ND1118113

Title: Movement Underway to Make Chimichanga Arizona?s State Food

Description: The fried burrito has long been very popular in the Grand Canyon State.

Page Content:

PHOENIX ? Florida can keep its key lime pie and Georgia its grits ? Arizona has a hankering for chimichanga as its state food. A movement has begun to name the fried burrito as the official state food of Arizona, the New York Times reports.

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In 2012, Arizona will celebrate its centennial as a state, and the Macayo?s Mexican Kitchen chain has a petition started to have state lawmakers name the chimichanga as the state food. ?It?s just like Arizona itself, a mixture of cultures, all wrapped up,? said Sharisse Johnson, president and CEO of Macayo?s.

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Exactly who invented the chimichanga is much disputed. Johnson says family lore has her late father, Woody, coming up with the dish in 1946. ?We grew up hearing that story,? she said.

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Carlotta Flores with the El Charro Caf� has her own family story about its invention: her great-aunt Monica Flin came up with the chimichanga after a burro accidentally fell into hot lard. ?This is the story of our family,? said Flores. Several other Arizona eateries also have laid claim to the genesis of chimichanga.

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It?s uncertain as to whether lawmakers will get around to naming the chimichanga as the official state food of Arizona. Gov. Jan Brewer has said that she enjoys eating chimichanga, but has not indicated whether she would support naming the dish as the official state food.

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Content Subject: Foodservice

Formatted Article Date: November 18, 2011

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