A breakfast taco. Photo: edwin_x_ochoa/Flickr

Most people assume the line between a taco and burrito is crystal clear. A taco is a taco, and a burrito is a burrito — except when they’re not. In Texas, near the Mexican border, there is a subspecies of taco that some California burrito lovers might claim as their own: the breakfast taco.

“I think that the breakfast burrito in California and the breakfast taco in Texas are in much closer alignment than tacos and burritos in general,” said Shaw Lash, an Austin-born chef who honed her Mexican and Tex-Mex know-how working under chef Rick Bayless. The two categories, Shaw told us, could conceivably both consist of eggs, potatoes, chorizo, bacon, avocado, melted cheese, and salsa wrapped in a flour tortilla.

They’re practically doppelgängers, and have inspired vigorous debate: When does a dish stop being a taco and start being a burrito?

A breakfast burrito. Photo: Rusty Clark/Flickr

“It’s really about the size,” Lash told us. “Burritos are much larger. You can’t get your mouth around the whole thing. It’s also the volume of fillings. Burritos are going to have rice and beans and guac’ and cheese and sour cream. You would never put that much stuff in a taco.”

And because burritos tend to be overstuffed, they require a sturdier wrapper. That’s where flour tortillas come in — they’re stronger than corn tortillas, which are historically used for tacos — and are characteristically rolled with their sides folded in to prevent the toppings within from escaping.

The Tex-Mex breakfast taco, however, defies the conventions of a traditional taco. It has more toppings and a flour tortilla. Still, it’s smaller than even the most modest burrito and isn’t wrapped in the same manner. This seals its identity as a taco.

If all this is confusing to you, just count your lucky stars that we’re not debating the finer points of taco varieties. “There are 10,000 regional taco variations in Mexico,” Lash said. Hint taken.

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What do you call a flour tortilla stuffed with eggs, potatoes, and chorizo — a breakfast taco or a breakfast burrito?