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.
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Tejocote: what it is, taste and uses in Christmas ponche
The tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) is a yellow-orange, bittersweet and aromatic fruit, an essential ingredient of Mexican Christmas punch and traditional sweets.
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Tejuino: what it is, how it's made and where to drink it
Discover tejuino, a drink of fermented nixtamalised maize masa, piloncillo and lime. Pre-Hispanic origin and popularity in Jalisco and Colima.
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Tepache: what it is, how it's made and how it differs from kombucha
Discover tepache, a fermented drink of pineapple, piloncillo and cinnamon. Pre-Hispanic origin, traditional recipe and differences with the Mexican kombucha.
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Tesgüino: what it is and how the maize beer is made
Discover tesgüino, a fermented drink of sprouted maize from the rarámuri of the Sierra Tarahumara. Recipe, ritual use and ball races.
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Tetelas: what they are, what they are filled with and how they are made
Discover tetelas: triangles of nixtamalised maize dough filled with beans, cheese or asiento, typical of Puebla, Oaxaca and the Mixteca region.
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Tlacoyos: what they are, fillings and how to make them
Tlacoyos are pre-Hispanic antojitos of blue maize masa stuffed with broad bean, bean or curd cheese, cooked on a comal. A speciality of central Mexico and of market…
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Tlaxcala cuisine: what defines it and typical dishes
Get to know Tlaxcala cuisine: tlatlapas, mole prieto, muñeca tamales, edible insects and the millennia-old maize tradition in the smallest state in Mexico.
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Tornachile: what it is, its history and uses of the güero
Discover the tornachile chilli, a historic variety of güero chilli key to viceregal Mexican cuisine and a precursor of today's chiles en escabeche.
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Torta ahogada: what it is and how to eat the Guadalajara icon
The torta ahogada is the street icon of Guadalajara: salty birote filled with carnitas and completely bathed in tomato or chile de árbol salsa. An essential dish of…
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Torta cubana: what's in it, origin and how to make it
The torta cubana is the largest torta in Mexico: telera bread filled with milanesa, ham hock, ham, sausage, chorizo, cheese, avocado and egg. A speciality of the Centro…
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Tortillera: what it is, the types and how to use the press
Discover the tortillera, or tortilla press: the Mexican utensil that shapes nixtamalised maize dough into perfect discs. Wood, iron or aluminium.
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Tortitas de camarón: what they are and how to make them
Dried prawn fritters are crisp discs made from ground dried prawns and egg, simmered in romeritos with mole. A Lenten dish from central Mexico.
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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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Trompa de puerco: what the mushroom is and how to cook it
The trompa de puerco (Hypomyces lactifluorum) is a wild mushroom of Mexican pine forests, of intense orange colour, gathered in the State of Mexico and Veracruz.
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Tuba: what it is, origin and how the palm drink is made
Discover tuba, a fermented drink of coconut palm sap from Colima and Guerrero. Filipino origin, the tubero's technique and variants with fruit.
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Tuna (prickly pear): what it is, history and varieties of the nopal fruit
The tuna is the fruit of the nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica), sweet and refreshing, native to Mexico. Eaten fresh, in water, ice cream or jam. Harvested June to October.
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Uchepos: what they are and how the sweetcorn tamales are made
Discover uchepos, sweet Michoacán tamales of tender sweetcorn, an emblematic dish of Purépecha cuisine during the fresh sweetcorn season.
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Vaporcitos: what they are, origin and recipe
Vaporcitos are small Yucatecan tamales of patted dough with achiote, chicken and banana leaf, steamed. Recipe, origin and how to serve them.
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Veracruz cuisine: what it is and its traditional dishes
Get to know Veracruz cuisine: huachinango a la veracruzana, arroz a la tumbada, picadas and the fusion of indigenous, Spanish and Afro-Caribbean cultures of the Gulf.
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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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Veracruz picadas: what they are and how to make them
Veracruz picadas are thick tortillas with pinched edges, bathed in red, green or bean salsa, with cheese and onion. A jarocho breakfast antojito.
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Virgin of Guadalupe food: what is eaten on 12 December
On the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, tamales, atole, pozole, mole and antojitos are eaten at fairs and pilgrimages. A national religious-gastronomic tradition.
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White sapote: what it is, taste, benefits and how to eat it
The white sapote (Casimiroa edulis) is a Mexican tropical fruit with creamy white pulp, sweet and aromatic. Traditionally used as a natural sedative in traditional…
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Xamues: what they are, taste and how they're eaten
Discover xamues, giant mesquite bugs of the high plateau of Hidalgo, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí. Sour-apple flavour and use in salsas.
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Xcatic chilli: what it is, taste, heat and substitutes
The xcatic or x-catic chilli is the Yucatecan güero chilli used in tikin xic fish, pickles and peninsular dishes. Discover its flavour and Maya origin.
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Xoconostle: what it is, benefits and uses in cooking
The xoconostle is the tart prickly pear (Opuntia matudae), with pinkish pulp and a sour flavour. Used in salsas, mole de olla, preserves and traditional Mexican medicinal…
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Yahualica chile de árbol: what it is, heat and uses
Discover the Yahualica chile de árbol, the first designation of origin for a Mexican chilli, grown in the Altos de Jalisco with superior quality.
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Yellow costeño chilli: what it is, heat and uses in mole
The yellow costeño chilli is an Oaxacan dried chilli, the base of mole amarillo and chichilo. Discover its origin, citrusy flavour and uses in regional cuisine.
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Yema de huevo: what the wild mushroom is and how to use it
The yema de huevo (Amanita basii) is a yellow wild mushroom of the Mexican forests, an endemic species gathered in the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala and Puebla.
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Yucatecan cuisine: what it is, typical dishes and influences
Get to know Yucatecan cuisine: cochinita pibil, sopa de lima, recado rojo and the Maya, Spanish and Lebanese fusion of the Yucatán peninsula.