Machacado con huevo, Machaca con huevo, or Huevos con machaca is a dish consisting of shredded dry

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

that is scrambled with eggs. Its name means "shredded with eggs" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. The shredded dry beef, ''

carne seca :''See also carne-seca, a Brazilian dried meat.'' Carne seca ("dried meat" in Spanish) is a type of dried beef used in Mexican cuisine. Regional variants Northern Mexico In northern Mexican cuisine, particularly the states of Chihuahua, ...

'' or "

machaca Machaca is a traditionally dried meat, usually spiced beef or pork, that is rehydrated and then used in popular local cuisine in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. It is also readily available in many groceries and supermarket ...

", is said to have originated in the town of Ciénega de Flores, about 20 miles north of

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The early settlers in the area air- cured beef so that it would be preserved. The basic machacado con huevo is made with eggs and dried beef. Chopped

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

es,

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

s and

jalapeño The jalapeño ( , , ) is a medium-sized chili pepper Fruit, pod type cultivar of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. A mature jalapeño chili is long and wide, and hangs down from the plant. The pungency of jalapeño peppers varies, but is usual ...

s or serrano

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

s can be added, or salsa can be cooked into it, to create another version. This is a traditional dish in the northern Mexican state of

Nuevo León Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...

that is usually eaten at breakfast, but was also eaten at other meals. In the US, this breakfast or brunch dish is popular in Texas.

History

According to one legend, the dish was invented in the 1920s by Fidencia Quiroga, who was known locally as "Tía Lencha" (Aunt Lencha). Although there is minimal evidence that the dish originated with her, there is little doubt that she popularized it when she began to serve it in her restaurant to construction workers building the nearby Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway in 1928. As a result of her association with machacado con huevo, a major manufacturer of the shredded dried beef that is used in it—Productos Alimenticios Tia Lencha SA—is named after her.

References

{{Mexican cuisine Mexican beef dishes Mexican egg dishes Cuisine of Nuevo León