Foods you must try if you visit Mexico

Mexico has long been one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world, attracting both sun lovers and foodies alike. If you’re lucky enough to be planning a trip, be sure to sample the best tastes and flavors the country has to offer with our roundup of the top 10 dishes to try while you’re there and if you fall in love with their products you can shop at the best best tiendita online (it’s a sort of grocer mexican store) for many of them!

 

Don’t leave Mexico without trying …

1. Chilaquiles

This popular traditional breakfast dish features lightly fried corn tortillas cut into quarters and topped with green or red sauce (red is a bit spicier). Scrambled or fried eggs and shredded chicken are usually added, as well as cheese and cream. Chilaquiles are often served with a healthy dose of frijoles (refried beans).

 

2. Pozole

According to anthropologists, this pre-Hispanic soup was once used as part of ritual sacrifices. These days pozole chicken, pork and vegetarian versions of pozole are available in more everyday settings. Made from ground corn with many herbs and spices, the dish is traditionally cooked for hours, often overnight. Once ready to serve, lettuce, radish, onion, lime and chili are sprinkled on top.

 

3. Tacos al pastor

This historic dish is one of the most popular varieties of tacos, with origins dating back to the 1920s and 1930s and the arrival of Lebanese and Syrian immigrants to Mexico. To create tacos al pastor (meaning ‘in the style of the shepherd’), thin strips of pork are cut from a rotisserie, placed in a corn tortilla and served with onions, cilantro leaves and pineapple.

 

4. Tostadas

What should you do with stale tortillas? Fry them of course! Literally meaning toasted, tostadas are a simple but delicious dish consisting of corn tortillas fried in boiling oil until they become crispy and golden brown. They are then served alone or piled high with any number of garnishes. Popular toppings include frijoles (refried beans), cheese, cooked meat, seafood and ceviche .

 

5. Chiles en nogada

With the three colors of the Mexican flag, chiles en nogada are one of Mexico’s most patriotic dishes. Poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo (a mixture of minced meat, fruits and spices) represent the green in the flag, the walnut-based cream sauce is the white and the pomegranate seeds are the red. Originally from Puebla, the story goes that the dish was first served to Don Agustin de Iturbide, liberator and later emperor of Mexico.

 

6. Elote

You will find someone selling elote, the Mexican name for corn on the cob, on almost every street corner in Mexico. The corn is traditionally boiled and served on a stick (to eat like ice cream) or in cups, having cut the kernels off the cob. Salt, chili powder, lime, butter, cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream are then added in abundance.

 

7. Enchiladas

Enchiladas date back to Mayan times, when the people of the Valley of Mexico ate corn tortillas wrapped in small fish. These days corn and flour tortillas are used and filled with meat, cheese, seafood, beans, vegetables or all of the above. The stuffed tortillas are then topped with a chili sauce, making it a perfect Mexican breakfast.

 

8. Mole

Three states claim to be the original home of mole (pronounced ‘mol-eh’), a rich sauce popular in Mexican cuisine. There are countless types of mole, but all contain about 20 ingredients, including one or more varieties of chiles, and all require constant stirring over a long period of time. Perhaps the best known mole is mole poblano , an oxidized red sauce typically served over turkey or chicken.

If you want to try even more of this there are many online Mexican product pages you can visit.

 

9. Guacamole

Guacamole is undoubtedly one of Mexico’s most popular dishes, but few people know that this traditional dip dates back to Aztec times. Made with mashed avocados, onions, tomatoes, lime juice and chiles (and sometimes a clove or two of garlic), guacamole is often eaten with tortilla chips or used as a side dish.

Try making your own …  guacamole

 

10. Tamales

Tamales were first developed for the Aztec, Mayan and Inca tribes who needed nutritious food to take into battle. Pockets of corn dough are filled with a sweet or savory filling, wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks and then steamed. Fillings vary from meats and cheeses to fruits, vegetables, chiles and mole .