Rellenos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Stuffed items, often referring to food filled with various ingredients
2. A culinary term indicating dishes that feature a filling, commonly used in Hispanic cuisine
3. Referring to anything that is packed or filled with components, typically to enhance flavor or texture

Etymology: Rellenos are a Mexican dish of large chiles, usually poblanos, stuffed with cheese or meat, coated in egg batter and fried. The Spanish word is the plural of "relleno," a past participle of "rellenar," meaning "to refill" or "to stuff again," formed from "re-" and "llenar" ("to fill"), which comes from Latin "plenus" ("full"). In Spanish the word has long meant any stuffing or filling, so a stuffed pepper, a stuffed pastry, and a stuffed turkey can all be called relleno. The dish itself takes its English-facing name from that general sense: the chile is the container, and the filling gives the dish its identity. Pepper stuffing has been part of Mexican cooking for centuries, and the batter-fried version familiar in restaurants today is a later, widely shared form. Within the Spanish-speaking world the word attaches to many dishes, which is why the plural is used when several stuffed chiles are served together.

Synonyms: stuffed foods, filled pastries, filled dishes, stuffed peppers, filled tortillas