The global culinary platform TasteAtlas has placed the Mexican torta in the No. 8 spot on its newly released list, the Top 100 Sandwiches in the World.
Shawarma took the top spot on the list, which was updated on Jan. 15.
The Lebanese specialty is followed by three variations of Vietnam’s bánh mì in the No. 2, 4 and 5 spots, along with Turkey’s tombik döner at No. 3. Puerto Rico’s jibarito took the No. 6 spot, and panino col polpo (octopus sandwich), of Bari, Italy, took No. 7.
The No. 8-ranked torta was recognized for its mix of salty and spicy flavors and its ability to be eaten at any time of the day. It finished one spot ahead of the Maine lobster roll.
Tortas are “luscious traditional sandwiches filled with delicious, mostly authentic Mexican ingredients,” notes the Croatia-based TasteAtlas, which was founded by journalist Matija Babić in 2015. “They are a unique Mexican creation, considering they are served in bread rolls, an ingredient that is not so often associated with Mexico.”
Beyond noting that tortas are made on “traditional, French-influenced bolillos” or “round teleras … from Puebla,” TasteAtlas also offers a list of the 51 best places to sample tortas worldwide — 38 in Mexico and 13 in the United States.
The top five places on that list are Taquería El Turix (Mexico City), Taqueria Honorio (Tulum), La Chaya Maya (Mérida), Tortas Toño (Guadalajara) and Cemitas Las Poblanitas (Puebla).
The TasteAtlas website — which last year ranked Mexican food the world’s third-best cuisine and also cited Guadalajara as not only the No. 28 best food city in the world but the top city in Latin America — also includes an analysis, pictogram and “where to try” suggestions for eight types of tortas:
- Cochinita pibil — Slow-cooked, marinated pork that’s then shredded; originating from Yucatán.
- Cemita — from Puebla; featuring a sesame-seed bun; usually humongous.
- Torta ahogada — Guadalajara’s signature sandwich that’s “drowned” in a vinegar-based salsa; served on a birote salado, a crusty, salty bread with a soft, airy interior.
- Torta Cubana — Various combos of meats and sauces; invented on Calle Republica de Cuba in Mexico City in the 1950s; not to be confused with a Cuban sandwich.
- Torta de tamal — Also called guajolota, it’s a tamal sandwiched into a bolillo, and a common street-food breakfast.
- Torta de la barda — Overstuffed offering from Tampico, Tamaulipas sold to workers in the early 1930s from stands along a fence (barda); nowadays prepared for Lent with canned sardines instead of meat.
- Tortas hamburguesas — The Mexican take on an American classic.
- Guacamaya — Originating from León, Guanajuato, where it’s sold from tricycle carts; a bolillo filled with crispy chicharrón (pork rinds), avocado, spicy salsa, lime juice and salt.
All of these tortas are also included on their own Taste Atlas list: “The Top 11 Mexican Sandwiches” — which also includes the pambazo, the mollete and the empalme.
Mexico News Daily has served up a variety of torta coverage in recent years, from how the torta ahogada was created by accident to the sandwich’s timeline from Cuauhtémoc to Cuba to a recipe that will tantalize the tastebuds.
The torta even got a mention in our article about an Indiana court making a ruling that a taco qualifies as a sandwich.
Just don’t tell that to the TasteAtlas folks; they’ll have to revise their entire list.
With reports from El Financiero and Aristegui Noticias
