Chimichanga origin

[Barnhart]

Rudy Troike wrote:

>The chimichanga is a type of burrito, and evidently originated in the NW
>Mexico/SW US area, though it spread with remarkable rapidity. I found
>chimichangas in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois in the early 1980s. There was
>an article speculating on its origin in the Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)
>several years ago, in the weekly food section, but I don't remember the
>details. It may be possible to check the archives of the paper, but I
>doubt that they are machine-accessible that far back. The paper
>maintains
>a current electronic form in its AZSTAR.NET.

I found:

The earliest written evidence (from Nexis) is provided in the quotation:


Less hungry souls can order more simply from either the "combinaciones"
section, which featured such as tacos, chili relleno or tostada for
$2.95 to $4.55, or from the ala carte section, which offered one
Mexican dish, such as enchiladas,  chimichanga,  tostada and the like,
for $1.20 to $3.95.    Our group managed to hit all the tastes.  Our
son Doug, who hates beans and has a milder aversion to spicy food, was
worried about all the dishes.  Penelope Lemov, The Washington Post,
Oct. 5, 1978, Maryland sect., p 12

Making of America had nothing.


>From the Web I found after a brief search:


If you deep fry a burro, it becomes a chimichanga -- a truly local dish
from
            southern Arizona or northern Sonora. There are many legends
concerning the
            origin of the chimichanga its apparently meaningless name
(some folks insist
            it's a chivichanga). I don't know which, if any, might be
the truth... I'd
            honestly rather eat the things than argue about their
origin.)
http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/images/folkarts/tucfood.html

I'll keep my eye open for more.

Regards,
David K. Barnhart, Editor
The Barnhart Dictionary Companion [quarterly]
barnhart at highlands.com
www.highlands.com/Lexik

"Necessity obliges us to neologize."
Thomas Jefferson-August 16, 1813