Top 44 Foods Is Mexico Known For
Mexico is known for its rich cultural heritage, pristine beaches, and loving people. However, most people who visit the country continue to rave about its cuisine years after they leave Mexico. And there are many signature dishes Mexico is famous for.
Mexico is known for foods like tortillas, machaca, Mexican rice, Aztec soup, enchiladas, guacamole, salsa verde, and several other dishes. These foods include dishes from different parts of the country.
Authentic Mexican cuisine is known for its distinct savory and earthy taste and food that’s fresh and light yet flavorful. In this article, we’ll list some of the foods Mexico is famous for.
Huevos Rancheros
These words translate to ranch-style eggs, and that’s the easiest way to describe huevos rancheros. This dish consists of poached eggs laid out on a hard base of tortilla chips and topped with spicy salsa. And if you’re in the country, it’s worth having this all-time favorite Mexican breakfast at least once.
This dish is pretty popular among farmers in most parts of Mexico, who enjoy it as a mid-morning snack before returning to their duties.
Taco
Tacos are famous all over the world today, but you’ll never find the same flavors as you do in Mexico. For those who don’t know, a taco consists of a wheat-based or corn-based tortilla chip with some type of filling. The filling may be vegetarian or non-vegetarian and typically includes cheese and salsa.
The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand.
Burritos
Burritos are Mexico’s version of a roll and often contain several ingredients, sometimes including Mexican rice.
A burrito is made with a flat piece of tortilla, like a taco. However, this time the tortilla is bigger and lightly heated so it can be folded easily. This tortilla is then filled with ingredients and salsa and wrapped together tightly.
Menudo
Menudo is popularly called mole de panza in Mexico and consists of a homely Mexican soup made with a few key ingredients. One of the critical ingredients is a cow’s stomach soaked in a broth made from red chili paste. Limes, oregano, and various spices are used to season the soup and add that Mexican flavor.
Cochinita Pibil
Cochnitia pibil traditionally involves slow roasting a suckling pig, but today that’s not the only way it’s prepared. This dish is part of the Mayan cuisine and comes from the Yucatan peninsula, dating back many years. It’s an ancient dish that has remained in Mexican culture to this day.
The meat is marinated in strong citrus juice, and annatto seed is added for a specific color and flavor.
Machaca
Machaca is a popular dish in Northern Mexico and in Southwestern parts of the United States (although it’s probably called something else here). Machaca consists of dried meat that’s been rehydrated and used to make various dishes, including tacos and burritos.
Machaca typically consists of pork or beef and makes for a quick-prep meal.
Pozole
Pozole is a thick soup or stew made using hominy along with some meat, typically beef or pork. The stew has many different preparations depending on which region of Mexico you consume it. However, hominy and meat is the typical base for it, and it’s usually garnished with lettuce, bell peppers, and various other veggies.
Frijoles Puercos
A dish originating in Northern Mexico, frijoles puercos is extremely popular all over the country, with each part preparing it slightly differently. The base of this dish includes refried beans blended together with chili peppers, chorizo, and cheese. Most recipes also use certain types of salsa or other ingredients in the mix.
This blend is typically served with tortilla chips, and it’s a favorite at parties.
Esquites
Esquites are a typical snack you can find at one of the many street vendors that inhabit different cities in Mexico. It consists of toasted corn, mayonnaise, cheese, and some spices served in a cup with a spoon so you can stir the ingredients together well.
Enfrijolada
Enfrijoladas are a type of enchilada (you’ll find this dish further down the list) soaked in pureed and spiced black bean sauce. Corn tortillas are covered in black bean sauce and served with or without other ingredients inside them. These tortillas are once more dipped in black bean sauce before consuming, imparting a solid yet delicious natural flavor.
Tlayuda
The Tlayuda is native to the Oaxaca civilization in Mexico and is a popular antojito (snack) all over the country. This dish is sort of like a pizza with a warm, roasted tortilla as the base and refried beans, lard, lettuce, avocado, and shredded meat and cheese as the topping.
Be careful because this dish can be a bit troublesome to consume. But it’s worth the mess!
Flautas
If you’ve had spring rolls before, you should have some idea of what a flauta looks like. This dish consists of tiny tortilla chip rolls, softened by roasting and filled with veggies and meat, along with cheese and salsa. This preparation is then deeply fried, sealing the ingredients within and creating a delectable snack.
Ceviche
At first glance, the ceviche looks like a salad, but you can’t really classify it as one, because salads typically don’t contain seafood. The ceviche is a dish made with raw fish or prawns cured in citric acid to create a strong yet pleasant taste. This dish is usually served as an appetizer, and it was initially consumed in Peru, Chile, and other parts of South America.
