Fried · Puffed Tortilla
Salbutes
📷 Closely related photo — Photo via Pexels/Unsplash — free for commercial use
Its Maya name literally translates to "light and stuffed" — a description of the tortilla puffing up like a pillow in hot oil.
A corn masa tortilla is deep-fried until it puffs into a light, airy pocket, then topped with shredded chicken or turkey, cabbage or lettuce, tomato, pickled onion, and avocado. A Yucatec Maya street food that's now a Belizean staple, sold beside its crispier cousin, garnaches.
Why it's made this way: The name comes from Yucatec Maya sáal ("light") and buut' ("stuffed"), and unlike garnaches, salbutes are topped only after frying, so the tortilla stays puffed and soft.
Roughly what's in it
380kcal
14gprotein
38gcarbs
20gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.
More from Belize
Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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