Cuisine Connoisseur

Mexico

Traditional Mexican Food: Top 10 Dishes to Try

If you're visiting Mexico, look out for these traditional dishes to get a real taste of the country's cuisine. Here's our pick of the top 10 must-try meals:

Click here to download our free cookbook of traditional Mexican Recipes!

Chilaquiles

In Mexico, nothing says “traditional Mexican breakfast” like a hot plate of delicious chilaquiles (pronounced chee-lah-KEE-lays). Consisting of lightly fried corn tortillas tossed in salsa verde (chilaquiles verde), or red chile sauce (chilaquiles rojo) with queso fresco and Mexican crema on top. They’re often served with a fried egg and refried beans, and some variations may include additions of sautéed onion, shredded chicken and avocado.

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos rancheros (prounced way-vos-ran-cheuh-ros and meaning “rancher’s eggs") is a typical Mexican breakfast featuring a corn tortilla and a fried egg or sunny side up egg topped with plenty of cooked salsa. This dish was traditionally served to ranchers as a late morning breakfast after they had been hard at work, so you know it’s hearty and delicious!The basic dish consists of fried eggs served on lightly fried or charred corn or flour tortillas topped with a pico de gallo made of tomatoes, chili peppers, onion, and cilantro. Common accompaniments include refried beans, Mexican-style rice, and guacamole or slices of avocado, with cilantro as a garnish.

Torta

A Torta (pronounced taw-tuh) is a Mexican sandwich that is right up there with the taco for most beloved Mexican street food. The Torta is made with freshly baked, soft bread roll, a meat and a number of toppings including avocado, refried beans, mayonnaise, cheese, onions, tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, shredded lettuce and more. It’s pretty much all your favorite taco fix-ins, but instead of serving them in a tortilla, it’s in a roll.

Tamales

Tamales (pronounced tuh-maa-leez) are a traditional Mexican dish consisting of prepared corn masa that is filled with delicious fillings and wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves before being steamed. They can be found in many different sizes and flavors, including Sweet, Ceese and Peppers, Pork Meat, Corn, and Chicken.

Pozole

Pozole (pronounced pow-zowl) is a traditional soup or stew from Mexican cuisine. It is made from hominy with meat, and can be seasoned and garnished with shredded lettuce or cabbage, chilli peppers, onion, garlic, radishes, avocado, salsa or limes.

Tlayuda

Tlayuda (pronounced tla-yu-da) is a handmade dish in traditional Oaxacan cuisine, consisting of a large, thin, crunchy, partially fried or toasted tortilla covered with a spread of refried beans, asiento (unrefined pork lard), lettuce or cabbage, avocado, meat (usually shredded chicken, beef tenderloin or pork), Oaxaca cheese, and salsa. This dish is practically a mexican pizza and a must try!

Quesadilla

A quesadilla (pronounced kay-suh-dee-uh) is a Mexican dish consisting of a tortilla that is filled primarily with cheese, and sometimes meats, spices, and other fillings, and then cooked on a griddle or stove. Traditionally, a corn tortilla is used, but it can also be made with a flour tortilla.

Burrito

A Burrito (pronounced buh-ree-tow) is a Mexican dish consisting of a flour tortilla filled with many ingredients including meat (most often beef, chicken, or pork), rice, cooked beans, vegetables (which include mostly lettuce, tomatoes and cheese) and condiments like salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, or crema.

Taco

A Taco (pronounced ta-kow) is a traditional Mexican food consisting of a small hand-sized corn- or wheat-based tortilla topped with a filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand.

Chiles en nogada

Chiles en nogada (pronounced chee-lehs-ehn-noh-gah-dah) is a Mexican dish of poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo topped with a walnut-based cream sauce called nogada, pomegranate seeds and parsley, and it is typically served at room temperature. It is widely considered a national dish of Mexico.

Cajeta

Conchas

Churros

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