The best Mexican dishes are made with simple, hearty ingredients: beans, corn, meat, tortillas, potatoes. However, savory sauces like guacamole or hot salsa do not allow them to be called primitive. Even from a simple roll in pita bread, locals manage to create a small gastronomic miracle. Mexico's national dishes are so good that they are even included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. We’ll tell you which ones are worth trying first on vacation in Cancun and other cities of the country.
Burrito | Burrito
A must-try dish in Mexico. This is a classic of national cuisine. Burrito is a delicious, filling roll in a tortilla. The flatbread is thin, the filling is juicy. Usually this is minced meat, fried beans, rice, tomatoes, grated cheese, guacamole. Vegetarians should try the bean burrito. The appetizer is usually complemented with crispy salad, thick sour cream, and spicy salsa. Burritos are the main street food in Mexico, which can be tried both in small street shops or markets, and in the most expensive restaurants.
A roll of similar composition in a tortilla, deep-fried until golden brown, is called chimichanga.
History, geography and UNESCO
Modern Mexican cuisine is as varied as the filling of a burrito.
It is based on Aztec cuisine. The aborigines respected corn, which played the role of rice and wheat in the state. Beans like amaranth and chia were also in demand. All dishes were seasoned with salt and chili pepper. With the landing of Spanish conquerors from the New World on the territory of the Aztecs, new gastronomic traditions arrived, in which meat, cheese, olive oil, and herbs played an important role. The result of the kitchen debate between the two cultures is now available for tasting in all cities and towns of Mexico. Moreover, it turned out to be so good that Mexican cuisine spread far beyond the borders of the state, and UNESCO hastened to include it in its protective list, because many recipes for modern dishes come from ancient times.
It is also worth noting that, despite the abundance of canonical dishes that probably everyone has heard of, Mexican cuisine is not static, but has regional characteristics. For example, seafood dishes are “salted” on the coast. In the north of the country they prefer goat meat and lamb, while in the southern part they respect chicken. Tequila is loved everywhere and equally.
Last Minute Tours to Mexico
Taco | Taco
One of the most recognizable dishes of Mexican cuisine, which is worth trying in several variations. The base of the taco is a corn or wheat tortilla. The choice of fillings is always impressive: meat, seafood, beans, vegetables, even cactus pulp. Guacamole, salsa, onions, cilantro, and grated cheese give the dish a unique taste. The best tacos in Mexico are prepared in taquerias. It is customary to eat the appetizer without cutlery, folding the tortilla in half. It's helpful to remember a few of the most popular taco fillings:
- al pastor – “shepherd’s” with spicy pork and a slice of pineapple;
- de pollo – with chicken;
- de carne asada – with fried beef;
- al carbon – with meat cooked on coals;
- de guisado – with stewed filling.
Bring home corn tortillas to treat your friends to an authentic Mexican taco. Don't forget to buy spicy salsa - you can't live without it.
Poor man's butter or gourmet snack?
Guacamole is both an appetizer and a thick sauce. The Spanish conquerors, having become acquainted with the culture of the Aztec Empire, were surprised to discover that the most popular food of the Indians was avocado paste. Among themselves, the Spaniards called it the poor man's oil.
Now this appetizer has many variations, so it never gets boring, and it’s easy and quick to prepare.
Cut 2 ripe avocados in half, scoop out the pulp with a spoon, place it in a bowl and squeeze the juice of half a lime on top. Crush the avocado in a wooden mortar, add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp. l. olive oil. You should get a homogeneous puree.
Grind a pinch of cumin in a mortar; by the way, you can also use a coffee grinder for this. Mix avocado with cumin and a pinch of paprika, then chop a small piece of green chili. Unripe peppers contain a record amount of vitamin C, which is very useful. Add a crushed clove of garlic, half a red onion, mashed into a paste, and a finely chopped bunch of parsley to the aromatic pulp of the avocado. Serve this royal appetizer with Mexican corn chips that you can use instead of a spoon! On our website you will find many recipes with photos of Mexican cuisine that you can always make at home!
Quesadilla | Quesadilla
Do you like cheese? Then be sure to try this Mexican street food in corn pita bread with a variety of toppings. To make a quesadilla, the cook fills a tortilla to capacity with cheese and then grills or deep-fries it. The crispy crust and viscous creamy filling are in perfect harmony with each other. This is the classic Mexican quesadilla. You can also add chopped beef, chicken, chorizo sausages, corn, mushrooms, potatoes, beans, and various vegetables to the dish. A type of quesadilla that resembles a sandwich with a tortilla instead of bread is called a sincronizada. The best accompaniment to a dish is a vegetable salad, guacamole, salsa and a bottle of cool beer.
Nachos | Nachos
The most popular Mexican appetizer. Nachos are crispy corn tortilla chips with a variety of toppings. They are often used to prepare certain national dishes. But most often they are eaten with salads or sauces. Classic - nachos with guacamole. This is a must-try snack in Mexico. Guacamole sauce is made from avocado with the addition of tomatoes, onions and serrano peppers. It's buttery enough that the crunchy nachos complement it perfectly.
