It’s hard to imagine a better guide to the world of Azteco-Spanish flavours than the food of Mexico. The local cuisine has been inhaling searing spices, preserving corn traditions and a riot of colours for centuries. Spicy, sweet and sour at the same time – the blending of cultures has resulted in completely unique, unlike anything else, dishes that are loved around the world.
Wherever you go: to Cancun to the pyramids of Chichen Itza or to the capital Mexico City, you will not be able to avoid gastronomic adventures!
Tacos
Everyone has heard of this Mexican dish. Its ingredients are simple: corn or wheat flour tortillas, and fillings ranging from meat to cactus. There are plenty of recipes for tacos; we suggest trying the most unusual ones:
- Taco al pastor adds marinated spit-cooked pork, fresh pineapple, onions, cloves and cilantro
- For cheese lovers, there’s tacos de queso, with chicken and veggies in a flatbread topped with pulled cheese
- Tacos de barbacoa – all the juice is in the meat. Lamb wrapped in agave leaves and stewed underground for a long time turns out very juicy and tender, melting in your mouth
- If you want fish, you can choose tacos de pescado
- Vegetarians will like tacos de verduras, with potatoes and beans
- There are more modern variants, such as tacos with salmon and avocado, or arabe, with vinegar, zira and oregano sauce
The tortillas in the original recipe are soft. The deep-fried versions belong to fast food, so if you wanted to combine the pleasant with the unhealthy – tacos uchikekos.
Tortillas come in a variety of colours, from red to black. And it’s not the colouring, the tone depends on the variety of corn.
Tortilla soup
Tortilla soup – made with chicken broth and lots of spices, including cilantro and chilli. Tortillas are added twice – at the moment of cooking, to thicken, and at the end, fried until golden. The hot salsa is poured in while cooking, which gives the soup a red or green colour, depending on the variety of peppers. However, it may not be added at all, leaving it to the discretion of the eater, such a variant is called white.
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Salole
Posole is a thick meat soup with hominy. Hominy is white corn soaked in lye. It sounds scary, but the lye is needed to soften and enlarge the corn, making a kind of boiled popcorn. This is what gives the soup its characteristic delicate flavour. Then they are washed, dried and proceed to cooking.
Gastronomic tour in the center of Mexico CityThe salole is accompanied by snacks such as radishes, onions, lettuce, lime, cream and chilli. Locals like to add these to the soup, although every corner of Mexico has its own recipe. It is a festive dish, because the Aztecs considered maize, i.e. corn, sacred, according to some beliefs man was created by the Gods from a tortilla.
Nopalito
Nopalito is one of the most unusual recipes among the dishes of Mexico. It is a salad made from nopal, the opuntia cactus. Tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, onions, radishes, cheese and peppers are juxtaposed with cooked cacti.
In addition to salads, cacti are: fried, pickled, made into tequila and added everywhere. They taste like pickles, light, slightly tart and crunchy.
You can refresh yourself with lemonade made from tuna berries. They are picked from cacti, added to drinks or eaten plain.
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Tamale
Tamale is a steamed cornmeal dough wrapped with banana or corn leaves. Tamale tastes like porridge and comes in a variety of flavours, sweet versions include fruit and condensed milk, while savoury versions include meat, cheese, vegetables and chilli. Due to fermentation and long stewing, the consistency of the dish is extremely tender and enveloping.
Legends say that the Indians treated the conquistadors to tamales.
Nachos
Mexicans eat crispy nachos with snacks such as guacamole and chilli con carne.
Mexican cooking class in Cancun- Guacamole is a cartoon sombrero flavour, translated as «avocado sauce». As well as the buttery fruit, the snack is topped with chopped onions and tomatoes, lemon juice and spices
- Chilli con carne – from Spanish translates as «chilli with meat». It is made of hot peppers and minced meat, beans, vegetables and other ingredients are also added to taste, depending on the region
Tequila goes well with nachos. Mexicans have not heard of the salt and lemon method, the gift of blue agave is drunk in margaritas or simply with soda.
Chicharron
Chicharron is chiles in the Mexican way. Usually made with pork skin, but sometimes chicken or beef is used. The crispies are eaten plain, added to the sauce that is often served with tacos, and made into a pizza: cheese, tomatoes and chilli are placed on a layer of chicharron. There is even a vegetarian version with different flavours, such as lime.
The meal is topped with pulque, a low-alcohol drink made from fermented agave juice, which was drunk by the Mayans. It can be tasted only in Mexico, it does not reach the borders, it spoils. The consistency resembles kisel, the flavour is refreshing, slightly sweet, with fruity and floral notes. Sometimes lime, cinnamon or pineapples are added to it; it is best drunk chilled.
Pan de Muertos
The sweetest thing in Mexico is pan de murtos, a yeast bun served for the Day of the Dead on 1-2 November. The bread of the dead is baked as round loaves, with strips of dough symbolising bones on top, and a flour ball skull on top, all sprinkled with sugar. The soft pan de murtos, along with other offerings, are placed on the altar. It is drunk with cocoa and hot chocolate.
Churros
Churros, long crispy sticks of yeast dough, are also sold on the streets. They are deep-fried and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. There are many variations of churros: mini, filled, sprinkled, and even salted. Mexicans fill them in a special way, with condensed milk and dulce de leche, a local sauce similar to caramel. And to make the sweet tooth satisfied, they dip them in melted chocolate. Such dishes of Mexico are a real find.
The most delicious churros at Churrería El Moro in Mexico City.
These dishes of Mexico are just a small part of the cultural layer. Each region offers its own recipes and flavours, which means there is character and flavour combinations waiting in every corner of Mexico.
Adios amigos!
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