The Sandwich Bread You Need For A Classic Mexican Torta

When you translate "torta" from Spanish to English, you'll see that it actually means cake. But over time, the torta term has come to represent a number of different foods. In Mexico, when someone says "torta," they're often referring to a type of sandwich that is made with soft, doughy bread reminiscent of a French baguette — which can be filled with anything from avocado to carnitas or chicken. For the most traditional torta, you'll want to serve it on either a telera or bolillo roll.

The origins of popular Mexican dishes go back a long way. This one has its roots in Puebla, Mexico, but the stories vary in how the torta actually came to be. The first torta was reportedly made back in 1892 by a young boy named Armando Martínez Centurión as a way of providing an easy meal for workers and school-aged kids alike; It's a filling, yet inexpensive meal that's easy to carry. Bolillos and teleras are two types of bread commonly found in Mexico, which is why they usually make up the torta base, but they look slightly different. A bolillo roll has the appearance of a football, while the telera looks a bit like the top of a baseball mitt.

Bolillo rolls have a hard, crunchy crust and a soft, fluffy interior. Their sturdy exterior makes them great for building a classic torta, and that chewy interior makes them easy to eat. Teleras, on the other hand, are generally softer than bolillos, with only a slight crunch on the exterior crust. They're not as round in shape and instead have a flat top; The soft exterior transitions to a fluffy, spongy interior similar to the bolillo. Less commonly, you might also see a birote used, which is also known as a Mexican sourdough and originated in Jalisco, Mexico.

If you live in an area where these Mexican breads are not widely available, you don't have to scrap your torta plans. You can still build this sandwich using a crusty French baguette, which was actually the inspiration behind bolillo rolls. French bread has that same hard crust with a fluffy interior, and it makes a good base for stuffing the sandwich.