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.
- Guide
Jicama: what it is, taste, benefits and how to eat it
The jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) is a round, crunchy tuber, refreshing for its water content. Eaten raw with lime and chilli as a Mexican street snack.
- Guide
Jícara: what it is, what it is made from and what it is used for
Discover the jícara: a natural vessel made from the calabash fruit, used in Mexico to serve chocolate, tejate, pozol and aguas frescas.
- Guide
Jocoque: what it is, what it tastes like and what to substitute for it
Jocoque is a tangy, creamy Mexican fermented dairy product. Discover what it is, its types (dry and sour), what it tastes like and what to use instead.
- Guide
Jumiles: what they are and why they're eaten alive in Taxco
Discover jumiles, edible stink bugs from Taxco eaten alive in salsas and tacos. Origin, cinnamon-iodine flavour and festival in Guerrero.
- Guide
Leche quemada: what it is and how the Oaxacan sweet is made
Leche quemada is a traditional Mexican sweet of milk with sugar caramelised until thick and dark, the base of cajetas, glorias and desserts of central Mexico.
- Guide
Lengua de vaca: what this quelite is, taste and uses
Lengua de vaca (Rumex crispus) is a wild Mexican quelite with elongated leaves and a slightly tart flavour, used in stews and fritters of the high plateau.
- Guide
Mexican Christmas pork loin: what it is and how to make it
The Mexican Christmas pork loin is pork loin baked in a sweet-savoury sauce of prunes, red wine and spices. An emblematic dish of the Christmas Eve dinner.
- Guide
Macarrones de leche: what they are and how to make them
Macarrones de leche are little rolls of caramelised milk sweet wrapped in coloured cellophane, a traditional sweet of Mexican markets.
- Guide
Mafafa: what it is, which parts are eaten and how to cook it
The mafafa (Xanthosoma robustum) is a large Mexican tropical plant whose leaves and tuber are eaten in Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca.
- Guide
Mamey: what it is, taste, benefits and how to eat it
The mamey (Pouteria sapota) is a Mexican tropical fruit with orange-red pulp and a sweet flavour. Used in ice creams, mameyate, antes and shakes. Harvested March to July.
- Guide
Mamoncillo: what it is, taste and how to eat it
Mamoncillo (Melicoccus bijugatus) is a tropical fruit with a green skin and orange pulp eaten in Veracruz, Tabasco and Yucatan.
- Guide
Manchamanteles: what it is and what's in the fruity mole
Learn about manchamanteles, a Mexican fruity mole with pineapple, plantain, apple and ancho chilli, a baroque dish of Puebla and Oaxaca for celebrations.
- Guide
Marquesitas: what they are and how to make them
The marquesita is a crisp rolled wafer with grated Edam ball cheese and Nutella or cajeta, a typical street snack of Merida and the Yucatan Peninsula.
- Guide
Cacahuazintle masa: what it is, its uses in pozole and tamales
Discover cacahuazintle maize: a variety with large white kernels for pozole, fine tamales and special masa. A tradition of the Mexican highlands.
- Guide
Blue maize masa: what it is, its flavour and uses in antojitos
Meet blue maize masa: native maize from Tlaxcala, the State of Mexico and Puebla. Anthocyanin pigments, fruity flavour and antojitos like tlacoyos.
- Guide
Nixtamalised masa: what it is, how it is made and its uses
Meet nixtamalised masa: the base of tortillas, tamales and antojitos. How it is made from nixtamal, its nutritional properties and techniques.
- Guide
Oaxacan memelas: what they are and how to make them
Memelas are Oaxacan antojitos of maize masa cooked on a comal and spread with pork asiento, refried beans, salsa, fresh cheese and coriander. A living pre-Hispanic…
- Guide
Menudo: what it is, how to make it and when it's eaten
Northern menudo is a thick beef tripe broth with hominy and guajillo chilli. Sonora, Chihuahua and Sinaloa serve it on Sundays as a hangover cure.
- Guide
Meocuil: what it is, taste and how the maguey worm is eaten
Discover the meocuil or white maguey worm, a buttery larva from Hidalgo and Tlaxcala. Its flavour, artisanal gathering and use in tacos and mixiotes.
- Guide
Mexican meringues: what they are and how to make them
Mexican meringues are airy sweets of egg white and sugar, sold in markets and squares, white or coloured, a symbol of the national street snack.
- Guide
Metate: what it is, what it is for and how it is used
Discover the metate: a rectangular stone for grinding maize, cacao, chillies and spices. A millennia-old symbol of traditional Mexican cooking.
- Guide
Mezcal: what it is, history and how it differs from tequila
What mezcal is, its pre-Hispanic origin, the types of agave, denomination of origin and the differences with Mexican tequila.
- Guide
Michelada: what's in it, recipe and variations
Michelada: Mexican beer prepared with lime juice, sauces, salt and chilli on the rim. Classic recipe, variants and San Luis Potosí origin.
- Guide
Mixiotes: what they are, how they're made and their origin
Mixiotes are stews of meat marinated with chillies, steamed wrapped in the cuticle of the maguey or in banana leaves. A pre-Hispanic dish of Hidalgo and Tlaxcala.
- Guide
Molcajete: what it is, what it is for and how to season it
Discover the molcajete: a volcanic stone mortar from the pre-Hispanic world for salsas, guacamole and pastes. How to season and use it properly.
- Guide
Molcajeteado: what it is, the technique and how it differs from a blender
Discover molcajeteado: the technique of making salsas and guacamole in a volcanic stone mortar. Textures, flavours and how it differs from a blender.
- Guide
Mole almendrado: what it is and how it's made
Discover mole almendrado, a variant of mole with abundant almonds produced in San Pedro Atocpan, the mole capital of Mexico City.
- Guide
Mole amarillo: what it is, ingredients and how to make it
Discover yellow mole or 'amarillito', one of the seven Oaxacan moles, made with yellow chilhuacle, hoja santa and maize masa as a thickener.
- Guide
Mole chichilo: what it is, taste and how it's made
Discover mole chichilo, the rarest of the seven Oaxacan moles, a ritual dish of mourning with charred black chilhuacle, avocado leaf and chochoyotes.
- Guide
Mole coloradito: what it is, taste and how it's used
Discover mole coloradito, one of the seven Oaxacan moles, sweetish and spiced, ideal for chicken and traditional enchiladas of the Zapotec recipe book.