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The Food Chain

Factual: Food & Drink

Examining what it takes to put food on your plate

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

The burrito story

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The Food Chain: The burrito story

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23/05/2024 GMT

BBC World Service - The Food Chain, The burrito story

We trace the origins of the spicy wrap from humble Mexican street food to global hit

We trace the origins of the spicy wrap from humble Mexican street food to global hit.

Ruth Alexander explores the origins and evolution of the humble grab-and-go food the burrito, which started life in northern Mexico, before crossing over into the US and becoming a hit around the world. 

Versions of the spicy wrap can be enjoyed in restaurants, street food shacks and supermarket home meal kits all over the world. 

We explore the burrito’s contested origins, find out why some Mexican food purists dislike the popular menu item and ask what the future holds for it, and the cuisine more broadly. 

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

(Picture: a burrito in a restaurant in Juarez, Mexico. Credit: Vianey Alderete Contreras/BBC)

Presented by Ruth Alexander.
Produced by Sam Clack.
Additional reporting by Vianey Alderete Contreras in Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, United States.

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