Breakfast Foods Working Group
Request for Comments: 1
Category: Proposed Standard
Status: Pending Comment

Brian Schrader
Jennifer M. Sardina, MS LCGC
August 2016

Status of this Memo

This memo contains a proposed standard for the community. It makes no claim to enforce the proposal contained herein. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

Copyright (C) IIFRP (2016). All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

This document describes the proposed standard of construction and composition of American-style Breakfast Burritos.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction

    1.1 Rational and Scope

    1.2 Terminology

  2. Composition

    2.1. Tortilla Wrapped Design

    2.2. Required Filling Components

    2.2.1. Eggs

    2.2.2. Potatoes

    2.2.3. Meat

    2.2.4. Cheese

    2.3. Recommended Filling Components

    2.4. Optional Filling Components

  3. Design and Assembly

  4. Extensibility Considerations

  5. International Condiderations

  6. Formal Specification

  7. Public Health Condiderations

  8. Ethical Condiderations

  9. References

    9.1 Normative References

    9.2 Informative References

  10. Acknowledgements

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Rationale and Scope

Breakfast Burritos are a staple of the American diet, especially in states or regions close in proximity to the Southern Border with Mexico. While the popularity of Breakfast Burritos is immense, little effort has been made, on the part of the community, to incorporate any set of shared principles or definitions as to what constitutes a Breakfast Burrito. It is the purpose of this document to lay out the foundations for the discussion within the community and reach a conclusion as to what defines this wholesome, American staple food.

The desire for such a standard lies in the best interests of the consumer. Without such a standard, customer trust, and satisfaction with a given foodstuff cannot be prudently guaranteed by the server. This leads to increased customer wariness as the risk of an undesirable result is high. However, with the adoption, and recognition of a community standard, customer trust in the guarantee of a consistent foodstuff results in increased satisfaction with, and desire for this most common and, in the author’s mind, ingenious foods.

1.2. Terminology

The key words “MUST”, “MUST NOT”, “REQUIRED”, “SHALL”, “SHALL NOT”, “SHOULD”, “SHOULD NOT”, “RECOMMENDED”, “NOT RECOMMENDED”, “MAY”, and “OPTIONAL” in this document are to be interpreted as described in IETF RFC2119.

This document defines the following additional terms:

CLIENT: In the context of this memo, this is a person or persons that initiates a provisioning request. It is sometimes referred to as a “customer”.

SERVER: In the context of this memo, this is a person or persons that receives a provisioning request and responds accordingly. This is sometimes referred to as a “seller” or “retailer”.

CUP: In the context of this memo, this is a standard unit of measurement. It equals 250 milliliters or 8.80 imperial fluid ounces. This is sometimes referred to as a “cup”.

2. COMPOSITION

The purpose of this proposal is to ensure the consistent makeup and minimum specification for a Breakfast Burrito. With that in mind it is crucial to ensure the correct minimum composition of the food. This section will formally explain the requirements for a tortilla wrapped foodstuff to be considered a Breakfast Burrito.

2.1. Tortilla Wrapped Design

The first, and perhaps most immediately identifiable ingredient in a Breakfast Burrito is the tortilla. A tortilla is a REQUIRED ingredient. This thin, flour-based, bread-like component will serve as the base and casing for the entire remainder of the construct. As such, the tortilla SHOULD be both flexible enough to ensure that it can be molded properly, and SHOULD be rugged enough to be rolled into the desired shape without tearing.

It is RECOMMENDED that the tortilla be warmed on a hot surface (i.e. toasted in a pan or directly on a grill or above a gas-stove flame in order to both soften the tortilla for assembly, and cause a light layer of crunch on one side. If toasting is performed, the side of the tortilla that has achieved the largest amount of toasting (i.e. the crunchiest side) SHOULD be the side facing the internal components of the burrito. This is due to the fact that the crunchy side is also typically the weakest side structurally and using this side as the most outside layer is known to cause a premature rapid unintended disassembly (P-RUD).

2.2. Required Filling Components

While a typical American, and Mexican burrito can incorporate many different ingredients and cooking methods, an American-Style Breakfast Burrito contains a fairly restrictive subset of these possibilities. The official list of REQUIRED components is as follows:

(Explanation to follow)

  • Eggs
  • Potatoes
  • Meat (Sausage, Bacon, Chorizo, or Machaca)
  • Cheese (Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or Pepper Jack)

Each of the above REQUIRED ingredients will now be described in detail. It is important to note that the presence of the above ingredients is necessary but not sufficient to fulfill the requirements. There is REQUIRED preparation needed as well.

