A ''mollete'' () is an
open-faced sandwich
An open sandwich, also known as an open-face/open-faced sandwich, bread baser, bread platter or tartine, consists of a single slice of bread or Toast (food), toast with one or more food items on top. It has half the number of slices of bread com ...
with
refried beans and white cheese in
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine consists of the cuisines and associated traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican Cuisine, Mesoamerican cuisine. Mexican cuisine's ingredients and methods arise from the area's first agr ...
, served hot.
Etymology
The name may be related to the name for
a certain type of Spanish bread.
In Mexican cuisine
A , native to
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, is made with sliced lengthwise and partially hollowed, filled with
refried beans, and topped with cheese and occasionally slices of
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 ...
or
serrano pepper
The serrano pepper (''Capsicum annuum'') is a type of chili pepper that originated in the mountainous regions of the Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo. The Scoville rating of the serrano pepper is 10,000 to 25,000. The name of the peppe ...
s. It is then
grilled
Grilling is a form of cooking that involves heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat and v ...
in an
oven
upA double oven
A ceramic oven
An oven is a tool that is used to expose materials to a hot environment. Ovens contain a hollow chamber and provide a means of heating the chamber in a controlled way. In use since antiquity, they have been use ...
until the cheese melts. The refried beans are "" (literally, "butter beans") known outside of the region as "
pinto beans".
The traditional cheeses used are queso ranchero, , or
queso menonita. The queso ranchero is most similar to Parmesan with less aging, the asadero is a creamy provolone, and the menonita most closely resembles
Havarti. Other cheeses, such as
mozzarella cheese, may be used as well.
in southern Mexico can be served with
salsa or or topped with sliced
ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...
,
chorizo
''Chorizo'' ( , ; ; see #Names, below) is a type of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula. It is made in many national and regional varieties in several countries on different continents. Some of these varieties are quite differe ...
,
bacon
Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...
or
mushroom
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom.
The standard for the n ...
s.
There is also a "sweet type" typical of the Jalisco región and in Guadalajara, where the is buttered, sprinkled with sugar or honey, and
broiled
Grilling is a form of cooking that involves heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat and v ...
until crisp.
Molletes can be eaten as a simple, inexpensive breakfast.
See also
*
*
List of Mexican dishes
The Spanish invasion of the Aztec Empire occurred in the 16th century. The basic staples since then remain native foods such as corn, beans, Cucurbita, squash and chili peppers, but the Europeans introduced many other foods, the most important of ...
*
Cheeses of Mexico
Cheeses in Mexico have a history that begins with the Spanish conquest, as dairy products were unknown in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The Spanish brought dairy animals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats, as well as cheesemaking techniques. Over the ...
References
{{Sandwiches
Mexican cuisine
Legume dishes
Cheese sandwiches
Open-faced sandwiches
Hot sandwiches