Baleadas are thick and fluffy flour tortillas that are often stuffed with refried red beans, crumbled cheese and Honduran cream called mantequilla rala. It is a popular street food dish in Honduras and other Latin American countries.
Origin & Cultural Significance
There are a lot of stories and myths about how Baleadas came to be. Most of them seem to agree that it originated on the north coast of Honduras.
Legend says that there was a popular street vendor who sold tortillas with beans and cheese. Her customers loved her and the tortillas that she makes.
One day, she was shot multiple times for an unknown reason which lead to her death and from that point on her customers would return to her stand to buy tortillas and would always say “Vamos a comer adonde la baleada” which means “we’re going to eat where the lady was shot”. Eventually, they started calling the street food “Baleadas”.
This dish became iconic and is considered the epitome of Honduran food and that every traveller should try when visiting the country. It is like experiencing the warmth of every Honduran household.
Honduras has a variety of great dishes but natives say that trying their Baleadas is a must for tourists to have an authentic experience in their country. They say that it will be something the tourists will never forget and cherish when travelling.
Nowadays, Honduran restaurants offer Baleadas Especiales which have all of the same ingredients plus scrambled eggs. It is such a flavorful dish that you can have at any time of the day.
The simplest version of this Honduran dish is called Balleada Sencilla. It is simple yet still a great food to snack on and this dish is so versatile because you can have it either for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
It is a popular street food that has made its way into the homes of every Honduran Family.
Honduran Baleadas Recipe
Baleada is a thick and fluffy flour tortilla that is often stuffed with refried red beans, crumbled cheese and Honduran cream called mantequilla rala. It is a popular street food dish in Honduras and other Latin American countries.
Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour - 2 cups
- Water - 1 cup
- Vegetable Oil - ½ cup
- Egg - 1 piece
- Salt - ½ Tsp
- Refried beans (warmed) - 2 cups
- Avocado (sliced) - 1 piece
- Crumbled queso fresco (fresh white cheese) - ½ cup
- Crema fresca - ¼ cup
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix flour, water, salt, vegetables, and egg. Mix everything and knead until the dough becomes smooth and no longer sticky.
- Form 8 golf ball sizes from the dough then cover and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes of resting time, stretch each ball of dough into thick tortillas.
- Cook each tortilla in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned and slightly puffed. Cook it for about 1 minute per side.
- Layer the refried beans, queso fresco, and avocado over the tortillas, drizzle the crema on top then fold the tortillas in half.
- You can also add other preferred fillings like scrambled eggs, pickled jalapenos, coleslaw, and ground beef or pork. Serve while hot!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1478Total Fat: 89gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 68gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 1836mgCarbohydrates: 138gFiber: 19gSugar: 4gProtein: 36g