2.2.1. Eggs

When preparing the eggs, it is RECOMMENDED to scramble them in a conventional way before cooking. Eggs, according to many professional chefs, are correctly cooked when they are still moist and mildly runny, however in the formation of a standard Breakfast Burrito this is not required. A server MAY prepare the eggs in such a fashion, but it is RECOMMENDED to slightly overcook them to the point where they begin to toast. This will cause the resulting burrito to be drier that in the former case, but in a standard burrito, this dryness is offset by the addition of RECOMMENDED sauces.

It is important to note that the quantity of the eggs in a burrito will have a large impact on the size of the overall product. Therefor a Standard Breakfast Burrito should contain no less than one and no more that three large eggs. Two eggs is RECOMMENDED.

2.2.2. Potatoes

The potatoes in a standard Breakfast Burrito is also RECOMMENDED to be toasted. The method of cutting, be it diced, sliced, or criss-cut, is open to the server. The two most common forms of potato shapes in Breakfast Burritos and therefor the RECOMMENDED approaches are to either prepare them in the style of American french fries, or American homestyle fries (i.e. cut in long, thin strips and deep fried, or cut in approximately 1” square cubes and pan fried in garlic and pepper). In either case, the finished potatoes MUST be lightly salted while the use of other ingredients like garlic powder and crushed black pepper is open to the server.

It is important to note that the quantity of the potatoes in a burrito will have a large impact on the weight of the overall product. Therefor a Standard Breakfast Burrito should contain no less than one-half and no more that one and one-half cup of potatoes. One is RECOMMENDED.

2.2.3. Meat

Choosing the meat for a Breakfast Burrito is one of the most important decisions either a customer or seller can make as it will effect the overall texture, and flavor of the resulting product. Therefor it is crucial for a seller to ensure that the available choices are of top quality before allowing a customer to select their preferred filling.

In either case, as specified above, a standard Breakfast Burrito MUST contain one of the following meat choices: Sausage, Bacon, Chorizo, or Machaca.

The addition of meats beyond the scope of the above list MAY be in addition to the above, but MUST NOT be a substitute for them.

2.2.4. Cheese

The cheese in a Standard Breakfast Burrito must be melted when the burrito is served. Cold, and stiff cheese is a significant deterrent to the overall enjoyment of a burrito, and therefore should be avoided. It is RECOMENDED to place the cheese directly on top of the warmed tortilla before placing the other ingredients because their combined warmth will ensure that the cheese is melted before delivery.

As specified above, a standard Breakfast Burrito MUST contain one of the following cheese choices: Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or Pepper Jack. Mixtures of the above cheese are permitted.

The addition of cheeses beyond the scope of the above list MAY be in addition to the above, but MUST NOT be a substitute for them.

3. DESIGN AND ASSEMBLY

Standard Breakfast Burritos, and in fact most well-made Burritos are structurally sound and prevent excessive spillage of filler ingredients during consumption. This design is essential to the Burrito’s intention as a quick, near street-food.

That said, a standard Breakfast Burrito must be folded as described as follows:

  1. The Tortilla is laid out flat on a space large enough to hold the tortilla so that it doesn’t contact other surfaces or roll off of the edge of a counter or table.

  2. Ingredients, as specified in other sections, are to be laid out in a thick horizontal line across the edge of the first third of the Tortilla.

  3. The edges on each end of the line of filler ingredients must be folded in to prevent seepage.

  4. Starting at the first third, fold the Tortilla on top of the ingredients before rolling into a cylinder.

4. EXTENSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS

This standard SHOULD NOT be considered exhaustive. Should additional procedures, ingredients, or processes be considered standard or recommended by the committee, they should be appended to this standard.

5. INTERNATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

In a past scientific study, when available, the breakfast burrito was a popular choice and was selected equally by school age children across all ethnic backgrounds [PILOT-ZECHES].

Due to the clear global appeal of the breakfast burrito [CULTURE-ELIZ], it is important to address any country-specific OPTIONAL modifications to the standard proposed in this document.

