Mexican food guides
What is huitlacoche? Where does mole poblano come from? We answer the most common questions about Mexican dishes and ingredients, with history, origin and recipes to cook them at home in Canada.
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Panuchos: what they are and how to make them
Panuchos are Yucatecan antojitos: puffed tortillas filled with strained black bean, fried and topped with cochinita pibil or turkey, pickled red onion and avocado.
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Panza de ratón: what it is, taste and how to cook it
The panza de ratón (Lycoperdon perlatum) is a wild edible mushroom of the Mexican highlands, gathered while tender in the pine forests of Puebla, Tlaxcala and Hidalgo.
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Papadzules: what they are, Yucatecan origin and recipe
Papadzules are maize tortillas filled with chopped boiled egg and bathed in pumpkin-seed sauce, an emblematic dish of Yucatecan Maya cuisine.
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Pápalo: what it is, taste and uses in Puebla cooking
Pápalo (Porophyllum macrocephalum) is a raw aromatic Puebla herb with a flavour of strong coriander and rue, essential in cemitas, tlacoyos and broths.
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Papaloquelite: what it is, taste and uses in cemitas
Papaloquelite (Porophyllum ruderale) is an aromatic herb of Puebla cuisine, fresh and intensely scented, essential in cemitas, tlacoyos and tacos.
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Papaya: what it is, benefits, varieties and how to eat it
The papaya (Carica papaya) is a tropical fruit native to Mesoamerica with sweet orange flesh; Mexico is one of the world's leading exporters.
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Mexican Christmas turkey: what it is, stuffing and marinade
The Mexican Christmas turkey is stuffed with a meat, fruit and nut picadillo, and roasted with a marinade of chillies, spices and citrus. The star dish of 24 December.
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Pepitas: what they are, benefits and uses in cooking
Discover pepitas (pumpkin seeds), pre-Hispanic seeds at the base of pipianes, sikil pak and sweets. Varieties, nutritional value and uses in Mexico.
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Pepito: what it is and what's in the Mexico City torta
The pepito is a Mexican torta of toasted telera bread with griddled steak, melted cheese, avocado and chillies. A speciality of Mexico City torta shops.
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Pepitorias: what they are and how to make the sweet
Pepitorias are sweet wafers of toasted pumpkin seeds and piloncillo caramel, a typical sweet of central Mexico and a pre-Hispanic legacy fused with convent tradition.
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Pib: what the Maya earth oven is and how it's used
Discover the pib, the Maya earth oven: how it is dug, heated with stones and used to cook cochinita pibil, mucbipollo and tamales in banana leaves.
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Veracruz picadas: what they are and how to make them
Veracruz picadas are thick tortillas with pinched edges, bathed in red, green or bean salsa, with cheese and onion. A jarocho breakfast antojito.
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Pichancha: what it is and its role in making nixtamal
Meet the pichancha: a perforated clay vessel for draining nixtamal before grinding. A pre-Hispanic utensil at the heart of Mexico's maize cookery.
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Christmas adobo pork leg: what it is and how to roast it
The Mexican Christmas marinated pork leg is pork leg marinated in guajillo and ancho chillies and spices, slowly baked. A central dish of the Christmas Eve dinner.
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Piñuela: what it is, taste and uses of the fruit
The piñuela (Bromelia pinguin) is the fruit of a wild bromeliad of south-eastern Mexico, bittersweet and aromatic. Used in refreshing drinks, atoles and traditional…
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Red pipián: what it is, ingredients and how to make it
Learn about red pipián, the Mexican salsa with pumpkin seed, guajillo chilli, sesame and peanut, a dish of central and southern Mexico.
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Green pipián: what it is and how to make the salsa
Discover green pipián, a pre-Hispanic salsa of pumpkin seed, miltomate, hoja santa and green chilli, native to Puebla and central Mexico.
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Pipicha: what it is, taste and uses in cooking
Pipicha (Porophyllum tagetoides) is an aromatic Oaxacan herb with slender leaves and a citrus-aniseed aroma, essential in chileatoles and corn dishes.
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Pitahaya: what it is, taste and health benefits
Pitahaya (Hylocereus undatus) is a cactus fruit with a pink scaly skin and white or red pulp with small seeds, grown in Yucatan and Quintana Roo.
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Pitaya: what it is, types, taste and how to eat it
The pitaya is the fruit of columnar cacti (Stenocereus spp.) and climbing cacti (Hylocereus). Native to Mexico, it offers colourful pulp in pink, white, yellow and…
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Plantain: what it is, how to cook it and its uses
The plantain (Musa paradisiaca) is a large, starchy variety eaten cooked, fried or roasted in Tabasco, Veracruz, Chiapas and Mexican cuisine in general.
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Polvorones: what they are, recipe and Mexican variants
Mexican polvorones: traditional lard biscuits with icing sugar. Pink, orange and butter variants. An adapted Andalusian colonial recipe.
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Mexican Christmas ponche: what's in it and how to make it
Mexican Christmas ponche: traditional posada recipe with tejocotes, sugar cane, guava, apple and piloncillo. A hot December drink.
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Popo: what it is and how the frothy Veracruz drink is made
Popo: a pre-Hispanic frothy drink of cacao, maize, chupipi vine and sugar. Traditional of Tuxtepec, Acayucan and the Veracruz Sierra de Sotavento.
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Pox: what it is, how it's drunk and the spirit's origin
Discover pox, the Tzotzil-Tzeltal spirit of maize, cane and wheat. A Maya ceremonial drink in San Juan Chamula, recipes and revaluation.
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Pozol: what it is, ingredients and how it's drunk
Pozol: a pre-Hispanic fermented drink of nixtamalised maize dough, cacao and water. Traditional of Tabasco and Chiapas, it refreshes field work for hours.
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Independence Day pozole: what it is and why it's eaten
Pozole is the centrepiece of Mexico's Independence Cry on 15 September: a cacahuazintle maize broth with meat, chilli and fresh garnishes.
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Pozole: what it is, history and traditional Mexican recipe
What pozole is, its pre-Hispanic history, ingredients (cacahuazintle maize, meat, chillies) and the regional red, white and green recipes.
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Pulque: what it is, history and the process of the fermented maguey drink
Discover pulque, a pre-Hispanic fermented drink made from maguey aguamiel. Tlachiqueros, pulquerías and curados of Hidalgo and Tlaxcala.
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Cenizo quelite: what it is, taste and how to cook it
Cenizo quelite (Chenopodium berlandieri) is a pre-Hispanic edible herb of the Mexican highlands, the wild ancestor of huauzontle, with ash-grey leaves.