Food Adventures in Mexico 🇲🇽

I’ve always enjoyed the unique flavors of Mexican food. That is, the flavors I’ve experienced while eating tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and fajitas in Texas…When I finally had the chance to experience traditional Mexican food in three cities in Mexico, I jumped at the opportunity. My friend, Melannie Torres, a computer science student at Tec de Monterrey, compiled a list of iconic Mexican dishes. I embarked on my one-week trip with a goal to try all items on the list.

Tacos al pastor

Tacos al pastor is a spit-roasted pork taco marinated in guajillo, chiles, and achiote. If you’ve ever eaten shawarma you will immediately recognize the roasting method upon arriving to a restaurant that serves tacos al pastor. Lebanese merchants who immigrated in the 1900s brought this type of marination and cooking style to Mexico.

I tried tacos al pastor in two different cities in Mexico. My first experience with the dish was in Querétaro at a restaurant called El Pata. This 24-hour taqueria is my friend’s favorite place to enjoy tacos al pastor. The meat in these tacos is marinated and cut correctly. At the restaurant, I learned that real tacos al pastor should be the size of your palm and only contain meat. Once the tacos are served, foodies should garnish with freshly squeezed lemons, salsa, cilantro, and finely chopped onions.

The second time I tried tacos al pastor was in a small taqueria in Metepec. I really enjoyed the marination in these tacos! They were spicier than the tacos I tried in Querétaro.

Gorditas

While driving through the mountains in La Sierra, we stopped at a restaurant along the roadside that specializes in different types of gorditas. This was the first time I experienced the unique taste of this dish! Gorditas are savory pastries made from masa (a type of corn dough) and different types of vegetarian and meat fillings. This dish is typically eaten for breakfast and is often garnished with different types of sauces and salsas. I tried chorizo and potato filled gorditas made from blue corn masa. While eating these tasty gorditas, I could immediately notice the special touch from the blue corn masa (dough is stronger, more concentrated, and tastier).

By recommendation, I tried a side of Nopal or Spanish cactus. Although this dish looks like green beans, it is slimier and more sour. I recommend trying nopal at least once if you ever visit Mexico.

Chilaquiles

For breakfast during my time in La Sierra, I tried Chilaquiles, a dish made from fried and cut corn tortillas. These tortillas are generally cut in triangles and garnished with red and green salsas. The chilaquiles I tried were tossed with eggs, pulled chicken, beans, avocado slices, and crema fresca (Central American dairy product made from heavy cream and buttermilk). While enjoying my breakfast, I drank café de olla, a traditional Mexican coffee beverage made in a claypot with cinnamon and piloncillo (unrefined whole cane sugar). This type of coffee is found in mountainous regions where climate is generally cold.

Enchiladas

As a native Texan, I thought I knew a lot about enchiladas. It wasn’t until I ate at Tikua Sureste that I became educated on the diversity of enchiladas. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are ever walking through the streets of downtown Querétaro. Tikua Sureste specializes in southeastern Mexican cuisine. This part of Mexico is known for perfecting the iconic mole sauce. Mole is a traditional marinade made from a variety of ingredients such as fruits, chilli pepper, cinnamon, and in some cases chocolate. Employees at Tikua Sureste were kind enough to let me try their three different types of mole. As a foodie eager to taste all combinations of moles and fillings, I chose three different types of mole and three different types of filling. Although my dish resembled the enchiladas I savored in Texas, I actually tried enmoladas (essentially enchiladas with mole sauce). My friend very clearly explained the difference between enchiladas (either with salsa verde, salsa rojas, adobadas) enmoladas, enjitomatadas (made from tomato sauce), and enfrijoladas (made from beans).

It was at this same restaurant that my friend and I tried Cochinita Pibil, another must-try item on the list. Cochinita Pibil roughly translates to “little pig” and originates from the Yucatan Peninsula. This dish involves slow-cooking pork in a banana leaf with acidic juices. It’s often characterized by a burnt red or orange color as shown below. I highly recommend trying the Cochinita Pibil at Tikua Sureste!

