Edhat Staff
By the edhat staff
It’s April 7th and according to the National Day Calendar, it’s National Burrito Day AND National Beer Day. It’s also National No Housework Day so if you’d like to properly celebrate, make this Thursday an awesome trifecta of food, drink, and no chores.
The burrito is such a versatile and delicious dish. Nearly anything can go inside, wrap it in a tortilla, ahí vas, a burrito is born. Keep it traditional by choosing a meat filling from ground beef, shredded chicken, shredded beef or shredded pork. Then choose a bean: black, red, whole, or refried beans. Any variety of vegetables and sometimes rice (depending on your strong burrito feelings), then spice it up with cumin, chili powder, and salsa.
The word burrito first appeared in the Dictionary of Mexicanisms in 1895. It literally translates as “little donkey” in Spanish and some online critics purport it stems from the appearance of the packs and bedrolls donkeys used to carry.
In other regions of Mexico, similar types of food are known as flautas. The burrito was introduced in the United States in the 1930s at the El Cholo Spanish Café in Los Angeles. Since then, the burrito has found its way to menus and bellies all across the United States.
It’s also National Beer Day, and Santa Barbara County has no shortage of local breweries to choose from.
Did you know after water and tea, beer is the third most popular drink overall? It’s one of the world’s oldest prepared beverages, dating back to 9500 BC when cereal was first farmed. It is also recorded in the written histories of ancient Iraq and ancient Egypt.
Now there are so many different varietals it’s hard to choose from. Pilsner, Stout, IPA, Lager, Sour, Wheat, Hazy, Pale, and so much more. Plus there are regional differences to consider. A Czech lager is going to taste very different from a Belgian one.
On April 7, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt took the first step toward ending Prohibition and signed a law that allowed people to brew and sell beer, in the United States, as long as it remained below 4.0% alcohol by volume (ABV). Before that it had been 13 years before Americans could purchase beer… well legally anyway.
According to the National Day Calendar, this “holiday” was created by Justin Smith, a Virginia Craft Beer Examiner, and his friend Mike Connolly from Liverpool. April 7th corresponds with the date the Cullen-Harrison Act was signed into law and became active. In 2009, Smith and Connolly created a National Beer Day Facebook page.
So that begs the question. Where is the best burrito and beer in Santa Barbara County? The edhat staff could not agree so we settled on our top three for each category.
Burrito: Litos, El Sitio, Money’s
Beer: M.Special, Captain Fatty’s, Topa Topa
Share your favorites in the comment section!
