huarache

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from Mexican Spanish huarache, guarache, from Purepecha kwarachi (“sandal”).

1. A Mexican sandal.

   “My shoes, damn fool that I am, were Mexican huaraches, plantlike sieves not fit for the rainy night of America and the raw road night.”

   “The huaraches he wore looked like dried and blackened fish lashed to the floors of his feet.”

2. A food similar in shape to such a sandal, consisting of a fried masa dough base with a topping, typically salsa, potato, meat, or cheese.

   “They’re then ground into a homogeneous dough that holds whatever shape you choose to give it: thin circles for tortillas, thicker ones for gorditas and sopes, plump ovals for huaraches and triangles for black-bean stuffed tetelas.”