bolillo

American  

[buh-lee-oh, baw-lee-yaw] / bəˈli oʊ, bɔˈli yɔ /

noun

Mexican Cooking.

plural

bolillos

1. a crusty hard roll with a soft center.

2. a sandwich made with this roll.

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Etymology

Origin of bolillo

First recorded in 1970–75; from Spanish, equivalent to boll(o) “bun, roll” (with gender change from Latin bulla “bubble, knob”; + -illo diminutive suffix; bola, boil ¹ )

Example Sentences

The bolillo brouhaha quickly became part of the raging debate about gentrification in Mexico City.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025

For the version shared here, because I didn’t have access to a bolillo or telera, I picked up a baguette.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 29, 2021

If you can't find ciabatta rolls, stick with a similarly tender bread, such as bolillo rolls, lightly toasted pullman or sourdough bread slices, so the fish stays intact in the sandwich when you bite down.

From Salon • Sep. 29, 2021

For the Moto dish Cuban Missile Crisis, the constituents of a Cuban pork sandwich – bolillo bread, pork shoulder, pickles – were flattened out, rolled up, fried and wrapped in a collard green.

From The Guardian • Apr. 6, 2018

Others are so distinct — the telera or bolillo of a torta, for example — that they cannot be listed under any of the other categories.

From New York Times • Apr. 14, 2015