Sopes

Sopes originate from central and southern Mexico. The dish involves a thick tortilla and bean and meat toppings. While I didn’t have a chance to try sopes, I tried a dish very similar called picaditas. Instead of meat, picaditasare topped with salsa and cheese. I tried my first picadita at a restaurant called Almozero in Querétaro. This restaurant is known for its excellent brunch options and churros! The churros were amazing at Almozero! They were crunchy and had the perfect amount of cinnamon and sugar. I especially enjoyed pairing the churros with a cup of the café de olla.

Tostadas

Tostadas translate to “toasted” in Spanish. It’s an accurate description of the dish because its crispy. Tostadas are eaten all over Mexico and regions of Latin America. I tried my first tostada in Xilitla (town in the state of San Luis Potosi), as we drove through the mountains of the La Sierra region. These tostadas were served along the roadside and made right in front of us. They were made using deep-fried corn tortilla, beans, pulled chicken, cheese, and salsa verde.

I tried tostadas for a second time in Querétaro at a restaurant called Los Doraditos de Tio Ocampo. At the restaurant, I tried tostada de tinga, a tostada topped with shredded chicken, cheese, and cream.

Pozole

At this same restaurant, I tried pozole, a traditional Mexican stew made with hominy (corn made into grits) and meats. My friend described this dish as the Mexican version of ramen. Once brought to the table, it was strongly encouraged that I add shredded lettuce and fresh lime juice to the stew. I enjoyed trying pozole for the first time. I’ve never tasted anything like it before! While eating the flavorful pozole, I had to try the restaurant’s horchata. Horchata is a beverage made from rice soaked in water, cinnamon, and granulated sugar.

Tamales

The first item I tried from this list was tamales! I still remember stopping by a small food stall in Metepec to pick up a bag of fresh street-side tamales. I tried tamales made with chicken and salsa verde. These were by far the best tamales I’ve ever eaten! At the same stall, we ordered Atole, a hot corn based beverage that comes in a variety of flavors (chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla). The Atole we ordered was cinnamon flavored and it was fantastic! At the bottom of the drink was a rice-like substance that I later learned was corn hominy masa.

Tortas

During my second day in Mexico, I tried tortas at a restaurant called La Vaquita Negra Del Portal in Metepec. Tortas are essentially sandwiches. This particular torta was filled with mole verde, shredded chicken, and the restaurant’s famous cream. Customers have a range of options for sandwich fillings and can garnish their meal with sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce. If you travel to Mexico and order mole verde tortas, be sure to eat your sandwich fast. Since mole verde is a sauce, the sandwich will become soggy quickly.

Reflection

After one full week in Mexico, I successfully tried all but three dishes on the list. Throughout my food adventure, Melannie often jokingly characterized Mexican food as tortillas with meat, cheese, and vegetables. Meal after meal, I noticed that most Mexican dishes are in fact made from those four staple ingredients. I was amazed, however, by the diversity of flavor from each of the dishes I tried in Mexico. Tamales, tacos, chilaquiles, gorditas are all made from the same ingredients, but taste different and offer a unique flavor profile.

My trip to Mexico wasn’t just all about food. While driving between cities or visiting historical sites, we discussed Mexican history, politics, culture, music, and traditions. I listened to the catchy tunes of Alejandro Fernandez, learned of alfeñiques made during the Day of the Dead, and played Chilillo, a boardgame originating in Mesoamerica.

During my time in Mexico, I met new people, experienced unique situations, and traveled to cities I’d never been before! As I reflect on my adventures in Mexico, I’m reminded of the Spanish proverb: Panza llena, corazón contento. (full stomach, happy heart)

Special thanks to Melannie Torres for compiling a list of Mexican dishes and helping me remember all the restaurants we visited in Mexico. Without her expertise, writing this article would not have been possible.