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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Bacanora: what it is and how it differs from mezcal
Discover bacanora, the Sonoran spirit from Agave angustifolia with DO. History, Porfirian prohibition, distilleries and difference from mezcal.
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Balché: what it is, how it's made and its Maya ritual use
Discover balché, a Maya ritual drink fermented with the bark of the tree Lonchocarpus longistylus, virgin honey and water. Ceremonial uses in Yucatán.
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Pit barbacoa: what it is and how it's cooked underground
Discover pit barbacoa: the pre-Hispanic technique of cooking meat underground wrapped in maguey leaves, the soul of Mexico's Sunday barbacoa.
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Barbacoa: what it is, how it's made and why it's buried
Hidalgo barbacoa is mutton wrapped in maguey leaves and cooked in an earth oven. A Mexican Sunday dish served with its consommé and chickpeas.
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Birria: what it is, history and the traditional recipe from Jalisco
What birria is, its origin in Cocula, Jalisco, ingredients (goat or beef, chillies, spices) and how it differs from barbacoa or quesabirria.
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Borrachitos: what they are and how to make them
Borrachitos are Mexican gummies with a liqueur filling (rum, brandy or tequila), a traditional sweet of Tenancingo, State of Mexico, since the 19th century.
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Bu'pu: what it is and how the Zapotec drink is made
Bu'pu: a frothy Zapotec drink from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec with cacao, maize and aromatic flowers. An ancestral ritual tradition of Oaxaca.
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Mexican buñuelos: what they are, types and recipe
Mexican bunuelos are crisp discs of fried dough bathed in piloncillo syrup, a symbol of the Christmas and New Year festivities throughout Mexico.
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Cacao: what it is, origin, varieties and uses in cooking
Discover cacao (Theobroma cacao), a plant domesticated in Mesoamerica. Criollo varieties, Aztec currency, mole and chocolate from Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca.
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Café de olla: what it is, ingredients and how to make it
Café de olla: traditional Mexican recipe with ground coffee, piloncillo and cinnamon, brewed in a clay pot. The country's iconic hot drink.
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Caldo de habas: what it is and how to make it
Caldo de habas is a Mexican Lenten soup with dried broad beans, tomato, nopales and mint. A vegetarian dish of central Mexico, especially Hidalgo and Tlaxcala.
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Caldo de mariscos: what's in it, recipe and origin
Mexican caldo de mariscos combines prawn, fish, clam and octopus in a tomato broth with guajillo chilli and epazote. Typical of Veracruz, Sinaloa and Nayarit.
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Mexican caldo de pollo: what's in it and how to make it
Mexican caldo de pollo is a golden broth with bone-in pieces, carrot, courgette, chayote, potato and rice. A comforting dish and a classic home remedy.
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Sonoran caldo de queso: what it is and how to make it
Sonoran caldo de queso is a soup of potato, tomato, Anaheim green chilli and ranchero or regional cheese, milky from milk or cream. An emblematic dish of Sonora.
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Caldo de res: what's in it and how to make the puchero
Mexican caldo de res - also called puchero or cocido - is a broth of shank, marrow, corn, potato, carrot, courgette and chayote. A national family Sunday dish.
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Caldo tlalpeño: what it is and how to make the soup
Caldo tlalpeño is a soup originating in Tlalpan, CDMX, with chicken broth, chickpeas, avocado, smoky chipotle and panela cheese. Comforting and emblematic of the…
- Guide
Camotes poblanos: what they are and how they're made
Camotes de Santa Clara: a Puebla convent sweet of cooked sweet potato with sugar, in fruity flavour varieties. A tradition of Puebla Baroque confectionery.
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Cinnamon: what it is, uses in Mexico and vs cassia
Discover the role of Ceylon cinnamon in Mexican cooking. History from the Manila Galleon, mole, atoles, sweets and the difference with cassia.
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Capirotada: what it is, what's in it and how to make it
Mexican capirotada: a traditional Lenten dessert with stale bread, piloncillo syrup, cheese, dried fruits and spices. Colonial tradition and religious symbolism.
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Capulín: what it is, taste and uses of the Mexican cherry
Capulín (Prunus serotina subsp. capuli) is Mexico's native cherry, a purple-red fruit with a bittersweet flavour. Used in tamales, atoles, jams and traditional desserts.
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Clay cazuela: what it is, what it is for and how to use it
Meet the Mexican clay cazuela: a wide, shallow vessel for moles, rice dishes, pipianes and slow braises. A millennia-old Mesoamerican tradition.
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Chalupas poblanas: what they are and how to make them
Chalupas poblanas are small oval tortillas, fried in lard and topped with green or red salsa, sprinkled with onion and shredded meat. An iconic snack from Puebla.
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Chamoyada: what it is, what's in it and how to make it
The chamoyada is a Mexican frozen treat of mango or other fruit bathed in chamoy, chilli powder and tamarind. A typical sweet-and-sour summer street snack.
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Champurrado: what it is, recipe and how it differs from atole
Discover champurrado, a thick maize masa atole with chocolate, piloncillo and cinnamon. Pre-Hispanic history and an emblematic drink of Christmas and the Day of the Dead.
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Chanchamitos: what they are and how to make them
Chanchamitos are small, round tamales typical of Tabasco and Veracruz, made with achiote-dyed dough and a chicken or pork filling in banana leaf.
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Chapulines: what they are, taste and how to eat them
Discover the chapulines of Oaxaca, grasshoppers toasted with garlic, lime and chilli. Pre-Hispanic origin, flavour and uses in tacos, mezcal and antojitos.
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Charape: what it is and how to make the fermented drink
Discover charape, a Purépecha fermented drink from Michoacán made with pulque, piloncillo and spices. Pre-Hispanic origin and traditional recipe.
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Chaya: what it is, benefits and uses of Maya spinach
Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) is the Maya spinach of the Yucatán Peninsula, a nutritious herb essential in eggs with chaya, chaya water and tamales.
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Chicatanas: what they are, taste and how they're eaten
Discover chicatanas, flying leafcutter ants of Oaxaca and Guerrero. Bacon flavour, gathering after the first rain and use in salsas and moles.
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Chicozapote: what it is, taste and its link to chewing gum
The chicozapote (Manilkara zapota) is a tropical fruit of Yucatán and the origin of natural chicle. Sweet pulp with flavours of brown sugar, vanilla and pear. Harvested…