6. FORMAL SPECIFICATION

To review: a Standard Breakfast Burrito MUST contain the following:

(Ingredients are displayed in order of assembly and in approximate relative amounts)

                *==============*
                ||    Meat    ||
                *=========================*==============*
                ||        Eggs           ||   Potatoes  ||
                *=========================*==============*
                *=============== Cheese =================*
    *------------------------------Tortilla--------------------------------*

Where:
Meat = Sausage | Bacon | Chorizo | Machaca
Cheese = Cheddar | Monterey Jack | Colby Jack | Pepper Jack

7. PUBLIC HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS

Within the scientific and medical communities, the breakfast burrito is generally considered a wholesome addition to most nutritional plans [BRAIN-NPR]. Prior studies have also demonstrated that the consumption of breakfast burritos may confer an exceptional benefit to certain patient populations, including:

  • Patients who are overweight/obese [REVIEW-BMI]
  • Bariatric patients undergoing surgery [SURG-GUIDE]
  • Patients with endocrine disorders (for example, diabetic ketoacidosis) [GLUC-DIET]

Breakfast burritos contain egg, dairy, gluten, and are not part of a low-phenylalanine diet. Consuming a breakfast burrito may be contraindicated for clients with certain genetic conditions, medical diagnoses, suggestive clinical symptoms, or food allergies.

It is RECOMMENDED that all concerned clients consult with a physician or medical professional prior to incorporating breakfast burritos into their regular diet.

8. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

In those crucial instances when a server/client dynamic is present concomitant with breakfast burrito preparation, the greater burden of ethical responsibility inevitably belongs to the server.

If inferior or tainted ingredients are knowingly used by the server in breakfast burrito construction, the actions of that server would be considered unethical by the IIFRP Ethical & Legal Subcommittee.

It is RECOMMENDED that all servers be vigilantly cognizant of the quality of the ingredients to be utilized in the construction of the breakfast burrito. Potential consequences MAY include, but are not limited to, client morbidity/mortality, legal ramifications, and/or a breakfast burrito that is not as tasty as anticipated.

9. REFERENCES

9.1.Normative References

[IETF RFC2119] Bradner, S. et al., “Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels”, BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997, http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt.

9.2.Informative References

[PILOT-ZECHES] Zeches, B. et al., Pilot study to evaluate an egg burrito as an ethnic school breakfast item, PILOT-ZECHES, School Service Research Review, 1980, http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US8100114.

[CULTURE-ELIZ] Elizondo, Virgilio P.,The Future Is Mestizo: Life Where Cultures Meet, CULTURE-ELIZ, University Press of Colorado, 2000, https://muse.jhu.edu/book/3828.

[FAST-POWERS] Powers, J. et al., Breakfast in the fast lane, FAST-POWERS, Journal of Renal Nutrition, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.jrn.2016.02.009, February 2016,http://www.jrnjournal.org/article/S1051-2276(16)00048-0/fulltext.

[REST-STRATEGY] Chathoth, P. et al., Turnaround Strategy: A Study of Restaurant Firms, REST-STRATEGY, Int Journal of Hospitality Management, doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2005.04.010, December 2006, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278431905000514.

[TRENDS-US] Foodservice Breakfast Trends in the U.S., 2nd Edition, TRENDS-US, Packaged Facts, Pub ID: LA5141011, October 2013, https://www.packagedfacts.com/Foodservice-Breakfast-Trends-7857050/.

[BRAIN-NPR] Aubrey, A., A Better Breakfast Can Boost A Child’s Brainpower, BRAIN-NPR,National Public Radio, August 2006, <www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5738848>.

[REVIEW-BMI] Szajewska, H. et al., Systematic review demonstrating that breakfast consumption influences body weight outcomes in children and adolescents in Europe, REVIEW-BMI, Critical Review Food Science Nutrition, doi:10.1080/10408390903467514, PMID: 20112153, February 2010, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20112153.

[SURG-GUIDE] Louis, Betty Wedman-St.Bariatric Surgery Patients: a Nutritional Guide, SURG-GUIDE, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2017, https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1498765653.

[GLUC-DIET] Amankwaah, A. et al., Effects of Higher Dietary Protein and Fiber Intakes at Breakfast on Postprandial Glucose, Insulin, and 24-h Interstitial Glucose in Overweight Adults, GLUC-DIET, Nutrients, DOI: 10.3390/nu9040352, PMID: 28368334 April 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28368334.

10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Brian Schrader
email: brian “at” brianschrader “dot” com

Jennifer M. Sardina, MS LCGC