Tlayudas
A large, crisp Oaxacan tortilla spread with black bean paste and topped with stringy cheese, shredded cabbage, avocado, meat and salsa.
Photograph credit: Tlayudas (2515008825) by Dorian Ivan Najera from Iztapalapa, Mexico · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Often called the Mexican pizza, the tlayuda is neither Mexican nor Italian in character but pure Oaxaca. A big, thin, dry-baked tortilla, 30 cm across, is spread with a paste of black beans, covered with a mountain of stringy white cheese and toasted on a grill until the edges snap. Then come the toppings: shredded cabbage, avocado, tomato, a meat of some kind and salsa.
The tortilla is traditionally made from heirloom corn and cooked until it dries and curls at the edges. In a home kitchen, large flour tortillas or thick corn tortillas, pan-toasted on both sides for 2 minutes, come close. The base must be crisp before the toppings go on. A soft base turns the whole thing into a wrap.
The bean spread is made by mashing black beans with a little of their liquid and a spoonful of lard, cooked down for 5 minutes. It should be thick enough to spread.
Spread the beans on the toasted tortilla, scatter with Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella, and put under a hot grill for 3 minutes until the cheese melts. Add cabbage, avocado, tomato, chorizo or grilled meat, and a spoonful of salsa. Eat folded in half.
The Method for Tlayudas
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Mash the beans with the lard and water in a pan. Cook for 5 minutes until thick and spreadable.
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Toast each tortilla in a dry pan over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side until crisp.
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Heat the grill to high. Spread the beans over the tortillas, cover with the cheese and grill for 3 minutes until melted.
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Top with the chorizo, cabbage, avocado, tomato and salsa. Serve with lime and fold to eat.
A Few Pointers
- Toast the tortillas until crisp.
- Use Oaxaca cheese if you can find it.
- Add tasajo (thin salted beef) for the classic version.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
Serve It With
Mezcal · Fresh salsa · Lime wedges · Cold beer
Storage
Best eaten straight away.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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