Walk into a Taco Bell to order a gordita, and what you get will bear little resemblance to the traditional Mexican dish of the same name. At Taco Bell, a gordita is more akin to a pliable pita flatbread, stuffed with the fast food chain's usual suspects of ingredients _ watery tomatoes, shredded lettuce, a sprinkling of cheese, a dollop of sour cream and whatever meat the fast food giant is promoting that day.
Head south of the border, though, and you'll encounter something completely different. Resembling a corn cake and similar to the arepa, its Venezuelan cousin, a gordita is a classic street and lunch food throughout central and northern Mexico, easily enjoyed thanks to its portable size. The gordita _ which translates to "chubby one" or "little fat one" _ is a pastry made with masa, the same traditional cornmeal dough used to make tortillas, and stuffed with cheese, meat or other filling.
It doesn't take much for a tortilla to become a gordita _ just pack the masa a little thicker, and you have the basic technique. We're talking a mix of simple masa harina (a widely available corn flour), water, salt and, if desired, lard. (Why not? Live a little.)
Typically shaped narrower in diameter than a traditional tortilla, it's not folded over like a taco. Instead the gordita features a slit on one side that cools down the dough disk after cooking while simultaneously creating a pocket for stuffing.
The sky's the limit on stuffings, with gorditas often sharing the same fillings as tacos _ barbacoa, al pastor, carnitas, you name it. What the thicker gordita excels in is encasing typically thicker, saucier stews and preparations than you'd find in a taco, like chicharron con chile, a spicy pork rind stew. The little pocket and thicker disk of masa can withstand and absorb a filling's juices and liquids, the effect being at once a crisp outer shell and toothsome, savory interior.
One can deep-fry a gordita, creating a crispier outer crust, or it can be pan-fried or heated on an iron skillet, which offers a nice, smoky sear to the whole shebang. Taco Bell may have introduced the word gordita to many people, but there's nothing like the real thing to get a greater taste of Mexican cuisine beyond tacos and burritos.
