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With intense colors and spices, Mexican cuisine blends flavors from Aztec, Spanish, African, and European heritage. Corn is the cuisine’s foundation and is ground to make flour for tamales and tortillas. Other staples include beans and chilis.

A broad category of small dishes served as appetizers or snacks, a typical antojito could be created atop small tortillas or pan fried flatbreads and might include layers of spiced bean paste, sautéed herbs or chopped vegetables, cheese, and small bits of meat. It can also include small tacos, tostadas, or soups.

This sauce varies widely in flavor and ingredients, but usually is made with ground chilis, herbs and spices, tomatoes, and almost always a bit of chocolate. The result is a rich and complex sauce that most often accompanies chicken, turkey, or enchiladas.

Tamales are a staple of Mexican life and are made from corn pastry rolled around a simple filling of meat and sauce or chilis. Wrapped in a corn husk for convenience, they are cooked by steaming. Street vendors often prepare them as a morning dish for workers, but restaurants also serve them as a main dish with a spicy red or green sauce.

Tamales

The foundation of many Mexican dishes, tortillas are flat circles of corn dough that are fried and rolled around a filling of meat, sauces, spices, and vegetables. Tacos are folded or rolled and eaten by hand. With tostadas, the filling is piled on a flat tortilla that is fried crispy, and enchiladas are rolled and often baked and smothered in a green (verde) or red (rojo) sauce.

Central Mexico’s year round spring-like climate is perfect for growing a wide range of fruits, and the mercados present a dazzling array of fresh fruits including mangoes, papayas, bananas, apples, and pineapples. Cheese, queso, is another staple of Mexican cuisine and each region produces its own unique cheeses. Favorites include oaxaca, chihuahua, creamy panela, and smooth, yellow manchego.

Most Mexican soups, sopas, have a chicken or tomato base. Rich herbs and spices create flavors that are uniquely Mexican. Tortilla soup, albóndigas (meat­ball) soup, and Mexican lime soup, are favorites. Also popular is pozole, a hearty and satisfying stew made from pork and corn.

Pork is slow-roasted in layers of spices and then shredded or cubed into other dishes. Beef is marinated in delicious combinations of wine, lime juice, and spices to create tender arrachera steaks. Chicken, be it braised, grilled, broiled, or boiled is also very popular.

Fish is often grilled and served whole with sauces and sides. Shrimps are hugely popular, served on ice with tangy sauces or as fiery camarones diablo over rice. Crabs, lobster, and oysters are also popular.

In Mexico City you get the flakiest pastries and the lightest puffy sweet rolls called pan dulce. A typical Mexican dessert is the custard-like flan. Also popular are homemade helados (ice creams), sorbetes, and desserts with rich Mexican chocolate.