Mexico
Mexican Food Guide for Travelers
Mexican cuisine is a UNESCO-recognised cultural treasure, far more diverse than Tex-Mex. Each region has its own moles, salsas, and specialities. Street food is an art form, and a taco from a roadside stand will ruin you for everything else.
Street Taco Culture
Best food from street stands. Tacos al pastor, suadero, carnitas, barbacoa. Each specialises in one thing. 15-25 pesos each.
The World of Mole
20-30+ ingredients simmered for hours or days. Oaxaca has seven. Mole negro, coloradito, poblano. Every family guards their recipe.
Regional Cuisines
Oaxaca is food capital: moles, mezcal, chapulines, tlayudas. Yucatan does cochinita pibil. Veracruz is seafood. Baja has fish tacos and wine.
Mezcal and Tequila
Tequila is a type of mezcal (blue agave, Jalisco). Mezcal is smoky, complex, sipped from clay cups. Oaxaca is mezcal country.
Must-Try Dishes
Tacos al Pastor
$Spit-roasted pork marinated in chillies and pineapple in soft corn tortillas.
Contains meat; corn tortillas gluten-free
Mole
$$Complex sauce of chillies, chocolate, nuts, and spices. Oaxaca has seven varieties.
Contains nuts; most gluten-free
Tamales
$Steamed corn dough filled with meat, cheese, or chillies in husks or banana leaves.
Contains corn; gluten-free
Chiles en Nogada
$$Stuffed poblanos in walnut cream with pomegranate. Green, white, red: the Mexican flag.
Contains nuts, dairy, meat; gluten-free
Elote
$Grilled corn with mayo, cotija cheese, chilli, lime.
Contains dairy; gluten-free
Pozole
$Hearty hominy and pork soup: red or green.
Contains meat; gluten-free
Cochinita Pibil
$Yucatan's slow-roasted pork in achiote, pit-smoked in banana leaves.
Contains meat; gluten-free
Churros
$Fried dough sticks with cinnamon sugar.
Contains gluten, eggs
Menu Vocabulary
| Term | Meaning | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Taco | Soft corn tortilla with filling | Staples |
| Tortilla | Corn or flour flatbread | Staples |
| Salsa | Sauce: dozens of varieties | Sauces |
| Mole | Complex cooked sauce | Sauces |
| Carne | Meat | Proteins |
| Pollo | Chicken | Proteins |
| Mariscos | Seafood | Proteins |
| Asado | Grilled | Cooking Methods |
| La cuenta | The bill | Dining |
Dietary Restriction Guide
Vegetarian
Quesadillas, bean tacos, chiles rellenos, nopales, cheese enchiladas. Check beans aren't in lard. Say 'sin carne'.
Vegan
Beans (check for lard), rice, guacamole, nopales, grilled vegetables. Say 'sin carne, sin queso, sin crema'. Mexico City has growing vegan scene.
Gluten-Free
Corn-based Mexican food is naturally gluten-free: corn tortillas, tamales, pozole. Avoid flour tortillas and breaded items.
Common Allergies
Dairy in many dishes. Nuts in mole. Shellfish coastal. Corn in everything. Say 'soy alergico/a a...'.
Ordering Tips
- •Street tacos are the best tacos. If a stand has a crowd at 10pm, eat there.
- •Corn tortillas are traditional; flour is northern. Always choose corn.
- •Green salsa is usually spicier than red. Habanero is volcanic.
- •Tipping 10-15% at restaurants. Round up at stalls.
- •Mezcal is sipped, not shot.