Chimichanga, or “chimi,” has achieved cult status in Tucson. A Chimichanga is a Mexican-American fusion large burrito prepared with a choice of meat, vegetables, and spices. deep-fried to a golden perfection, and served on a bed or lettuce with cheese and mild sauce. The residents of Tucson take their chimis very seriously and prefer large, overstuffed versions. Every restaurant and mom-and-pop eatery has its own version of this favorite dish.
Put simply, the chimichanga is a deep fried burrito, usually served with cheese and sour cream, sometimes guac or salsa, always delicious. But while the dish has been a staple of Tex-Mex cuisine, especially around Tucson, since the 1950s, its origins remain as hazy as a pot of bean broth. The most popular theory dates back to the 1920s, in which Monica Flin, the founder of Tucson’s famous El Charro restaurant, accidentally dropped a burrito into the deep fryer and instinctively began to mutter ‘chingada,’ a Spanish swear roughly analogous to the f-word.
But El Charro was a family restaurant, and in such genteel times, Flin quickly course-corrected to chimichanga, which would have registered at the time as a nonsense word. Others have since laid claim to inventing the chimichanga, but they share a theme of accidentally deep frying something that was intended to be griddled. That may be what happened, or, just a theory, some cook late one night, after a few too many tequilas, may have decided that the only thing better than a burrito is a FRIED burrito, and the rest is history.
The southwest is well known for its delicious Mexican food, and the residents of Tucson, Arizona, boldly proclaim their city the “Mexican food Capital of the U.S.” The city has its own version of Tex-Mex food, which it calls Arizona-Sonoran Cuisine. Because southern Arizona was once part of the Mexican state of Sonora, this style is considered the “soul food” of Arizona.
According to whatscookingamerica.net; tastecooking.com
