Mexican food: discover traditional cuisine

TORTILLA – made from masa harina (corn flour), tortillas are a staple, used in tacos, quesadillas, and enchiladas.

TAMALE – corn masa dough filled with meats, cheese, or chiles, then wrapped in corn husks and steamed. The masa dough is made from nixtamalized corn, which gives it a distinctive flavor. Tamales have ancient Aztec and Maya origins. Now they’re associated with celebrations and holidays, when families gather to make them in a labor-intensive process called a tamalada.

POZOLE – a traditional soup or stew with ancient origins dating back to pre-Hispanic times. The three main varieties are pozole rojo (red), made with red chilies; pozole verde (green), made with green chilies and tomatillos; and pozole blanco (white) without chilies. The soup base includes pork simmered with hominy in a broth seasoned with garlic, onion, and Mexican oregano. What makes pozole special is how it’s served – the soup comes with an array of fresh garnishes that each person adds according to taste, including shredded lettuce, sliced radishes, diced onion, lime wedges, oregano, and chile peppers.

SOPES – traditional antojitos (street food or appetizers) are made of thick, hand-formed corn masa base with pinched edges that create a shallow bowl shape. The raised edges hold various toppings: refried beans, shredded meats, crumbled cheese, Mexican cream, salsa, or hot sauce.

TLACOYOS – traditional street food with pre-Hispanic origins, made from masa that’s shaped into thick diamond-shaped patties, typically stuffed with fillings before cooking. The fillings include refried beans, requesón (similar to ricotta cheese), fava beans, cheese.

TORTA – a sandwich made with a crusty oval-shaped roll called a bolillo or telera. Mexican torta includes a split, slightly crusty roll that’s toasted; a layer of refried beans and/or avocado; meat fillings like breaded chicken, carnitas, al pastor, or chorizo; sliced tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, shredded lettuce; condiments including mayonnaise, crema,  queso fresco

ENCHILADAS – corn tortillas rolled around a filling of cheese, chicken, or beef and smothered in a chili sauce.

TACO – a soft corn or wheat tortilla filled with various ingredients: meats like carne asada, carnitas, or al pastor, beans, cheese, fresh salsa, cilantro, onions, and lime.

GORDITAS – thick corn cakes, filled with cheese, beans, or meat, and grilled or fried.

CHILAQUILES – tortilla chips soaked in a spicy sauce, topped with cheese, crema, eggs, or shredded chicken.

ARROZ ROJO – traditional red rice, a staple throughout Mexico. Rice gets its characteristic red-orange color from tomatoes and sometimes achiote paste. Common additions to arroz rojo include peas, carrots, corn kernels, and sometimes diced chiles for heat. The rice is fluffy rather than sticky, and the tomato flavoring is subtle.

ATOLE – a traditional warm beverage with Mesoamerican origins. This thick, comforting drink is made from masa mixed with water or milk and gently cooked until it reaches a smooth consistency. Atole is associated with cold weather, celebrations, and holiday seasons like Día de los Muertos and Christmas.

ELOTE / ESQUITES – Mexican street corn on the cob, grilled or boiled and served on a stick. Flaviored with a mix of mayonnaise, crema, or butter, then rolled in crumbled cotija cheese and sprinkled with chile powder, lime juice, and tajín. Esquites is essentially the off-the-cob version of elote.

ESCABECHE – pickled vegetables, including jalapeños, carrots, onions, cauliflower, or other vegetables pickled in a vinegar brine flavored with garlic, bay leaves, oregano, black peppercorns, and sometimes cumin. This creates a tangy, slightly spicy condiment served alongside many Mexican meals.

CHILES EN NOGADA – a classic dish featuring poblano peppers stuffed with a mixture of meat, fruits (like apple, pear, and peach), and nuts, topped with a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds.

GUACAMOLE – the most popular mole, an iconic staple that has spread worldwide. Fresh avocados are mashed with lime juice, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, and chiles.

PICO DE GALO – a fresh salsa of diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeños, and lime juice.

CHILES RELLENOS – poblano peppers stuffed with cheese or meat, coated in egg batter, and fried, then served in a tomato-based sauce.

