In fact, when he begins to discuss them, he gets right into the nitty gritty, arguing that translating the word torta to “sandwich” is like describing a Rembrandt masterpiece as a portrait—accurate, but not doing justice.
Like the bánh mì (the Vietnamese sandwich that’s selling books and driving fast food innovation), tortas are a remnant of French colonialism. (Yes, the French were in Mexico, as anyone who has toasted to the Pueblan victory over the French on the fifth of May should be well aware.) Instead of inheriting the crisp, crackling baguettes of Paris, though, in the years since the 1862 defeat of the French, Mexican sandwiches adapted to soft rolls called bolillos, and then on to the three-humped telera and flat pambazo. Like the supple tortillas you find in tacos, Mexican breads provide a soft, subtle flavor to contain the brilliantly-flavored meats that are the calling-card of the cuisine.
