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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Chipilín: what it is, taste and uses in tamales
Chipilín (Crotalaria longirostrata) is an aromatic Chiapas herb essential in tamales, broths and rice, with a herbal flavour between chard and green tea.
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Cherimoya: what it is, taste, benefits and how to eat it
The cherimoya (Annona cherimola) is a highland tropical fruit, with creamy white pulp and a sweet flavour with notes of banana, pineapple and vanilla. Grown in temperate…
- Guide
Chivitos: what they are, taste and how they're eaten
Chivitos (Calandrinia micrantha) are a spring quelite of the Mexican Bajío, with succulent leaves and a mild flavour, gathered in Guanajuato and Michoacán.
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Chochoyotes: what they are and how to make them step by step
Discover chochoyotes: little maize-dough dumplings with a central dimple, simmered in Oaxacan moles and stews. A Zapotec and mestizo tradition.
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Chocolate with chilli: what it is, origin and how to make it
Chocolate with chilli is the original Mesoamerican pre-Hispanic drink: ground cacao with chilli, cinnamon and water or milk. A Maya and Mexica heritage of Oaxaca, Chiapas…
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Mexican table chocolate: what it is, types and how to make it
Mexican table chocolate: an artisanal tablet with cacao, cinnamon and sugar from Oaxaca, Tabasco and Chiapas. Brands, history and traditional uses.
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Clay chocolatera: what it is and what it is used for
Discover the clay chocolatera: a tall jug with a handle for whisking hot chocolate with a molinillo. A tradition of Oaxaca, Tabasco and central Mexico.
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Mexican churros: what they are, how to make them and types
Mexican churros are strips of fried dough coated in cinnamon sugar, served with hot chocolate. Learn their history, variants and typical fillings.
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Cilantro criollo: what it is, taste and uses
Cilantro criollo or cimarrón (Eryngium foetidum) is an aromatic herb of south-east Mexico with a flavour similar to coriander but more intense and longer-lasting.
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Mexican plum (jocote): what it is, taste and how to eat it
The Mexican plum, or jocote (Spondias purpurea), is a bittersweet tropical fruit of the Mexican Pacific. Green as a snack with salt and chilli, ripe in jams and drinks.
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Clavito: what it is and uses of the Mexican wild mushroom
The clavito (Lyophyllum decastes) is a Mexican wild edible mushroom of the temperate forests, prized in the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Puebla and Hidalgo.
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Cocada: what it is, recipe and origin of the coconut sweet
Mexican cocada: a traditional sweet of grated coconut with milk, sugar and egg. A recipe from Guerrero, Colima and the tropical coasts.
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Banana leaf cooking: what it is, how it's done and uses
Discover cooking in banana leaf in the Mexican south-east: tamales, fish, cochinita and mucbipollo wrapped to add aroma and retain moisture.
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Cochinita pibil: what it is, history and the Yucatecan earth-oven recipe
What cochinita pibil is, its Maya origin, ingredients (achiote, bitter orange, banana leaf) and how it was originally cooked in a pib.
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Aguascalientes cuisine: what it is and typical dishes
Discover Aguascalientes cuisine: barbacoa birria, pollo San Marcos, condoches and filled gorditas, flavours of the Aguascalientes highlands.
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Baja California cuisine: what defines it and what to eat
Discover Baja Californian cuisine: Ensenada fish tacos, the Valle de Guadalupe wine route, Baja Med cooking and Pacific seafood.
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Campeche cuisine: what it is, pan de cazón and dishes
Discover Campeche cuisine: pan de cazón, pámpano en escabeche, Campeche panuchos and the Maya, pirate and mestizo heritage of the Gulf of Mexico.
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Chiapas cuisine: what it is and its Maya heritage dishes
Discover Chiapas cuisine: cochito al horno, chipilín tamales, pozol and the Zoque, Tzotzil and Maya heritage of Mexico's southern border.
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Coahuila cuisine: typical dishes and what to eat
Discover Coahuila cuisine: cabrito al pastor, pulque bread, northern asado de puerco and the wine-making legacy of Parras in the Coahuila desert.
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Mexico City cuisine: typical dishes and what to eat
Discover Mexico City cuisine: tacos al pastor, tortas, tlacoyos, pulques, the cuisines of Mexico converging in the country's capital.
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Guanajuato cuisine: what to eat and dishes of the Bajío
Discover Guanajuato cuisine: enchiladas mineras, fiambre, charamuscas and the colonial and mining tradition of the Mexican Bajío.
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Guerrero cuisine: what it is and typical dishes to try
Discover Guerrero cuisine: green pumpkin-seed pozole, chilate, Acapulco-style ceviche and the Nahua and Afro-mestizo tradition of the southern Pacific state.
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Hidalgo cuisine: what it is and typical dishes to try
Get to know Hidalgo cuisine: lamb barbacoa, Real del Monte pastes, mixiotes and pulques with Mining, Otomí and Welsh heritage.
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Jalisco cuisine: what it is, typical dishes and drinks
Explore Jalisco cuisine: goat birria, tortas ahogadas, pozole and tequila, the culinary heart of western Mexico and Guadalajaran culture.
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State of Mexico cuisine: what it is and typical dishes
Discover State of Mexico cuisine: Capulhuac barbacoa, Toluca green chorizo, Lerma river mosquitos and the tradition of Mexico's central highlands.
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Michoacán cuisine: what it is and why it's world heritage
Discover Michoacán cuisine: carnitas, corundas, uchepos and the Purépecha tradition that UNESCO recognised as a paradigm of world heritage.
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Nayarit cuisine: what it is and its typical dishes
Discover Nayarit cuisine: Mexcaltitán pescado zarandeado, Huichol tlaxtihuilli, Nayarit sopes and the Cora-Huichol heritage of the Mexican Pacific.
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Nuevo León cuisine: typical dishes and what to eat
Discover Nuevo León cuisine: cabrito al pastor, machacado with egg, frijoles a la charra and the Monterrey tradition of Mexico's industrial north.
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Oaxacan cuisine: what it is, its history and the seven traditional moles
Discover Oaxacan cuisine: the seven moles, tlayudas, mezcal and the Zapotec-Mixtec tradition declared World Heritage by UNESCO.
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Pueblan cuisine: what it is, key dishes and its history
Discover Pueblan cuisine: mole poblano, chiles en nogada, cemitas and pipianes in a baroque tradition that defines Mexican identity.