Bring a couple of packages of nachos from the supermarket from Mexico - this is a great gift for your loved ones. Don't forget to buy a jar of guacamole so your friends will especially enjoy the snack.
Top 10 most popular Mexican dishes among tourists
Mexico is famous for its original cuisine, which has preserved the traditions of the ancient peoples who inhabit it. The dishes are distinguished by a spicy taste and a combination of seemingly incompatible products - sweet corn and meat, avocado and lime, legumes, tomatoes and hot chili peppers, and an abundance of seasonings.
What dishes are most popular among tourists:
- Tortilla. Mexicans eat these flatbreads with different fillings at almost every meal. They are easy to prepare. To do this, mix corn and wheat flour, corn oil and water, and salt. Knead the dough, divide into 8 parts and roll out flat cakes. They are fried in a hot frying pan without oil.
- Buritto. The dish is made from tortilla and filling: meat, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, rice and sweet corn, seasoned with chili sauce, sprinkled with seasoning and herbs.
- Nacho chips. The tortilla is cut into several pieces and fried in olive oil, sprinkled with red pepper. Served with tomato sauce or guacamole.
- Guacamole. The sauce is prepared from avocado (3 pcs.), onions, tomatoes (1-2 pcs.), chili peppers, 1-2 cloves of garlic, cilantro and parsley. Mix everything with a blender. Add lime juice (lemon) and a little water. Serve with chips.
- Fajitas. Flatbread with grilled beef or chicken (300 g), cut into strips, beans (150 g), bell pepper. The meat is fried in olive oil, vegetables, sauce and beans are added. The filling is wrapped in a flatbread.
- Quesadilla. Prepared from tortilla, cheese, minced meat, sour cream, and onion. The minced meat is fried in vegetable oil, salt, grated cheese, sour cream, chopped onion and hot pepper are added. Two flatbreads are fried in oil. The filling is placed in one of them and the other is covered on top.
- Salsa sauce. It is made from tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime and cumin. Tomatoes (3 pcs.) are doused with boiling water, peeled and chopped. Add onion, pepper, garlic, lime juice, and a little olive oil.
- Chili con carne. The dish is prepared from beef, beans, tomatoes and spices, chili peppers. Vegetables are chopped and sautéed in oil with the addition of pepper. The minced meat is fried separately, add a little water, fried vegetables, sugar and a little cocoa. The dish is covered with a lid. After 15 minutes, add the beans and remove from the heat.
- Ceviche. It is prepared from white fish and shrimp meat, bell pepper, lime, onion, chili, and coriand. Boil shrimp (200 g), marinate fish (500 g) in lime juice. After 10 minutes, add chopped onions and peppers, coriander and shrimp.
- Banana dessert. Bananas are peeled, cut in half, and fried in butter. Place on a dish, sprinkle with fried sesame seeds and powdered sugar. Heat the cream and 50 g of brown sugar in a frying pan, add 50 g of butter, mix and pour the sauce over the bananas.
Chilaquiles | Chilaquiles
We recommend that lovers of spicy dishes try chilaquiles in Mexico. Oddly enough, locals love to eat this “fiery” snack for breakfast. It consists of nachos cooked in a chili-based salsa. The dish can be supplemented with beef or chicken, chorizo sausages, scrambled eggs, and fried beans. Sour cream sauce or guacamole helps take the edge off a little. The most popular chilaquiles are street ones. You can try street food in almost any Mexican city.
Pozole | Pozole
Among the soups in Mexico, it is worth trying the thick corn chowder pozole. Most often it is prepared with chicken or pork, but there are also vegetarian options with beans. The corn is boiled until the grains burst. Therefore, the soup turns out very tender. The meat is added to it in pieces, not boiled. Pozole is most often served with nachos, various sauces, cheese, herbs, lemon juice - all this can be added to the chowder if desired. There are 3 types of Mexican pozole soup:
- White is classic.
- Red - with the addition of tomato paste and spicy salsa.
- Green - with guacamole.
Chilli con carne | Chili con carne
When we say “chili” and we don’t mean hot peppers or a sauce based on them, we are talking about this Mexican dish. It's quite simple and incredibly spicy. Translated from Spanish, chilli con carne means “chili with meat.” In the classic version, the dish consists of precisely these two ingredients. However, additional ingredients give it a special piquancy: beans, sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, aromatic herbs. Cane sugar, honey and a pinch of cocoa make it completely unforgettable. Not every tourist should try chili in Mexico, but only true connoisseurs of “fiery” dishes.
Buy chili pepper flakes in Mexico - a great gift for friends who love fiery dishes.
Basic ingredients of Mexican cuisine
As I have already said, all the recipes for traditional dishes have not changed and are prepared from the same ingredients as in the early 16th century. All Mexican cuisine has its own traditional ingredients: beans, corn, hot chili peppers and its varieties, many hot spices, cactus, meat, cocoa...
