Delicious Baleadas: What we love about Honduras #3
Delicious baleadas are one of the many reasons why we love Honduras.
You always remember your first love. But in Honduras, it’s almost as likely that you remember your first balleada.
Baleada is one of the most famous Honduran dishes, made of a thick wheat flour tortilla filled with mashed fried beans and, depending who’s making them, other ingredients such as cheese, eggs, avocados, hot sauce, and delicious Honduran sour cream known as mantequilla.
And, in our opinion, baleadas are a national treasure, available from street vendors to white tablecloth restaurants.
And they’re one of the many reasons why we love Honduras.
Why are they called baleadas?
Delicious baleadas are one of the many reasons why we love Honduras.
The story behind the name baleadas may be perplexing if you speak Spanish but haven’t heard the legend of the origin story. One persistent theory passed from person to person says there was a woman that was a popular street vendor who sold these tortillas with beans and cheese. One day, she was shot full of bullets (in Spanish “balas”). From that point on, all her customers would return to her stand to buy tortillas and would say “Vamos a comer adonde la baleada” (we’re going to eat where the lady was shot), eventually just calling the street food “baleadas”.
Today, you can still get baleadas on the street, but they’ve also moved into restaurants throughout Honduras. According to Taste Atlas, one of the best places to get an authentic baleada in Honduras is the San Pedro Sula restaurant Estelina’s.
As one tour guide put it, “Stuffed with scrambled eggs, beans, cheese powder, sausage, butter, avocado or anything else diners want, the tireless baleadas of Estelina have made history and are now a true icon in the city.”
In a pinch, make your own
The best way to enjoy a baleada is to eat it while visiting Honduras. The second best way is any other way you can manage to get your hands on a baleada, including making it yourself.
According to one recipe online, “Making baleadas at home is easy and fast. My Honduran baleada recipe will give you a taste of my home country that I know you will enjoy. For this recipe, you will need to start by cooking your red beans. It’s best to use Central American Red Beans (sometimes labeled Salvadorean) for the most authentic taste.”
Visit Honduras for the baleadas. And the cigars. And the diving. And the chocolate. And so much more.
Take it from us: Baleadas belong on your Honduras bucket list!
There’s more to love about Honduras! Check out our previous entries:
