Mexico and are both a street food and a specialty with dedicated restaurants. We spoke to a Mexican food expert to learn more about tortas, including what are the most popular types, and to get her tips for making a torta at home.

What Is a Torta? 

At its most basic, a torta is a Mexican sandwich made with a roll rather than sliced bread. Most tortas start with a layer of refried beans and jalapeños, two indigenous ingredients. They often balance the spicy chiles with meaty fillings.

History

Torta is a Spanish word and generally refers to cake in other Latin American countries. According to Ruth Alegria, a historian of Mexican cuisine, tour guide, and former restaurateur who resides in Mexico City, the torta was popularized in the 1880s but traces its roots back to the Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s who brought wheat bread to Mexico. The sandwich wasn't initially popular with the indigenous population, but today, every state has its own version, she says.

A long-running popular Mexican television program, El Chavo del Ocho, helped to popularize the torta in the 1960s as the main character was a devotee of a most simple ham torta. Today, some tortas are named after famous singers or soccer players.

Popularity

They're quick, inexpensive, and available on the go; tortas have a lot to recommend them. Some tortas are premade and sold from carts or stands, often near public transportation, says Alegria. These tortas don’t typically have mayonnaise or anything that would spoil, so you can carry them around, she adds.

There are now also restaurants that specialize in selling tortas in Puebla and Mexico City, as well as an annual torta festival in Mexico City since 2003. 

The Bread

While a roll is the basis of a torta, the type of roll used varies.

Most commonly, tortas are made using bolillos, a light roll that is torpedo-shaped and has Spanish origins. Other frequently used breads are teleras, a regional bread that has little ridges, or the birote from Jalisco, which is wood-oven baked and has a different flavor and texture. The birote is said to have French origins—when the emperor of Mexico, Maximillian, was executed in 1867, the French left Mexico City and went to Jalisco and established bakeries there, says Alegria, leading to this unique bread.

Types of Tortas  

It's probably impossible to catalog all the different Mexican tortas; there are local specialties and tortas made just for holidays, like the torta di bacalao made with salt cod during Lent. Some tortas are served cold, others served hot, and some are pressed. The most well-known and popular fillings include:

Torta Milanesa: A favorite made with a breaded and fried cutlet. Generally, a pork cutlet but chicken cutlets (milanesa di pollo) or beef (milanesa di res) are also used. The crunchy cutlet is balanced with classic torta fillings like avocado, beans, and crema.

Torta Carne de Res: A steak sandwich made with marinated sliced steak with all the torta toppings.

Torta Cubana: Especially popular in Mexico City, this torta should not be confused with the Cuban sandwich. It's a much more complex affair with a variety of meats, depending on the cook. Often, there is a breaded cutlet, pierna (roast pork leg), ham, a split hot dog, and cheeses.

Regional classics include:

Torta Ahogadas: A popular style of torta in Guadalajara, Alegria explains it's made with red chile sauce and is very sloppy to eat but still eaten out of hand. The spicy sauce soaks into the bread, and somewhere inside is carnitas (shredded pork).

Torta Guajolote: Also known as a torta de tamal, this is a Mexico City carb-on-carb specialty. It is made with a tamal inside it, and tamaleros sell them. Its name refers to the shape rather than the filling.

Torta di Chilaquiles: Another Mexico City specialty, this torta was popularized by a woman in the Condesa neighborhood who has been selling them for the last 20 years at her stand. She used to sell on the weekend, but now she sells them every day of the week, and the lines form down the street. "It’s a bolillo with just tortilla chips and sauce, adorned with Mexican crema and grated cheese. Now you can have it with milanesa (a breaded chicken cutlet) or milasensa di res (a beef version)," says Alegria. 

Torta Arabe: A specialty of Puebla, which has the distinction of being the birthplace of al pastor, the torta arabe or Arabic sandwich is filled with meat off the spit. Alegria says this favorite is sometimes served in a pita bread when sold at a stand out in the street, but in restaurants, it's made as a pressed sandwich.

Seafood Tortas: On the coast, Alegria says you’ll find a variety of tortas made with fish and shrimp, and avocado is often a main ingredient.

Tips for Creating a Delicious Torta at Home

To make a torta at home, you’ll need the right kind of bread, namely a bolillo, and the right fillings.

• Use very fresh rolls.
• Start with a smear of refried black beans or a layer of thinly sliced avocado.
• Mayonnaise is optional. A squirt or slathering of crema is good, too. Either will add flavor and richness.
• If one protein filling is good, two or three is even better. Remember, tortas are a meal, not a dainty snack. Fillings can be meat, cheese, or even seafood. "Mexicans never stop at plain," Alegria says, "They embellish."
• Add some freshness in the form of jalapeños, pickled jalapeños, and/or sliced white onion. This contributes both texture and contrast to complement the other fillings.