How to Wrap a Burrito

Nearly every culture has its own version of what Latino cultures call a burrito ("little donkey," if you must know). Though the wraps and traditional fillings are different from culture to culture, it seems wrapped up, take-and-go food is a favorite the world over. A burrito is a tortilla (pronounced tawr-tee-yuh) wrapped neatly around some sort of filling. The filling is traditionally meat, cheese, beans, and sometimes vegetables. Anyone who has ever attempted to make a "do it yourself" burrito for the first time has run into the same problem: Wrapping the tortilla. Here's how to wrap the perfect burrito every time you make one at home.

Lay your soft flour tortilla flat. Place a line of ingredients in one direction in the center of the tortilla, making sure to leave between 2 and 3 inches at the top and bottom of the line for wrapping. The more ingredients you add, the larger and more unmanageable your burrito will be. Don't overfill it. Tortillas are cheap. If you want well-wrapped burritos, make a larger amount of smaller ones.

Turn the tortilla so that the line of ingredients is extending away from your body. Fold the portion of tortilla at the bottom of the line over the top of the line without folding the ingredients over the top of themselves.

Turn the tortilla 180 degrees, so that the last fold is on the opposite side of the tortilla. Fold the portion closest to your body the same as you did the other side. You now have created the top and the bottom of your burrito.

Turn your tortilla 90 degrees so that the remaining round sides are directly in front of you. Pick up the round portion of the tortilla closest to your body and fold it tightly over the filling. It should completely cover the filling. If it doesn't cover the filling, you added too much filling. Take some out.

Roll the entire contraption away from your body until the remaining round flap is directly underneath the newly formed burrito. There you have it; the perfect burrito.