Editing Tostada (tortilla)

{{short description|Flat or bowl-shaped tortilla that is deep-fried or toasted}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name             = Tostada
| image            = File:Atun_tostadas_(43015501031).jpg 
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          = A tuna tostada dish in a Mexico City restaurant
| alternate_name   =
| country          = [[Mesoamerica]]
| region           =
| creator          =
| course           = [[Appetizer]] or [[snack]]
| type             =
| served           =
| main_ingredient  = [[Tortilla]]s, [[Vegetable]]s
| variations       =
| calories         =
| other            =
}}

'''Tostadas''' ({{IPAc-en|t|ɒ|ˈ|s|t|ɑː|d|ə}} or {{IPAc-en|t|oʊ|ˈ|s|t|ɑː|d|ə}}; {{IPA|es|tosˈtaða|lang}}, {{lit|toasted}}) are various dishes in [[Mexican cuisine|Mexican]] and [[Guatemalan cuisine|Guatemalan]] cuisine based on toasted tortillas.

They are generally a flat or bowl-shaped [[tortilla]] that is [[Deep frying|deep-fried]] or toasted, but may also be any dish using a ''tostada'' as a base.<ref>{{cite book | title = Mexico One Plate At A Time | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Q1VfactfpoEC&q=tostada&pg=PA62 | publisher = [[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]] | year = 2000 | pages = 62–70 | isbn = 0-684-84186-X | author = Rick Bayless, JeanMarie Brownson & Deann Groen Bayless}}</ref> They can be consumed alone, or used as a base for other foods. [[Maize|Corn]] tortillas are usually used for tostadas, although tostadas made of [[wheat]] or other ingredients are also found.

== Preparation ==
[[File:Tostadas_shrimp_cooking_food_dinner_salsa.jpg|thumb|left|Shrimp tostada]]
[[File:Tlayuda con chorizo en Oaxaca.jpg|right|thumb|Oaxacan [[tlayuda]]]]
[[File:Flickr dongkwan 540812245--Shrimp Tostada.jpg|thumb|right|A shrimp tostada, as served by a taco truck in Oakland, California, in the United States]]{{np}}{{pb}}

Just as stale bread can be made palatable as [[Toast (food)|toast]], a stale tortilla can be repurposed as a tostada by frying it in boiling oil until it becomes golden, rigid, and crunchy. Commercial tostadas are similar in taste and consistency to [[tortilla chip]]s.<ref>{{cite book | title = Chilli and Chocolate | author= Isabel Hood |publisher = Troubador Publishing Ltd. |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=bFaq7m0fC5oC&q=tostada&pg=PA67 | date = 2008 | page = 67 | isbn = 9781906510923 | access-date = 4 April 2018 }}</ref>

Tostadas are a standalone dish in Mexico and the [[American Southwest]], and are also served as a companion to various [[Mexican food]]s, mostly [[seafood]] and [[stew]]s, such as [[Menudo (soup)|menudo]], [[birria]] and [[pozole]]. Tostadas can be found across Mexico.

Toppings for tostadas are mostly the same as those used for tacos: a base layer of beans, cheese, sour cream, chopped lettuce, sliced onions, and [[Salsa (sauce)|salsa]], which is then topped with diced and fried meat, usually chicken or pork, and also beef. They are also popular with seafood such as [[tuna]], [[shrimp]], [[crab]], chopped [[octopus]], and [[ceviche]]. [[Vegetarian]] tostadas, while not as common, can also be found. Due to the fragile nature of a tostada, the main topping (usually beans or cream) must be pasty enough to stay on; this keeps the other toppings or garnishes from falling off while being eaten. The [[Oaxaca]] region is known for its large ''[[tlayuda]]'' tostada, which is the size of a [[pizza]] and sometimes topped with fried [[chapulines]] (a variety of [[grasshopper]]).<ref>{{cite book | title = From the Source - Mexico: Authentic Recipes From the People That Know Them the Best | author= Lonely Planet |publisher = Lonely Planet |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=bFaq7m0fC5oC&q=tostada&pg=PA67 | date = 2017 | isbn = 9781786578945 | access-date = 4 April 2018 }}</ref>

Tostadas can be an appetizer ("botana"), cut into small [[triangle]]s to make [[tortilla chip]]s to dip into [[salsa (sauce)|salsa]], [[guacamole]], beans, cream, [[cream cheese]] or served with [[chile con queso]]. This version of the tostada has its origins both in the ''[[totopos]] de maiz'' and the [[New Mexico|New Mexican]] and [[Tex-Mex cuisine]]. Commercial tortilla chips, sometimes known as ''[[nachos]]'',  are also commonly sold in stores and supermarkets.

In Guatemala, tostadas are often prepared with [[black turtle bean|black beans]], [[parsley]], ground beef, and [[curtido]].

== See also ==
{{Portal|Mexico|Food}}
* [[Chalupa]], a cup-shaped version of the Mexican tostada
* [[Mexican cuisine]]
* [[Guatemalan cuisine]]
* [[Tostado (disambiguation)|Tostado]]
* [[Garnacha (food)|Garnacha]]
* [[List of maize dishes]]
* [[Cuisine of California]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{commons category-inline|Tostadas (tortilla)}}

{{Mexican cuisine}}
{{Corn}}

[[Category:Appetizers]]
[[Category:Guatemalan cuisine]]
[[Category:Latin American cuisine]]
[[Category:Maize dishes]]
[[Category:Mexican cuisine]]
[[Category:Spanish words and phrases]]
[[Category:Tortilla]]
[[Category:Tortilla-based dishes]]