On the coast of Mexico there is a contrast of seafood dishes with the same listed ingredients. The main ingredient of dishes in Mexico is beans of various types; in each individual region of this country several dozen of this crop grow and each type of bean has its own taste. Having tried four types of black beans, I did not feel any difference, as for me the taste is the same, as they say, “beans are beans in Africa.”
The most important place in traditional Mexican cuisine is occupied by corn; all the abundance of dishes in this cuisine consists mostly of the ingredient - corn in any of its forms. As for chili peppers, this is the second ingredient in the cuisine; there are more than 78 varieties of it in Mexico.
As for meat, before Indian cuisine learned Spanish innovations, the variety was game (snakes, beetles, birds, iguanas...). Nowadays you won’t find such dishes anymore; now the meat we are all familiar with is prepared here; fish dishes are especially delicious, for example, swordfish with lemon or cod with garlic.
- By the way, everything about a beach holiday in Mexico, prices, reviews and other aspects of a vacation by the sea can be found on a separate page. Complete section on traveling around Mexico.
Fajita | Fajita
Almost all second courses of Mexican cuisine are spicy. If desired, fajita can be an exception. Soft tortilla, grilled meat or seafood, fresh vegetables, beans, various sauces - all this splendor is served on one plate. The main ingredients must be cut into strips, and the flatbread is served whole. This is done so that everyone can combine the ingredients to their own taste. If you want to try a non-spicy dish in Mexico, just leave out the salsa and pico de gallo (tomato, onion, and chile sauce).
Not just fried eggs
Mexicans call country-style scrambled eggs “huevos rancheros,” however, they serve them in their own way - with chili, bell peppers, beans and the usual corn tortillas. Try this delicious breakfast dish - it's worth it!
True, all the ingredients for the dish must be prepared the night before - salsa sauce, tortillas and frijoles refritos - fried black beans. You will find recipes with photos of these Mexican dishes just above.
Melt 100 g of lard or bacon in a frying pan and fry 2 finely chopped onions. Yes, don’t be surprised, Mexican cuisine loves pork and fries everything in pork fat, even tortillas. Add a pinch of salt and 300g of pre-cooked black beans (which can be replaced with dark beans) to the onion and mash them well or blend with an immersion blender.
Fry a regular fried egg of 6 eggs per 2 tbsp. l. corn oil, and then assemble the snack like a sandwich. Place one corn tortilla on a platter, spread the bean paste on top and carefully place the scrambled eggs, being careful to retain the yolks. Garnish the dish with salsa, slices of white cheese and fresh herbs!
Looking at photos of Mexican dishes, you will once again be convinced that Mexicans are temperamental and cheerful. With such dishes and sauces it couldn’t be otherwise!
Tamales| Tamales
A simple Mexican dish made from steamed corn dough. The filling can be very different: minced meat, beans with chili peppers, vegetables, potatoes, cheese, even fruits. It is placed in a cornmeal dough. The appetizer is cooked in corn or banana leaves, always steamed. They must be removed before use. Inside you will find a juicy delicacy with a very pleasant taste. Be sure to try the cheese tamales - they are incredible!
Flatbread with minced meat
Tacos are somewhat reminiscent of fajitas, but there is one difference. Eaters make their own fajitas, using the fillings, tortillas and sauces provided, and the tacos are already served with delicious contents. This snack is also made from corn or wheat tortillas and a meat filling with vegetables.
Try making authentic Mexican corn tortillas! Dissolve a pinch of salt in 120 ml of warm water and mix a glass of corn flour and half a glass of wheat flour. Combine flour with water, add 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil and knead soft dough. After resting for half an hour, form 8 balls from the dough and roll them into thin flat cakes, and then fry on both sides in a dry frying pan until bubbles appear on their surface.
The filling couldn't be easier to prepare. Fry 500 g of minced pork in a frying pan in vegetable oil, add 2 diced tomatoes and half a red onion, cut into thin half rings. Fry a little more and stuff the flatbreads.
To do this, put minced meat with vegetables on half of the tortilla, cover with the other part and place in the oven for 5 minutes, preheated to 180 °C. Tacos usually don't have sauces added to keep them from running out, but the tortillas can be dipped in sour cream or salsa. It's impossible to tear yourself away!
Tres Leches | Tres Leches
When it comes to sweets in Mexico, you should definitely try the famous “Three Milks” cake. Incredibly delicate, with a porous moist texture, amazingly creamy. The airy sponge cake is soaked in a mixture of three types of milk: baked, condensed and cream. This alone makes the dessert literally melt in your mouth. It is perfectly complemented by buttercream and whipped cream. In Mexico, they like to serve this cake with fruit or jam. Be sure to try it with local coffee or hot chocolate.
Residents of Mexico have a big sweet tooth, so the selection of desserts in supermarkets in Mexico City, Cancun and other cities is traditionally good. Bring home chocolate with chili pepper, as well as sweets based on condensed milk.
Heading to Cancun? Before you go, check out our guide to shopping in Mexico. Clothing, accessories, traditional souvenirs, gift ideas for loved ones, delicacies, drinks - we have collected all the most important things about shopping in one place.
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