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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Christmas Eve salad: what it is and how to make it
The Mexican Christmas Eve salad combines beetroot, apple, orange, jicama, lettuce, peanut and pomegranate with a cream dressing. An emblematic dish of 24 December.
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Epazote: what it is, taste, uses and substitutes
Epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides) is a pre-Hispanic aromatic and digestive herb, essential in beans, huitlacoche, quesadillas and broths of Mexican cuisine.
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Escamoles: what they are, history and why they are called Mexican caviar
Escamoles are ant larvae, a pre-Hispanic delicacy from Hidalgo and Tlaxcala known as Mexican caviar. Discover their history and preparation.
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Escobeta: what it is and how it's used in Mexican cooking
The escobeta (Ramaria spp.) is an edible coral mushroom that grows in temperate Mexican forests. It is gathered in the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Puebla and Veracruz.
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Esquites: what they are, history and the street-corn-in-a-cup recipe
What esquites are, their pre-Hispanic origin, ingredients (sweetcorn, epazote, chilli, mayonnaise, cheese) and how they differ from corn in a cup.
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Traditional fermentation: what it is, techniques and drinks
Discover traditional Mexican fermentation: pineapple tepache, maguey pulque, tejuino and tesgüino. Ancestral drinks of the highlands and central Mexico.
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Flautas: what they are and how to make golden taquitos
Flautas are rolled tortillas fried until golden, filled with chicken, potato or beef. A classic Mexican antojito with cream, lettuce and green salsa.
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Squash blossom: what it is, its season and how to clean it
Discover squash blossom, a pre-Hispanic ingredient of quesadillas, soups and crêpes. Varieties, the rainy season and techniques for cleaning it.
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Colorín flower: what it is, how to cook it and its season
Discover the colorín or gualumbo flower, an edible red flower of the tree Erythrina americana. Lenten gathering and traditional stews.
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Izote flower: what it is and how to cook it
Discover the izote flower (Yucca elephantipes), an edible white flower of south-eastern Mexico. Bitter-sweet flavour, gathered in Lent and used in stews.
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Hibiscus flower (jamaica): what it is, uses and benefits
Discover the hibiscus flower (Hibiscus sabdariffa), the red calyx of Mexican agua fresca. Uses in waters, jams, vegetarian tacos and benefits.
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Frying in lard: what it is and how it's used in Mexican food
Discover frying in pork lard: a traditional Mexican technique that gives deep flavour to carnitas, tamales, refried beans and tortillas.
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Veracruz garnachas: what they are and how to make them
Veracruz garnachas are small thick fried tortillas, topped with shredded meat, salsa, onion, dry cheese and potato. A typical antojito of Orizaba.
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Gaznates: what they are and the traditional sweet recipe
Mexican gaznates: a traditional sweet of crisp wafers filled with sweet meringue. A colonial recipe from central Mexico.
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Glorias de Linares: what they are and what's in them
Glorias are the typical sweet of Linares, Nuevo Leon: caramelised goat's-milk paste with walnut, wrapped in cellophane. A Monterrey-region tradition since the 19th…
- Guide
Gorditas: what they are, how to make them and fillings
Gorditas are antojitos of thick maize masa cooked on a comal, split along one side and stuffed with stews such as chicharrón, picadillo or curd cheese. A speciality of…
- Guide
Granadilla: what it is, taste and how it differs from maracuyá
The granadilla (Passiflora ligularis) is a sweet passion fruit with gelatinous orange pulp and edible seeds. Native to the Andes, popularised in Veracruz and Puebla.
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Soursop (guanábana): what it is, taste and how to eat it
The soursop (Annona muricata) is a large tropical fruit with spiny skin and creamy white pulp with a bittersweet flavour. The star of Mexican aguas frescas, ice creams…
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Guava: what it is, benefits, varieties and uses in cooking
The guava (Psidium guajava) is a Mexican tropical fruit, aromatic and rich in vitamin C. White and pink varieties, a key ingredient of Christmas punch and traditional…
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Hanal Pixán: what it is and what is eaten in the offering
Hanal Pixán is the Yucatecan Maya Day of the Dead: three days of offerings with mucbipollo, new atole, beans with pork and traditional sweets. Cultural heritage.
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Hierba mora: what it is, taste and how to cook it
Black nightshade (Solanum americanum) is a wild quelite of central and southern Mexico with edible leaves and berries, used in broths, stews and traditional medicine.
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Hierbabuena: what it is, uses and how it differs from mint
Hierbabuena (Mentha spicata) is a Mediterranean aromatic herb naturalised in Mexico, essential in meatballs, hierbabuena water and traditional tea.
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Hoja santa: what it is, taste, uses and substitutes
Hoja santa (Piper auritum), also called acuyo or hierbasanta, is a large leaf with an aniseed flavour, key to moles, tamales and fish dishes of Veracruz and Oaxaca.
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Avocado leaves: what they are, taste and substitutes
Avocado leaves (Persea americana) are a pre-Hispanic seasoning with an aniseed aroma, essential in beans, mixiotes, mole de olla and barbacoa.
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Maguey mushroom: what it is, season and how to cook it
The hongo de maguey or gachupín (Pleurotus opuntiae) is a species tied to the agave in Hidalgo and Tlaxcala, a traditional ingredient of central Mexican highland cooking.
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Huauzontles: what they are, taste and how to cook them
Huauzontles (Chenopodium berlandieri subsp. nuttalliae) are green flower heads related to amaranth, the base of battered fritters in tomato broth.
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Huaya: what it is, taste and benefits of the fruit
Huaya (Talisia olivaeformis) is a Yucatecan tropical fruit with a hard yellow-green skin and juicy orange pulp of a sweet-and-sour flavour, emblematic of Merida.
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Huitlacoche: what is it, history and why it is called Mexican truffle
Huitlacoche is an edible corn fungus considered a pre-Hispanic delicacy. Discover what it is, its Aztec origin and how it is prepared.
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Itacates: what they are, how they are made and what to eat them with
Discover itacates: thick triangles of nixtamalised maize dough typical of Morelos and Tlaxcala. A market antojito to accompany stews.
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Jamoncillo: what it is, how it's made and where it's from
Jamoncillo: a Mexican sweet of milk, sugar and cinnamon cooked until caramelised. A colonial convent tradition of Puebla, Toluca and central Mexico.