A Guide to Mexican Food

It’s no secret that Mexican food is full of bright colors, fresh ingredients, and delicious flavors that can easily make you a fan of this type of cuisine. However, if you’ve been wondering what the most common preparations are, you’ve come to the right place.

5-Minute Crafts has created this guide to show you some of the most popular Mexican dishes and their main characteristics.

1. Enchiladas

An enchilada consists of a fried corn tortilla filled with vegetables or meat and baked in red or green chili sauce, which gives this recipe a smooth texture. Finally, the enchilada is served with cheese or sauce on top.

2. Enfrijolada

This traditional dish is made of corn tortillas cooked with beans in their sauce. Toppings and fillings can vary, however, it’s possible to find enfrijolada served without cheese, vegetables, and chicken.

3. Huevos rancheros

Huevos rancheros, or “ranch eggs,” are a traditional breakfast recipe in Mexico that has also become very popular in other countries. Although there are different variations for this dish, it basically consists of a red sauce accompanied by chorizo and fried eggs.

💡 You may also find this dish served with tortillas, beans, and meat.

4. Quesadillas

A quesadilla consists of a tortilla filled basically with cheese and then cooked over a griddle. Sometimes, it can also contain spices, meat, chicken, or vegetables. Quesadillas are the perfect dish to enjoy as a snack as they’re very easy to prepare.

5. Tacos

A taco is primarily a tortilla topped with different ingredients that make up a filling. Then, the tortilla is folded to be eaten by hand.

Tacos can be made of a hard or soft tortilla accompanied by either grilled, ground, or shredded meat, along with a variety of vegetables.

6. Tlacoyos

Tlacoyos are made with the same dough used to prepare corn tortillas. Here, dough balls are first shaped with both hands and then given a tortilla-like shape by using a special press. They often contain refried beans and are folded into an oval shape. This dish can be served with fresh salsa and garnished with diced onion, lettuce, and coriander.

7. Mole poblano

Mole poblano is a red-brown sauce often served with chicken or turkey. Although it can be made with a wide variety of ingredients, the traditional ones are chocolate, chili peppers, plantains, pumpkin seeds, almonds, anise, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.

8. Tostadas

Tostadas consist of a crunchy flat tortilla base commonly topped with a refried bean spread, cheese, shredded lettuce, any type of meat, vegetables, and salsa.

9. Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles are fried pieces of corn tortilla with chili sauce poured over them. The mixture is simmered until the tortilla chips become soft and absorb the flavor contained in the sauce. This dish can be found with a wide variety of complementary ingredients, such as chicken, beef, fresh cheese, and eggs.

10. Pozole

Pozole consists of a stew made with chili broth, pork stock, shredded pork, and hominy, a variety of maize found in Latin American countries. While there are different types of Pozole that may contain poblano chili or coriander, the most popular one is red Pozole, which is prepared with Mexican dried chilies.

11. Gorditas

A gordita consists of a pastry filled or topped with meat, vegetables, cheese, and other ingredients, including beans, salsa, and guacamole. Gorditas are prepared with the same type of dough used for tortillas.

12. Tortilla soup

Tortilla soup, or sopa de tortilla in Spanish, consists of chicken and tomato stock topped with fried corn tortillas, lime, avocado, and cream. The crispy tortillas that are soaked in the broth give this preparation a very distinctive taste.