Basic List

Mexican cuisine is so rich and varied, that an exhaustive list is next to impossible to assemble. Not all of the dishes are spicy, but take care to ask the waiter if a certain item is picante before ordering. Enjoy!

Barbacoa: Mutton cooked underground and served in tacos.

Burritos: Wheat flour tortilla filled with meat or cheese.

Cabrito: Roasted kid. (Real popular in Northern Mexico).

Carne Asada: Thin slices of grilled beef served with corn or wheat flour tortillas.

Carnitas: Chunks of roasted pork. (A bit greasy, but delicious). Fill tortilla with meat, add avocado, coriander, onion and hot sauce.

Cebollitas: Grilled onions along with anything and are great with lime and salt.

Cecina: Dried slices of beef or pork prepared in all sorts of sauces or grilled.

Ceviche: Raw fish or other seafood marinated for hours in lime juice and served as a cocktail with chopped onion, avocado, coriander and tomato.

Chuleta: A beef (res), pork (cerdo) or lamb chop.

Chicharron: Fried pork rind served with carnitas or other types of cooked meat. A popular appetizer with tortillas and sauce.

Chilaquiles: Fried tortilla chips served in a platter with sauce and cheese sprinkled on top. Often comes with shredded chicken or a fried egg on top. Popular for breakfast.

Chile en Nogada: Chile pepper (hot) filled with a meat stuffing, batter-fried and covered with a creamy walnut sauce. Pomegrante seeds and a bit of parsley are sprinkled on top to represent the red, white and green color of the Mexican flag. Specialty of the summer season.

Chile Relleno: Deep fried pepper (hot) stuffed with cheese or meat and covered with tomato sauce.

Chorizo: Spicy Mexican sausage served in a variety of ways.

Churros: Tubes of fried dough covered with sugar and accompanied with hot chocolate.

Cochinita Pibil: Shredded pork served with a spicy sauce — a specialty of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Dulce en Almibar: Preserved fruit served in a sugar syrup.

Enchiladas: A semi-fried corn tortilla filled with chicken and covered with cheese, sauce and sometimes onion slices.

Flan: Rich custard topped with a caramel sauce.

Flor de Calabaza: Squash flowers served in quesadillas or as a side dish.

Frijoles: Standard Mexican boiled bean dish served with just about everything. Refritos are beans mashed and fried in oil or lard.

Gorditas: Fried corn dough filled with refried beans and topped with cream, cheese and lettuce.

Guacamole: Mashed avocado with tomato, onion, lemon juice, salt and garlic.

Huauchinango al Mojo de Ajo: Red snapper fried with lots of chopped garlic. Served in filet or the complete fish (entero).

Huitlacoche: A mushroom-like fungus taken from ears of corn. A real treat served in quesadillas, as a garnish or as a filling in various dishes.

Machaca: Dried shredded beef, sauteed and served with wheat flour tortillas. Sometimes served with eggs or in various sauces. (Popular in the northern states).

Menudo: Pieces of intestine served in broth.

Milanesa: Breaded pork, beef or chicken steak. Fried and served with tortillas.

Mole [MO-lay]: A truly Mexican sauce composed of chocolate, ground chili peppers and lots of spices. Usually poured over chicken or enchiladas. There are various types of moles, including Poblano, Oaxaqueño and pipian. (A bit spicy, but a side dish of avocado helps cool the tongue).

Recipes for red mole and black mole. Mole classes

Natilla: A thin custard pudding.

Nopales: Prickly pear cactus leaves — most popular in salads or grilled in tacos.

Pancita: Cow’s stomach served in rich broth.

Pozole: Hearty hominy soup with shredded pork and garnished with lettuce, radishes, chopped onion, oregano and chili pepper.

Quesadillas: Fried tortillas filled with cheese, chopped beef, potatoes, beans, squash flowers or many other possible combinations. Served with hot sauce.

Queso Fundido: Melted cheese served with either corn or wheat flour tortillas, sort of fondue style.

Romeritos: Rosemary stalks prepared in mole or other types of sauces.

Salsa: Spicy sauce served with everything in varying degrees of hot. May be red or green or made of chopped onion, tomato, and chili peppers. Every restaurant has its own specialty.

Sopes: A grilled tortilla covered with hot sauce, sprinkled cheese and chopped onion.

Tacos: A soft corn tortilla filled with meat, chicken or pork. Very unlike U.S.-style tacos.

Tamales: Banana leaves or corn husks filled with corn meal and sometimes pieces of chicken or pork. Sweet tamales are flavored with sugar and served as a desert. Tamales classes

Tortas: A hard-crust roll filled with meat or cheese and tomato, avocado, onion, cream, chili pepper or hot sauce.

Tortillas: Basic part of a Mexican meal. Tortillas are made of ground corn or wheat flour (popular fried, in the northern states of the country). Best served hot, they are called tostadas.

Tostadas: Fried corn tortilla covered with shredded chicken or beef, tomatoes, lettuce, cream, chili peppers and cheese. Classic tostadas