NOPALITOS SALAD –  a traditional Mexican dish made from young, tender, prickly pear cactus pads nopales. After the spines are carefully removed, the cactus is sliced into strips, boiled, or grilled to remove the slimy texture, similar to okra. Nopales are then paired with tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.

CALABASITAS – a traditional vegetable dish that highlights summer squash and the Indigenous agricultural trinity of corn, beans, and squash. This dish features diced summer squash sautéed with corn kernels, onions, and mild green chiles like poblanos or Anaheim peppers. Garlic, tomatoes, epazote, or oregano are common additions. Many versions include melted cheese. Calabacitas can be served as a vegetarian side dish or main course. The dish is particularly popular in northern Mexico and the American Southwest.

FRIJOLES DE LA OLLA – staple cooked bean dish, simmer with garlic, onions and epazote till tender, served as side or base.

FRIJOLES REFRITOS – refried beans, are a staple of Mexican cuisine made from cooked and mashed beansDespite the name “refried,” they’re not actually fried twice – the Spanish prefix “re” in this context emphasizes thoroughness rather than repetition. The preparation starts with cooking dried beans until soft with onions, garlic, and epazote. Once tender, beans are mashed and then cooked in a skillet with lard. Frijoles refritos are incredibly versatile and can be served as a side dish, used as a filling for tacos or burritos, spread on tostadas, or topped with cheese, cream, and salsa as a dip.

PLATANOS FRITOS – fried plantains, often served as a dessert or side dish.

ENSALADA DE FRUTAS CON CHILE Y LIMON – a refreshing fruit salad sold by street vendors, made with mango, watermelon, pineapple, jicama, and cucumber, topped with lime juice, chili powder, and salt for a sweet, spicy, and tangy flavor.

MANGADONADA – a popular treat, a layered frozen mango drink with chamoy (a tangy, spicy sauce), lime, and tajín.

AGUAS FRESCAS – refreshing fruit-based beverages made of watermelon, pineapple, or mango blended with water, sugar, and lime juice and served chilled.

BIRRIA – goat or mutton in a complex adobo sauce made from dried chiles (like guajillo, ancho, and cascabel), herbs, cumin, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, vinegar, and tomatoes. The marinated meat is then slow-cooked until tender, often overnight, to create an incredibly deep flavor. Birria can be enjoyed as a soup or in tacos.

CARNITAS – slow-cooked pork simmered in lard until tender and crispy on the outside. Served with tortillas, salsa, and fresh toppings like cilantro and onions.

COCHINITA PIBIL – slow-roasted pork from the Yucatán Peninsula. The pork is marinated in sour orange juice mixed with achiote paste, which gives the meat a deep reddish-orange color. The name offers clues to its preparation: cochinita means baby pig, pibil refers to the traditional cooking method in an underground pit oven. Historically, a whole suckling pig would be wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked in this earthen oven, though modern preparations use pork shoulder or butt cooked in conventional ovens while still wrapped in banana leaves.

TACOS AL PASTOR –  inspired by shawarma, this dish uses pork marinated in adobo spices, stacked on a vertical rotisserie, and served in tacos with pineapple, onions, and cilantro.

one of most beloved street foods, with a fascinating cultural fusion. This dish features thinly sliced marinated pork that’s stacked on a vertical spit and slow-roasted, similar to Middle Eastern shawarma. The pork is marinated in dried chilies, achiote paste, often, a pineapple is placed on top of the meat tower, its juices dripping to tenderize  the meat as it rotates beside an open flame. To serve, the cook slices thin shavings of the caramelized outer layer of pork directly onto small corn tortillas. Traditional toppings include diced pineapple, chopped onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime, with salsa served on the side.

The dish originated in the 1930s when Lebanese immigrants brought their vertical spit-cooking technique to Mexico, particularly to Puebla. Local cooks adapted this method using Mexican ingredients and flavors, replacing lamb with pork and creating what would become one of Mexico’s signature dishes.

BARBACOA – lamb or goat slow–cooked underground with agave leaves for a smoky flavor, served with tortillas and salsa.

