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
Mole de cazuela: what it is and how to make it step by step
Discover the mole de cazuela technique: toasting chillies and seeds, grinding on a metate, slow simmering. The basis of traditional Mexican moles.
- Guide
Mole de novia: what it is and how the white mole is made
Discover mole de novia, a white mole created by chef Alicia Gironella inspired by the mole of Tlapa, Guerrero, ideal for weddings and festive banquets.
- Guide
Mole de olla: what it is, what's in it and where it's from
Mole de olla is a Mexican beef broth with dried chillies, xoconostle, corn, courgette, green beans and chochoyones. A traditional, hearty, comforting dish from central…
- Guide
Mole de Xico: what it is, what's in it and what it tastes like
Discover mole de Xico, a sweet Veracruz mole with prune, plantain and hazelnuts, an emblematic dish of the sierra of Xico, Veracruz.
- Guide
Oaxacan mole negro: what it is, ingredients and recipe
Discover Oaxacan black mole, the most complex of the seven moles of Oaxaca, with chilhuacle negro, chocolate and more than 30 traditional ingredients.
- Guide
Day of the Dead mole: what it means and why it's offered
Mole is the main dish of the Day of the Dead offering in central and southern Mexico: it is placed to feed the souls and shared with the family.
- Guide
Mole poblano: what it is, history, ingredients and traditional recipe
Mole poblano is the emblematic dish of Puebla with over 25 ingredients. Learn its colonial history, its chillies and how it is traditionally prepared.
- Guide
Mole prieto: what it is and how the tlilmolli is made
Discover mole prieto from Tlaxcala, or tlilmolli, a pre-Hispanic ritual dish made with maize masa, guajillo chilli and pork, tied to Tlaxcalan patron saint feasts.
- Guide
Mole ranchero: what it is and how it differs from poblano
Discover mole ranchero, or mole de rancho, the simple, home-style version of mole poblano with fewer ingredients, popular in the villages of Puebla.
- Guide
Oaxacan mole rojo: what's in it, recipe and secrets
Discover Oaxacan red mole, a traditional dish with red chilhuacle, ancho, mulato and spices, one of the seven emblematic Oaxacan moles.
- Guide
Oaxacan mole verde: what's in it, taste and how to make it
Learn about Oaxacan green mole, made with miltomate, hoja santa, parsley, epazote, mint and fresh green chillies, one of the seven Oaxacan moles.
- Guide
Metate grinding: what it is, how it's done and its uses
Discover grinding on a metate: a pre-Hispanic stone for grinding maize, cacao, chillies and spices. An ancient technique that gives texture and flavour to moles and…
- Guide
Molinillo: what it is, what it is for and how to use it
Meet the Mexican molinillo: a wooden whisk carved from a single piece for frothing hot chocolate. A colonial and Oaxacan tradition.
- Guide
Molotes: what they are, fillings and how to make them
Molotes are elongated fried maize-masa pasties, filled with tinga, potato with chorizo or squash blossom. A classic antojito of Oaxaca and Puebla.
- Guide
Yucatecan mondongo: what it is and how the broth is made
Yucatecan mondongo kabik is a beef tripe broth with red achiote recado, sour orange, plantain and vegetables. It is served on Mondays as a cure.
- Guide
Mostachones: what they are, ingredients and how to make them
Mostachones de Saltillo: traditional Coahuila biscuits with walnut, cinnamon and piloncillo. A living colonial recipe of northern Mexico.
- Guide
Mucbipollo: what it is and how the Yucatecan pib is made
The mucbipollo or pib is the great ceremonial tamale of Yucatan, buried during Hanal Pixan to honour the dead: recipe, history and Maya meaning.
- Guide
Muéganos: what they are and how to make the sweet
The muegano is a Mexican sweet of fried flour dough in little cubes joined with piloncillo syrup. Typical of Tehuacan (Puebla) and Huamantla (Tlaxcala).
- Guide
Nance: what it is, taste and uses of the fruit
The nance (Byrsonima crassifolia) is a small yellow tropical fruit, bittersweet and intensely aromatic. Typical of south-eastern Mexico in ice creams, liqueurs and…
- Guide
Nejayote: what it is and what nixtamal water is used for
Discover nejayote, the yellow water from maize nixtamalisation: its pre-Hispanic origin, culinary value, medicinal uses and environmental challenges.
- Guide
Nixtamalisation: what it is, how it's done and why it matters
Discover nixtamalisation: the pre-Hispanic technique of treating maize with lime that gives rise to tortillas, tamales and the whole Mexican culinary universe.
- Guide
Obleas con cajeta: what they are, origin and recipe
Wafers with cajeta are discs of Host-style wafer filled with burnt cajeta, a traditional sweet of the Mexican Bajio and an emblem of the confectionery of Celaya and…
- Guide
Clay pots: the types, how to season them and what they are for
Discover Mexican clay pots: pre-Hispanic vessels for beans, moles, atoles and rice. Regional types, seasoning and safe, lead-free use.
- Guide
Mexican oregano: what it is, taste and uses
Discover Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens), a herb endemic to the semi-desert. Citrus-menthol aroma, uses in pozole, beans and birria.
- Guide
Oreja de cantaria: what it is and where the mushroom grows
The oreja de cantaria (Pleurotus djamor) is a wild oyster mushroom of Mexican tropical forests, known for its gilled shape and characteristic pinkish colour.
- Guide
Palanqueta: what it is and how the Mexican sweet is made
Palanqueta: a traditional Mexican sweet of peanuts, seeds or walnut with piloncillo or caramelised honey. A simple recipe from central Mexico.
- Guide
Paloma: what's in the cocktail, recipe and origin
Paloma: a classic Mexican cocktail of tequila, grapefruit soda, lime juice and salt on the rim. Jalisco origin and traditional recipe.
- Guide
Pambazos: what they are, origin and how to make them
The pambazo is a Mexico City street torta made with white bread dipped in guajillo chilli salsa, filled with potato and chorizo, lettuce, cheese and cream. An unmissable…
- Guide
Pan de muerto: what it is, symbolism and regional types
Pan de muerto is the ceremonial bread of the Day of the Dead in Mexico: a circular shape with decorative bones and tears, flavoured with orange blossom and aniseed.
- Guide
Pancita: what it is, recipe and how it differs from menudo
Pancita is the Mexico City menudo: beef tripe broth with guajillo or ancho chilli mole, epazote and no hominy. It is sold in tianguis and markets of CDMX.