On Aug 20, 4:40*am, "EmmyBlue" > wrote:

> You know, my landlady used baby talk a lot, called enchiladas
> 'enchiladees'...maybe that's a clue.

Well, here's a major clue:

The names of Mexican dishes often refer to the cooking process, and
other dishes that use the same cooking processes are based upon other
ingredients.

For instance, "cocido" just means "cooked", but if you went into a
taqueria and
saw "cocido" listed on the wall menu, it would probably be Mexican-
style beef stew, which is made without any gravy at all.

"Fritada" simply means "fried". Everybody knows that you can fry
anything you throw into a skillet, but "fritada" probably means "fried
fish" to a Mexican.

Finally, back to "enchilada".

To an American, an "enchilada" is rolled-up tortillas in red chile
sauce with beef or cheese inside and melted cheese on top.

But in Mexico, an "enchilada" is *anything* in a chile sauce or with
chile sauce in it.

For instance, "queso enchilado" is a spicy Mexican cheese.