Mexican Food 101

Ready to start cooking more Mexican dishes? Before you get started it may be helpful to have a basic understanding of the different traditional dishes. I can tell you that once I understood these better it made cooking the dishes all the more easier. Let’s take a look at them individually.

Starters, Sauces, and Soups

Menudo – is made with beef stomach and a clear broth or red chili base. It usually has lime, onions, cilantro and spices. It’s a hearty soup that can take all day to prepare.

Ceviche – is a seafood dish made by marinating raw seafood and fish in citrus. It’s often seasoned with chili peppers.

Curtido – is a fermented cabbage dish. It’s made with cabbage, onions, carrots and lime juice. It’s often served with pupusas, which are masa cakes, much like a tamale base.

Guacamole – is made from avocados. It’s usually mashed and tomatoes, onion, lime and cilantro are often added. It’s a wonderful condiment for tacos, burritos, enchiladas and other traditional main dishes.

Pico de Gallo – is a chopped salad made from tomato, onion, and chilies. Lime juice and cilantro are often added as well. It’s a lot like a salsa, although salsas have more liquid and are juicier. Pico de Gallo can be used as a condiment for many traditional dishes.

Traditional Main Dishes

Taco – is a traditional dish made with a corn or wheat tortilla folded around a filling. The filling can be fish, cheese, beans, beef, chicken or pork. It’s often topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, guacamole and other complementary flavors.

Tamale – is made from masa and is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The masa can be filled with meats, cheeses, and vegetables. You peel the wrapper off to eat the tamale.

Carne asada – means grilled beef. It’s made by marinating steak with olive oil, salt, and spices. It’s cooked on a grill and used in tacos, burritos, and other traditional dishes.

Empanada – is a stuffed pastry filled with meat, cheese, and vegetables. It’s often baked or fried. The pastry is generally made from corn or wheat.

Enchilada – is a corn tortilla filled with meat, cheese, beans, and vegetables and covered with a special enchilada sauce. It’s then baked and often served with crema or guacamole.

Taquito – literally means small taco. It’s also called a flauta and is a rolled up tortilla filled with meat or cheese and then deep fried.

Gordita – is a corn cake made from masa harina and stuffed with meat or cheese. It means “Little fat one” in Spanish. It’s generally deep fried or baked.

Traditional Mexican Desserts

Pan dulce – are sweet breads or pastries. They’re often served with breakfast or for dessert.

Crème caramel – is caramel custard with a layer of soft caramel on top. It’s also often called Flan.

Churro – is also called a Spanish doughnut. It’s a long stick shaped fried pastry that’s often seasoned with cinnamon and sugar.

Dulce de leche – means candy of milk and is made by heating sweetened milk. It’s served with fruit and part of a number of desserts.

 

Does this list make you hungry for Mexican food? Grab a recipe and start with your favorites. Enjoy tacos, guacamole, and a flan for dinner tonight.