Elote
Elote is a popular street food in Latin American culture and is corn on the cob (Mexican-style). The grilled corn is covered with mayonnaise, sauce, cheese, and lime for a flavor-packed snack. The elote became popular as it was the perfect food for the South American continent, considering the abundance of corn.
Platano Frito
Platano frito refers to fried plantain or bananas typically served as a snack in the evenings or early afternoons. Most of the time, sweet plantains are used, so the dish is sweet and crunchy. However, some locals prefer to make the plantains salty and spicy before frying them, which tastes pretty epic too.
Pescado Zarandeado
Pescado means fish, and zarandeado is a type of preparation dating back some five hundred years. It involves splitting the fish down the middle, smothering it in certain spices, and slowly grilling it. The fish is cooked over mesquite, which is a tree bark found in South-Western Mexico that imparts a unique flavor to the fish.
Birria de Chivo
Birria de chivo is a dish often reserved for special occasions, like birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. This dish consists of goat meat marinated in a spicy and tangy sauce before being cooked. This preparation is slowly braised until the meat becomes tender and soft, before being served with lots of salsa and tortilla chips.
Conchas
Concha is a traditional Mexican bread loved all over the country. This bread roll is typically sweet, rounded, and covered by lines and patterns that make it look like a seashell. Conchas are typically consumed with other dishes in the morning. However, most locals love picking up conchas topped with chocolate or vanilla on their way to work.
Horchata
Horchata is the first plant-based dish on this list. However, many prefer adding milk to it, although it tastes perfect without it. Horchata is a popular drink consisting of creamy rice, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla flavor. It’s a drink packed with some vitamins and perfect as a midday refresher.
Beer
While Mexico didn’t invent beer, today, the drink can’t be separated from the rest of Mexican cuisine. In fact, beer is the drink most consumed alongside meals, followed by tequila. While Mexico has certain local beers produced by Mexican breweries, each region also has certain outlets brewing their own beer, so consider giving these local breweries a try.
Pollo Asado
Pollo asado very simply means roasted chicken or barbequed chicken, and this is a dish consumed worldwide. However, pollo asado is different because the chicken is first tossed in tangy Mexican herbs and spices, allowed to sit in the marinade for a while, and then slowly roasted.
So although the preparation is similar to regular roast chicken, the taste and flavors are worlds apart thanks to the Mexican way of preparation.
Churros
Churros are probably one of the best desserts on the planet and come from Spanish cuisine. They have become popular in Mexico and other parts of the world in the last few decades.
Churros are basically like a pastry or a doughnut fried properly but still soft and sweet on the inside. They’re usually prepared in the form of thin sticks that are dipped in powdered sugar once they’ve been fried. Churros are served with a bowl of hot chocolate sauce.
Tortilla Chips
We’ve been talking about tortillas throughout this article, as many Mexican dishes use them as a base. However, tortillas can also be cut into smaller pieces, the size of chips, and served with salsa as a snack. In fact, most Mexican meals are accompanied by a bowl of tortilla chips and dip, to add some crunch to your palate.
Mexican Rice
Mexican rice, or Arroz Rojo, is a type of rice dish served in most Mexican restaurants and households. It’s a staple of Mexican cuisine, like most other cuisines across the world that use rice as a main dish.
Mexican rice is prepared using rice, tomatoes, onions, and garlic, cooked with other ingredients that give it a zest and spicy flavor.
Carnitas
Carnitas is Mexico’s version of pulled pork and consists of pork cooked to the point where it tenderizes and can be shredded apart. This preparation is sometimes served on its own as an accompaniment with rice or tortillas. However, most often, carnitas is used as a filling for tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes that use meat as a filling.
Barbacoa
The word barbeque comes from the term barbacoa, which was a form of cooking meat that originated from the Taino people in the Caribbean. This dish is similar to carnitas but uses beef or lamb that’s slowly cooked while adding seasoning.
Once the meat is ready, it’s shredded into tiny pieces and added as filling to tacos, burritos, and even some soups.
Aztec Soup
Sopa azteca, also popularly known as tortilla soup, is a Mexican favorite during the winter months. This broth is made with onion, garlic, chilies, and other authentic Mexican spices and ingredients. The liquid is then poured over tortilla chips, making the dish both wholesome and crunchy.
Chiles En Nogada
Chiles en nogada was a dish created to signify the confluence of different cultures and costumes within Mexico. This Mexican preparation involves poblano chili stuffed with picadillo (a mixture of meat and spices) and topped with a walnut sauce called nogada. Parsley and pomegranate seeds are added to this base, and the dish is served at room temperature.
Chiles en nogada is popularly regarded as the national dish of Mexico.
Quesadilla
A quesadilla is a traditional Mexican dish popular all over the world today. It consists of a piece of tortilla stuffed with cheese and cooked on a stove. Cooking it this way seals the ends of the tortilla, so you’re left with a sort of flat, sealed taco stuffed with cheese. In most cases, the locals also add other veggies and meats into the folds of the tortilla.
