Tostada is a Spanish word which literally means “toasted”. It is used in Latin America to name several different traditional local dishes which have in common the fact they are toasted or use a toasted ingredient as the main base of their preparation. There is a gender difference between “tostada” (feminine) and “tostado” (masculine), although they mean exactly the same. Tostado is used in reference to a specific degree of toast (coffee, roasted grains and seeds or bread toast), while tostada is usually the name of a particular dish.
Example of tostada at La Casita Gastown:
