He’s Deathly Allergic to Chiles, So Obviously He Makes L.A.’s Spiciest Tortas Ahogadas

[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]hat is the secret behind an excellent torta ahogada? 

Ask any Tapatío, the term given to someone born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and they will most likely tell you one of two things: The birote salado, a crusty and sourdough-based baguette-like bread roll endemic only to this region that was introduced by France’s second failed attempt to occupy Mexico in the 1860s. 

Or, it’s the electrically spicy, fiery salsa made from the yahualica “chile de árbol,” also endearingly called “colas de rata” chile, that were recently granted the esteemed denomination of origin protection. (The same protection granted to Champagne.)      

For Miguel Lara, a Tapatío away from home in Bell and head Torta Maker of the pop-up Tortas El Águila, the secret of a great torta ahogada lies in the latter. “The chile is what provides all the flavor in the salsa, its heat is what makes it special,” Lara tells L.A. Taco.