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Mexico Tourism: Food & Drink

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Achiote -- Small red seed of the annatto tree.

Achiote preparado -- A Yucatecan prepared paste made of ground achiote, wheat and corn flour, cumin, cinnamon, salt, onion, garlic, and oregano.

Agua fresca -- Fruit-flavored water, usually watermelon, cantaloupe, chia seed with lemon, hibiscus flour, rice, or ground melon-seed mixture.

Antojito -- Typical Mexican supper foods, usually made with masa or tortillas and having a filling or topping such as sausage, cheese, beans, and onions; includes such things as tacos, tostadas, sopes, and garnachas.

Atole -- A thick, lightly sweet, hot drink made with finely ground corn and usually flavored with vanilla, pecan, strawberry, pineapple, or chocolate.

Botana -- An appetizer.

Buñuelos -- Round, thin, deep-fried crispy fritters dipped in sugar.

Carnitas -- Pork deep-cooked (not fried) in lard, and then simmered and served with corn tortillas for tacos.

Ceviche -- Fresh raw seafood marinated in fresh lime juice and garnished with chopped tomatoes, onions, chiles, and sometimes cilantro.

Chayote -- A vegetable pear or mirliton, a type of spiny squash boiled and served as an accompaniment to meat dishes.

Chiles en nogada -- Poblano peppers stuffed with a mixture of ground pork and beef, spices, fruits, raisins, and almonds. Can be served either warm -- fried in a light batter -- or cold, sans the batter. Either way it is then covered in walnut-and-cream sauce.

Chiles rellenos -- Usually poblano peppers stuffed with cheese or spicy ground meat with raisins, rolled in a batter, and fried.

Churro -- Tube-shaped, breadlike fritter, dipped in sugar and sometimes filled with cajeta (milk-based caramel) or chocolate.

Cochinita pibil -- Pork wrapped in banana leaves, pit-baked in a pibil sauce of achiote, sour orange, and spices; common in the Yucatán.

Enchilada -- A tortilla dipped in sauce, usually filled with chicken or white cheese, and sometimes topped with mole (enchiladas rojas or de mole), or with tomato sauce and sour cream (enchiladas suizas -- Swiss enchiladas), or covered in a green sauce (enchiladas verdes), or topped with onions, sour cream, and guacamole (enchiladas potosinas).

Escabeche -- A lightly pickled sauce used in Yucatecan chicken stew.

Frijoles refritos -- Pinto beans mashed and cooked with lard.

Garnachas -- A thickish small circle of fried masa with pinched sides, topped with pork or chicken, onions, and avocado, or sometimes chopped potatoes and tomatoes, typical as a botana in Veracruz and Yucatán.

Gorditas -- Thick, fried corn tortillas, slit and stuffed with choice of cheese, beans, beef, chicken, with or without lettuce, tomato, and onion garnish.

Horchata -- Refreshing drink made of ground rice or melon seeds, ground almonds, cinnamon, and lightly sweetened.

Huevos mexicanos -- Scrambled eggs with chopped onions, hot green peppers, and tomatoes.

Huitlacoche -- Sometimes spelled "cuitlacoche." A mushroom-flavored black fungus that appears on corn in the rainy season; considered a delicacy.

Manchamantel -- Translated, means "tablecloth stainer." A stew of chicken or pork with chiles, tomatoes, pineapple, bananas, and jicama.

Masa -- Ground corn soaked in lime; the basis for tamales, corn tortillas, and soups.

Mixiote -- Rabbit, lamb, or chicken cooked in a mild chile sauce (usually chile ancho or pasilla), and then wrapped like a tamal and steamed. It is generally served with tortillas for tacos, with traditional garnishes of pickled onions, hot sauce, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges.

Pan de muerto -- Sweet bread made around the Days of the Dead (Nov 1-2), in the form of mummies or dolls, or round with bone designs.

Pan dulce -- Lightly sweetened bread in many configurations, usually served at breakfast or bought in any bakery.

Papadzules -- Tortillas stuffed with hard-boiled eggs and seeds (pumpkin or sunflower) in a tomato sauce.

Pibil -- Pit-baked pork or chicken in a sauce of tomato, onion, mild red pepper, cilantro, and vinegar.

Pipián -- A sauce made with ground pumpkin seeds, nuts, and mild peppers.

Poc chuc -- Slices of pork with onion marinated in a tangy sour orange sauce and charcoal-broiled; a Yucatecan specialty.

Pozole -- A soup made with hominy in either chicken or pork broth.

Pulque -- A drink made of fermented juice of the maguey plant; best in the state of Hidalgo and around Mexico City.

Quesadilla -- Corn or flour tortillas stuffed with melted white cheese and lightly fried.

Queso relleno -- "Stuffed cheese," a mild yellow cheese stuffed with minced meat and spices; a Yucatecan specialty.

Rompope -- Delicious Mexican eggnog, invented in Puebla, made with eggs, vanilla, sugar, and rum.

Salsa verde -- An uncooked sauce using the green tomatillo and puréed with spicy or mild hot peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro; on tables countrywide.

Sopa de flor de calabaza -- A soup made of chopped squash or pumpkin blossoms.

Sopa de lima -- A tangy soup made with chicken broth and accented with fresh lime; popular in Yucatán.

Sopa de tortilla -- A traditional chicken broth-based soup, seasoned with chiles, tomatoes, onion, and garlic, served with crispy fried strips of corn tortillas.

Sopa tlalpeña (or caldo tlalpeño) -- A hearty soup made with chunks of chicken, chopped carrots, zucchini, corn, onions, garlic, and cilantro.

Sopa tlaxcalteca -- A hearty tomato-based soup filled with cooked nopal cactus, cheese, cream, and avocado, with crispy tortilla strips floating on top.

Sope -- Pronounced "soh-peh." An antojito similar to a garnacha, except spread with refried beans and topped with crumbled cheese and onions.

Tacos al pastor -- Thin slices of flavored pork roasted on a revolving cylinder dripping with onion slices and juice of fresh pineapple slices. Served in small corn tortillas, topped with chopped onion and cilantro.

Tamal -- Incorrectly called a tamale (tamal singular, tamales plural). A meat or sweet filling rolled with fresh masa, wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf, and steamed.

Tikin xic -- Also seen on menus as "tik-n-xic" and "tikik chick." Charbroiled fish brushed with achiote sauce.

Torta -- A sandwich, usually on bolillo bread, typically with sliced avocado, onions, tomatoes, with a choice of meat and often cheese.

Xtabentun -- Pronounced "shtah-behn-toon." A Yucatecan liquor made of fermented honey and flavored with anise. It comes seco (dry) or crema (sweet).

Zacahuil -- Pork leg tamal, packed in thick masa, wrapped in banana leaves, and pit-baked, sometimes pot-made with tomato and masa; a specialty of mid- to upper Veracruz.

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