Mexican Food: A Guide to What You'll Eat

Mexican food is not a monolith. It has distinct regional cuisines — Oaxacan, Yucatecan, Veracruz-style, Poblano, Norteño — that are as different from each other as Italian is from French. Here’s an introduction to what you’ll find and where.

The basics

Corn (maíz): the foundation of Mexican cooking. Corn is dried, treated with calcium hydroxide (nixtamalisation), ground into masa, and used for tortillas, tamales, tostadas, sopes, huaraches, tlayudas, and hundreds of other forms. Mexican corn tortillas are fundamentally different from wheat flour tortillas — they’re smaller, denser, and made fresh at most traditional restaurants.

Chillies: Mexico uses hundreds of varieties. Key ones: ancho (dried poblano — mild, fruity), chipotle (smoked jalapeño), serrano (fresh, medium-hot), habanero (very hot, fruity — Yucatán’s primary chilli), pasilla, guajillo, morita. The dried chillies are the foundation of most moles and long-cooked sauces.

Beans (frijoles): black beans in the south, pinto beans in the north, ayocote and others regionally. Refried, whole, in soups, in moles.

Regional cuisines

Oaxacan: The seven moles are the benchmark. Tlayudas (large crispy tortillas), tasajo (air-dried beef), chapulines (grasshoppers), quesillo (string cheese). Mezcal. Complex flavours from multiple dried chilli combinations.

Yucatecan: Achiote and sour orange are the flavour base. Cochinita pibil (pit-roasted pork), poc chuc (grilled pork), sopa de lima (lime soup), panuchos and salbutes. Habanero chilli. Very different from central Mexican cooking.

Veracruz: Seafood-focused (Gulf coast). Huachinango a la veracruzana (red snapper in tomato, olive, and caper sauce) is the signature. Influence from Caribbean and Spanish cooking. Strong coffee culture (the original Mexican coffee region).

Puebla: Mole poblano (the complex dark sauce), chiles en nogada (seasonal dish), cemitas (sesame roll sandwiches). The origin of many dishes associated internationally with “Mexican food.”

Norteño (North Mexico): Beef-heavy, wheat flour tortillas (not corn), large burritos, carne asada (grilled beef). Monterrey’s cabrito al pastor (roasted goat) is the regional specialty.

Essential dishes to try

Tacos al pastor: pork trompo (rotating spit), corn tortilla, pineapple, onion, cilantro. Mexico City is the reference.

Mole negro: over turkey or chicken with rice. Oaxaca is the reference.

Cochinita pibil: pulled pork taco/panucho, pickled red onion, habanero. Mérida and the Yucatán.

Tlayuda: large crispy tortilla with bean paste, tasajo/chicken, quesillo. Oaxaca.

Chiles rellenos: roasted poblano chilli stuffed with cheese or picadillo, in a tomato sauce. Central Mexico.

Pozole: hominy soup with pork or chicken, dried chilli broth. Thursday special in Mexico City.

Tamales: corn masa filled with beans, chicken mole, pork, or sweet fruit, steamed in corn husks or banana leaves. Available everywhere, best in markets.

Street food rules

Mexican street food is generally safe from stalls with high turnover. The signs of a trustworthy stall: a queue of local people, ingredients cooked in front of you, no pre-cut raw food sitting out. Avoid anything that’s been sitting.

Tacos: stand at the taco counter, eat standing. Order by saying the filling, the quantity (“dos tacos de pastor,” “tres de carnitas”), and ask for salsa on the side first time until you know how hot it is.

Drinks

Agua fresca: fresh fruit water in large jugs — hibiscus (jamaica), lime (limón), tamarind, cucumber. Everywhere, cheap, excellent.

Mezcal: distilled from agave in Oaxaca state. Different from tequila (which is only made from blue agave in Jalisco and specific other states). Start with espadín; explore from there.

Tequila: always has a Denomination of Origin — must be made in Jalisco or specified municipalities. Blancos are unaged; reposados are aged in oak; añejos are older.

Pulque: fermented agave sap, not distilled. Ancient drink, still popular in Central Mexico. Slightly sour, viscous. Acquired taste but worth trying.

Coffee: Veracruz and Chiapas are Mexico’s main coffee regions, producing good arabica. Café de olla (coffee cooked in a clay pot with cinnamon and piloncillo) is the traditional preparation.