So, we know that Taco Bell played a big role in popularizing Mexican food in the U.S. But in case you weren’t aware, Febronio Ontiveros, longtime proprietor of El Faro at 20th and Folsom Street, introduced San Francisco to what we now call the Mission-style burrito. This overstuffed concoction, built with an extra-large flour tortilla (not a common sight outside Sonora, Mexico) and containing rice, beans, and plenty of meat, “governs what Americans now think of as a burrito,” says Mexican-food historian Gustavo Arellano. In a new interview with Jonathan Kauffman, Arellano credits Ontiveros with S.F.’s first burrito, which he learned to make in work camps when he immigrated from Durango. And BurritoEater earlier cited September 26, 1961 as the day Ontiveros first slapped some sour cream and guac in there and created the super burrito. This concludes your lesson for today. [SFoodie]
