Chimichanga

A deep fried burrito that looks like a gigantic egg roll, a chimichanga can be filled all sorts of ways: with carne seca, shredded chicken, pork, or only vegetables, including beans. Chimichangas are a popular item on Mexican-American menus, but their origin is obscure. Chicago chef Rick Bayless, author of Authentic Mexican, believes it originated in Baja, where it was known as a chivechanga. The history of El Charro restaurant in Tucson says that one day many decades ago founder Monica Flinn accidentally dropped a stuffed burrito into a vat of sizzling oil, christening what came out of the fry kettle a chimichanga, meaning thingamajig.