Tamales
Tamales are a traditional Mexican dish made with corn dough or maize flour mixed together with meat, like beef or chicken, along with beans and cheese. This mixture is cooked inside a corn husk or banana leaf to retain certain elements and impart a distinct flavor to the dish. Most people remove the corn husk and discard it before eating.
However, you can also use the banana leaf or husk as a plate to ensure things don’t get messy.
Chili Con Carne
Literally translating to chili with meat, chili con carne is an authentic dish originating in Northern Mexico and has gradually spread to different Latin American countries. Chili con carne consists of a thick broth with chile peppers, meat, tomatoes, and beans. Some preparations may use other ingredients as well, but these ingredients are an essential part of the dish.
Chicken Fajitas
Chicken fajitas can be prepared with the least amount of effort. However, no one makes this dish like the Mexicans, and if you’re in the country, you have to try it out.
The chicken is seared and cooked to perfection before being tossed with bell peppers, onions, lime juice, and garlic. The dish is usually served with tortillas and salsa.
Tacos Al Pastor
Tacos al pastor is a taco preparation borrowed from Lebanese cuisine. This dish originated in the Mexican region of Puebla and has become common throughout the country. It typically involves a roll of meat, as seen in places that serve shawarmas, and the meat is neatly chipped off and placed inside tacos.
Frijoles Charros
Frijoles charros is a popular dish named after the Mexican cowboys (charros) who would eat something similar before riding out. The dish consists of a stew made from pinto beans, onions, garlic, and bacon. These ingredients form the base of the stew, with some preparations including chili peppers, spices, and even other meats.
Chilaquiles
Chilaquiles are considered a breakfast dish. However, it makes for a great evening snack as well. This particular dish consists of corn tortilla chips, over which salsa is poured to soften the chips. This base is then heated till the chips get soft and garnished with cheese, spices, and sometimes meat.
Tostadas
Tostadas is the traditional name given to any Mexican dish that uses a corn tortilla as its base. The corn tortillas are typically flattened, unlike a taco, where the tortilla is curved. This flat base is topped with different ingredients, like meat, beans, veggies, and spices.
Enchiladas
Enchiladas are like a mix between tacos and burritos. An enchilada is a tortilla laid open and covered in a variety of ingredients, including meat, beans, and several other things. This tortilla is then wrapped around into a loosely packed roll. Finally, the tortilla wraps are covered with a spicy or savory sauce.
Mole
The term mole is a Nahuatl word for sauce and is a traditional marinade and sauce used in Mexican cuisine. This sauce is prepared with chili pepper, certain spices, and nuts and is often served as a gravy with rice.
Guacamole
Guacamole was started in Mexico, but its popularity has spread across the world, and it is used as a dip and in various salad preparations. Guacamole is made with blended avocado as the base, to which onions, tomatoes, and other fresh leaves may be added. This dip is usually served at meals with a side of tortillas.
Fruit Salsa
As the name suggests, fruit salsa is a sauce made using fruits instead of the usual tomatoes and chilies used to make traditional salsa. However, some fruit salsa preparations use onions, spices, and lime juice to make the dish tangy.
Salsa Verde
Salsa verde is an authentic Mexican sauce made from green chili peppers and tomatillo. Unlike regular salsa, this one is green and typically spicier. The dish used onions, parsley, coriander, and hot peppers, and its history can be dated back to the Aztec empire.
Salsa
Everyone in the world probably knows about salsa, but there’s no salsa like Mexican salsa. And fortunately, it’s used in nearly every aspect of their cooking, so you can rest assured you’ll get to taste the authentic flavors while you’re in the country.
While tomato is the base for all salsa preparations, this dip is made differently in various parts of the country.
Sopa De Lima
Sopa de Lima, or Mexican Lime Soup, is a hearty broth made with lime, chicken stock, chicken, and crisp tortillas. This soup is from the Yucatan state of Mexico and is often prepared with other spices and meats as well. It makes for a hearty meal at any time of the day.
Cocadas
Cocadas are a dessert made with coconut, vanilla extract, and brown sugar, with some preparations adding cloves, cinnamon, and other flavors. Cocadas are popular all over Latin America, especially in Mexico, where different parts of the country prepare them differently.
This light, fluffy dessert is the perfect way to seal any Mexican meal. Cocadas are prepared in the oven but allowed to cool properly before they’re served so that you can experience the crunch and softness of this dessert.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it! A list of the most popular foods you’ll find when visiting Mexico. It’s worth keeping a checklist of things to eat when you visit to ensure you get a taste of everything. And by doing so, you will not only explore the country but the rich cuisine that shaped its history and culture.