POLLO ASADO – marinated and grilled chicken seasoned with citrus, achiote, and spices. Pollo asado is popular at Mexican family gatherings and served with tortillas, salsas, and sides like rice and beans.

TINGA DE POLLO – a shredded chicken dish simmered in a sauce made with tomatoes, chipotle chiles, and onions. Tinga is served on tostadas (crispy corn tortilla) or as a taco filling, topped with crema and cheese.

MACHACHA – a dried, spiced beef or pork that is shredded and rehydrated, often after being pounded to a tender, flaky texture. Historically, machaca was made as a way to preserve meat in hot, dry climates by drying it in the sun, then pounding it to make it easy to cook with.

CHICHARRON – fried pork skin that is crispy and savory, often enjoyed as a snack or used as an ingredient in tacos, gorditas.

CEVICHE is a classic dish made with raw mix of fish, shrimp and sometimes octopus “cooked” in lime juice and mixed with diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chiles, and sometimes cucumber or avocado, creating an almost salsa-like quality. It’s served chilled, often with crispy tostadas or tortilla chips.

AGUACHILE — similar to ceviche, agua chile is a dish featuring raw shrimp marinated in a thin, watery sauce made from blended chilies (usually serrano or jalapeño), lime juice, and cucumber. This creates a spicier, more intensely flavored liquid, giving it its name, which translates to “chile water.”

PESCAD A LA VERACRUZANA – originating from Veracruz, this dish is made with red snapper or another white fish, cooked with a sauce of tomatoes, onions, garlic, green olives, capers, and herbs. It has a Mediterranean influence, combining flavors of tomatoes and briny ingredients.

CAMARONES A LA DIABLA — shrimp cooked in a spicy red sauce made from dried chiles, garlic, and sometimes tomatoes. This dish has a bold, smoky flavor and is served with rice, beans, and tortillas.

HUEVOS RANCHEROS – a breakfast staple of lightly fried corn tortillas topped with fried eggs and smothered in a tomato-chili sauce. Often accompanied by refried beans, avocado, and cheese.

HUEVOS DIVORCIADOS — translating to “divorced eggs,” this dish features two eggs on tortillas, one topped with red salsa and the other with green salsa, symbolizing a “split.”

HUEVOS A LA MEXICANA – scrambled eggs cooked with tomatoes, onions, and green chili peppers (the colors of the Mexican flag), served with tortillas. It’s a go-to breakfast dish across Mexico.

QUESADILLAS — simply melted cheese between folded corn or wheat tortillas. In some regions, quesadillas may include additional fillings, but cheese-only quesadillas remain a staple.

QUESO FUNDIDO — melted cheese, served in a cast-iron skillet and often mixed with chorizo, poblano peppers, or mushrooms. It’s scooped up with warm tortillas.

PAN DULCE — refers to a variety of Mexican pastries, often enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. Popular types include conchas (shell-shaped with a sugar topping), orejas (puff pastry shaped like “ears”), and cuernitos (croissant-like).

FLAN MEXICANO — a rich custard dessert made with milk, eggs, and sugar, giving it a smooth, creamy texture and a caramelized top. This dish has a Spanish influence but is widely embraced in Mexican cuisine.

NATILLAS — traditional custard made with milk, sugar, eggs, and a touch of cinnamon. It’s similar to flan but has a softer consistency.

DULCE DE LECHE — a rich, caramel-like spread made by slowly simmering milk and sugar until thickened. It’s used as a filling or topping for desserts like churros, pancakes and cakes throughout Latin America.

ARROZ CON LECHE — rice pudding with milk, cinnamon, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, orange peel, raisins (soaked in sherry, rum or tequila); chocolate, butter, nutmeg, or lime zest may also be added.

CHURROS – long ridged dough fritters, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, sparkled with sugar and cinnamon and served with chocolate or dulce de leche dipping.

BUÑUELOS — fried dough fritters similar to doughnuts, dusted with sugar and served with piloncillo syrup, commonly eaten during Christmas celebrations.

ALEGRÍA — sweet bars made from popped amaranth with honey or molasses.