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Birote or Birote Salado, (also known as Mexican Sourdough Bread in english), is a mexican sourdough bread with a dense dough and a hard crust, made with wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. It has a similar shape to the bolillo, but with a leathery consistency, sour flavor and a much more elongated shape; there are from 12 to 50 cm. Birotes are traditional from the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, the salado (salty) version is used as an accompaniment to several dishes from the state of Jalisco and for savory applications like the Torta Ahogada (drowned sandwich) which is filled with pork, refried beans, and pickled onions; and then drenched in salsa. The bread is thought to have been introduced to Mexico with the Second French Intervention in Mexico in 1864, when Maximilian attempted to promote French food and culture.

Etymology
Because the history of the Birote isn't completely known, there are two versions of the story of how the word "birote" came into being.

The first one tells us that it comes from the surname Birrott, from a French family that produced this bread from their house on Vallarta Avenue and who made it popular among their customers who used to say "let's go with the birrotes" and that is how, through the years, the name Birote came to be.

The other version states that the Belgian cook Camille Pirotte arrived in Guadalajara with Maximilian's troops, and his job was to teach the craft of bread making to the people of Guadalajara.

Denomination of Origin
Birote manufacturers are currently working with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) to file for a Denomination of Origin. Should they win the classification, ‘birote’ will be a protected name that can only be used for bread produced in Jalisco, just as only agave-based drinks made in this or certain other states can be legally called tequila, or champagne is officially only used for sparkling wine produced in a specific region of France. Made with eggs, lime and beer, the Birote sourdough has a light, distinctive flavour which is entirely unique. None of the other 86 sourdoughs we have in the Library contain these ingredients

Consumption
This bread is used to prepare tortas ahogadas, tortas del santuario, lonches bañados or capirotada. It also accompanies several dishes in the state of Jalisco, and invariably this bread is associated with the city of Guadalajara.

Birotes Salados are rarely found outside Guadalajara in Mexico. This bread roll is used to make Tortas Ahogadas, or “drowned” sandwiches. These sandwiches are made with shredded pork, pickled onions, and refried beans. A spicy sauce is poured over the sandwich “drowning” it. The very crunchy thick crust but soft interior holds up well to this drowning with sauce. It is also considered to be a hangover cure locally.

Birote bread rolls are also used to make hot sandwiches called Lonches sold in Guadalajara. These are usually filled with things like shredded pork leg, breaded meat, chorizo or panela cheese. This bread is also used to make Molletes, a breakfast beans and cheese sandwich.

Preparation
The Birote is unusual in that it is made with a sourdough starter that is traditionally made and refreshed with beer, lime juice and eggs. Lime juice is supposed to add lightness and volume to yeast breads. Though both are similar kind of thick and crusty bread rolls, the Birote is saltier and a much heartier bread.

To do this, two procedures are required with the dough, the first one is known as "pata", which gives it its characteristic flavor, while the second one is used to give the final consistency to the birote.