Tostado

A meal here is any instance in which food is eaten during the day, and so may be anything from a complete meal to some tostado eaten while working in the field.

Children in the countryside still carry some tostado in their pockets to eat during recess at school.

An ancestral food combination, which modern nutritional experts have stated to be highly nutritional because it increases protein intake, is a mixture of cereals and legumes, such as rice with lentils or beans, grilled corn kernels (tostado) with edible lupine seeds (chochos), and specially prepared maize kernels (mote) with broad beans (habas).

Maiz tostado takes longer to burst open than popcorn, so to prevent the kernels from burning, you have to keep tossing them, one hand securing the lid, until the noise stops.

Breakfast around here is tostado (toast) and tea. Sit down, Sit down, I'll fix you some tostado.

"Whatever you wish; but if you're tired and ... Hey, Angel!" he shouted at the individual who was already moving away, “tell your wife to prepare some tostado, our dessert wine, and some cake. Fancy that, my dear fellow, fancy that!”

You have to understand something: Spanish tostado is nothing like a slice of crusty American carbohydrates pulled from a plastic bag and burnt beyond freshness. Tostado -- at least in Loli's house -- was a huge hunk of freshly baked bread, lightly toasted to perfection and smothered with whole-fruit mermelada that made store-bought jams and jellies back home seem flavorless.

The extensive menu has some interesting new additions, such as Fiesta chalupas: a lavish combination of sour cream and guacamole on a large tostado.

This attractive sandwich features a crisp tostado shell and hot pepper cheese topped with tomatoes, corn and lettuce.

Top each tostado with the tomato mixture, sour cream, and cilantro sprigs.