This is a guide to the most delicious dishes and typical Mexican food that you MUST try on your tour or vacation to Mexico.
It is known that you don’t finish knowing a place if you haven’t tried its typical food, and although it would sound like a cliche, it has a lot of truth, so if you travel to Mexico, besides your agenda of places to visit, you must have a list of food that you need to try.
In case you didn’t know, Mexican food was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010, which is a very good reason to be encouraged to delight yourself with its proposals.
Each region of Mexico has its seasoning, there is Yucatecan, Oaxacan, Pueblan, Chiapas cuisine, and much more. The dishes of Mexico City are also very special and you will love them.
In Mexico there is food for all tastes, but to know which one you like you will have to dare to try and try; be careful when local people tell you that it’s not hot (it’s not spicy), keep in mind that Mexicans eat the wildest chili as if nothing had happened, so it’s better to go little by little…
With that little introduction, surely you have to encourage yourself to go deep into this culinary experience, let’s see which dishes suit you best…
Which is the best typical food in Mexico?
Chiles en Nogada
This is one of the delicacies that just by seeing it you already know that represents Mexico, it is a typical dish from the state of Puebla but you can try it in many parts of the country.
It is a poblano chile stuffed with mincemeat, covered with a rich nogada sauce (from Castilla walnut), chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds. The stew is filled with beef and pork, mixed with fruits such as plantains, apples, pears, peaches, raisins, and almonds, added to the special touch that the person who makes it gives it.
Tacos al Pastor
It is not a surprise that tacos are the most famous food in Mexico, a typical preparation that delights the palate of each member of this wonderful country and that never ceases to captivate the vast majority of foreign visitors. You find them anywhere.
There are tacos made of virtually everything: roast meat (beef), carnitas (pork), stew, sausage, suadero, head, tongue, tripe. In short, everything can be used to make a taco.
But among the favorites, the tacos al pastor have their prominent place; It consists of a preparation of pork meat marinated with spices and chilies (secrets of each cooker) that are cooked in a spinning top.
When eating it, the normal presentation consists of a corn tortilla where the meat is placed in small pieces with pieces of pineapple, all accompanied with onion and coriander, traditionally you should put lemon and the sauce of your choice.
Cochinita Pibil
Another typical Mexican food that must be on your list is this delicious stew, a typical Yucatan dish.
It’s prepared with shredded pork marinated in achiote, sour orange juice, habanero chili, salt and black pepper. To cook it, it is wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked in a piib, an oven made in an earthen pit, a technique of pre-Hispanic origin.
It can be eaten in tacos or alone.
Seafood in Mexico
With extensive coastlines on both the Atlantic and the Pacific, not adding seafood to this list is a sin.
Although it is said to be Peruvian, ceviche is part of the food you’ll find when visiting any of the Mexican beaches, we have the Acapulco, the Jalisco and the Sinaloan style, even in the Mexican Caribbean it has its special preparation.
“Zarandeado” fish in Puerto Vallarta , coconut shrimp in Campeche , garlic mojo shrimp from Acapulco , lobster tacos from Baja California, aguachile from Sinaloa, Frank crab in Tampico , shrimp cocktail in the Riviera Maya , etc. , all exquisite.
Tamales
Breakfast of many Mexicans, this typical Mexican food can be part of your menu.
Emblem of Mexican gastronomy, tamales consist of a corn dough mixed with lard, water or broth. There are more than 500 types of tamales, with various fillings and sauces, pork, chicken, beef, turkey or duck, green red sauce, etc. There are also sweet tamales with rich fruit filling.
They are wrapped in corn or banana leaves and steamed; they have their special date, but you can find them all year long.
Enchiladas
A very good representative of Mexican cuisine are also enchiladas, a dish made with rolled corn tortillas filled with beef or chicken, covered in a tasty sauce.
With its different varieties you will find the “regiomontanas” from Monterrey , stuffed with fresh cheese, fried in oil, and bathed in ancho chili sauce; “michoacanas”, stuffed with tomato, pickled onion, and oregano, are served with chicken and potatoes; “queretanas”, tortillas bathed in red sauce, stuffed with chicken and have potatoes and carrots cut into cubes and fried; the original sweet ones of Colima , the “Swiss style” and many more options.
Pozole
If you want something tasty and warm like a well-served soup, the pozole is your best choice.
It is a type of soup whose main ingredient is cacahuazintle corn, which is combined with meat, a variety of vegetables, and spices, which together with the secrets and seasoning of each region, achieve a delicacy.
You can taste the green pozole in Guerrero or the red one from Guanajuato , Nayarit and Jalisco, and if you are in another destination, do not hesitate to ask, they will surely have a special but nice recipe.
Other great options
Tortas from CDMX , pambazos, gorditas, mole, flautas, tlayudas, barbacoa, menudos, guacamole, burritos are also typical Mexican foods, a lot of very tasty options that you need to try.
Add to any of these a delicious dessert, for example some ice cream, typical candies such as guava “ate”, some Mazatlan marshmallows, coconut rolls, mazapanes, and if your palate asks for something different, try the tamarindo candies.
The drinks also complement this flavors, like a strong tequila, some wine from the Guadalupe Valley, mezcal, and if alcohol is not your thing, the horchata, jamaica or guanábana water is delicious.
Finally, you cannot miss a delicious coffee , depending on the place you visit it will be the recommended option: Chiapas , Veracruz and Oaxaca are among the most popular.