Mexico Food And Drink

Although regional cuisine varies widely, tortillas are popular throughout the country. This millennia-old classic is a flat, round, thin pancake made from either harina (wheat flour) or maíz (corn flour). In the North, flour tortillas are the norm, while corn rules the South. Arroz (rice) and frijoles (beans) round out the triumvirate of Mexican staples. Arroz, either of the yellow Spanish or white Mexican variety, is prepared with oil, tomato sauce, onions, and garlic. Frijoles range from a soupy “baked” variety to a thick “refried” paste. Expect to see this trio accompanying most restaurant meals.

Mexican culinary experts enjoy spicing up a meal with chiles, or peppers. Most meals come with red and green hot sauce, and sometimes chiles curtidos—jalapeño peppers fermented in vinegar with sliced carrots and onions. Be careful when attempting to bite into any sort of pepper: keep in mind your own tolerance toward spicy food, and don’t be fooled by size. A small chile can pack a dangerous punch: measuring less than 6cm, Mexico’s native habanero pepper is the world’s hottest!

Salsas and moles (sauces) add zest and flavor to most Mexican dishes. The classic salsa Mexicana blends jitomate (red tomato), cilantro (coriander), and tomatillo (green tomato) with copious amounts of onion, garlic, and chiles. Mole poblano is a thick, simmered-down sauce made with three to four types of chiles, garlic, tomato, cocoa, and a variety of nuts and spices.

Desayuno (Breakfast)

Breakfast can range from a simple snack to a grand feast rivaling the midday meal. Huevos (eggs), prepared in one of countless ways, are the mainstay of most Mexican breakfasts, often served with a side of café con leche (coffee with milk) and pan dulce (sweetened bread). Huevos revueltos (scrambled eggs) are usually prepared with jamón (ham), tocino (bacon), machaca (dried, shredded beef), or nopales (cactus). Huevos rancheros (fried eggs served on corn tortillas and covered with chunky tomato salsa), huevos albañil (scrambled eggs cooked in a spicy sauce), huevos motuleños (eggs served on a fried corn tortilla, topped with green sauce and sour cream), huevos ahogados (eggs cooked in simmering red sauce), and huevos borrachos (fried eggs cooked in beer and served with beans) are other common preparations. In more expensive restaurants, omelettes are offered with any of the common meats or with camarones (shrimp) or langosta (lobster).

Comida (Midday Meal)

Mexicans eat their main meal of the day—la comida—between 2 and 4pm. Both parents and children come home for an hour or two to eat, relax, and perhaps indulge in a siesta. Restaurants often offer comida corrida (sometimes called la comida or el menú), a fixed-price meal including sopa (soup), ensalada (salad), té (tea) or agua fresca (cold, fresh fruit juice), a plato fuerte (main dish), and a postre (dessert).

One of the most popular caldos (warm soups) is sopa de tortilla (or sopa azteca), a chicken broth-based soup with strips of fried tortilla, chunks of avocado, and chipotle peppers. Other favorites are caldo tlalpeño, a smoky blend of chicken broth and vegetables, and sopa de mariscos, featuring fish and shellfish. Mexico’s strong national pride is evident in pozole, a chunky soup with red, white, or green broth. Served with tostadas (fried tortillas) and lime wedges, pozole is made with large hominy kernels, radishes, lettuce, and meat (usually pork).

The main dish of any comida will usually feature some sort of carne (meat) platter —usually beef in the country’s interior or fish along the coasts—with sides of frijoles, tortillas, and arroz. Choose from carne barbacoa (barbequed), parrillada (grilled), or milanesa (breaded and fried).

Cena (Supper)

Mexicans tend to snack lightly around 9 or 10pm. Dominating nearly every Mexican menu, antojitos (little cravings) are equivalent to a large snack or a small meal. Tacos consist of grilled pieces of meat folded in a warm corn tortilla and topped with a row of condiments. Burritos, which are especially popular in northern Mexico, are thin flour tortillas usually filled with beans, meat, and cooked vegetables. Enchiladas are rolled corn tortillas, filled with cheese and usually meat, baked in a red or green sauce. Quesadillas are flat tortillas with cheese melted between them; quesadillas sincronizadas (sometimes called gringas) are filled with ham or pork. Tostadas are crispy, fried tortillas usually topped with meat and vegetables. Chimichangas are burritos that have been deep-fried for a rich, crunchy shell. Flautas are similar to chimichangas but are rolled thin (like a cigar) before being deep-fried, and resemble small flutes, for which they are named. Adventurous eaters can look out for the fried jumiles (stinkbugs) or chapulines (grasshoppers) sold at roadside snack stands.

Dulces (Sweets)

Mexicans have an incurable sweet tooth. Beyond the ubiquitous chocolates (often flavored with chili powder) and pastries, traditional desserts include flan, a vanilla custard cake with a toasted sugar shell, nieve (ice cream), and arroz con leche (rice pudding). Many of the more traditional Mexican candies rely on fruits and produce, such as coconut, bananas, and sweet potatoes for sweetness, rather than sugar. Puebla , the country’s candy capital, is full of shops selling dulce de leche (a milk-based sweet) and camotes (candied sweet potatoes). Morelia and Michoacán specialize in ates, sticky sweet blocks of ground and candied fruit concentrate. San Cristóbal de las Casas and parts of Chiapas are renowned for their cajetas (fruit pastes) and coconut candies and cookies, while the Yucatán boasts tasty pumpkin marzipan.

Bebidas (Drinks)

Along with the table staples of tortillas, beans, and rice, cerveza (beer) ranks high in Mexican specialties. It is impossible to drive through any Mexican town without coming across numerous Tecate and Corona billboards, painted buildings, or roadside beer stands proudly advertising their products. Popular beers in Mexico (listed roughly in order of quality) are Bohemia (a world-class lager), Negra Modelo (a fine dark beer), Dos Equis (a light, smooth lager), Pacífico, Modelo, Carta Blanca, Superior, Corona Extra, and Sol (watery and light). Mexicans share their love for bargain beer with the world, as demonstrated by Corona Extra’s status as a leading export and international chart topper in Australia, Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and many other European markets.

Tequila is the king of Mexican liquor. A more refined version of mezcal, tequila is distilled from the maguey cactus, a large, sprawling plant often seen along Mexican highways. Herradura, Tres Generaciones, Hornitos, and Cuervo 1800 are among the more famous, expensive, and quality brands of tequila. Mezcal, coarser than tequila, is sometimes served with the worm native to the plant—upon downing the shot, you are expected to ingest the worm. Pulque, the fermented juice of the maguey, was the sacred drink of the Aztec nobility. Ron (rum), while originally manufactured in the Caribbean, is incredibly popular in Mexico and is manufactured in parts of the Valley of Mexico. Coffee-flavored Kahlúa is Mexico’s most exported liqueur, but well-made piña coladas (pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and light rum), cocos locos (coconut milk and tequila served in a coconut), and the ever-popular margaritas (tequila blended with ice and fruity mix) are just as tasty. A michelada—lemon juice, tabasco sauce and light beer—is a popular way to perk up after overindulging.

Non-alcoholic favorites include licuados (fresh fruit smoothies or milk shakes) and horchata (a milky, rice-based beverage loaded with cinnamon and sugar). Atole is a thick drink made from cornmeal, water, cane sugar and vanilla; the cocoa-based version is known as champurrado.