Mexico Vacation Travels Pictures, Reviews, & Deals » Mexican Food: Authentic & Traditional Mexican Foods

Best Food: Coffe in Oaxaca

Rachel — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 08:44:09 +0000

Oaxaca is basically known for its coffee as their agricutural industry rely on growing cacaos. Theirs is a specialty coffee which comes with a mild milk-chocolatey flavor, produced in large amounts organically. Oaxaca coffees are usually for trade fair and export quality which is why you would wonder why elsewhere in Mexico, restaurants serve brewed coffee rather than their authentic product.

The basic ingredient for an authentic Oaxaca coffee is cinnamon and sugar, or the la olla. And in some cases, they add banana to the mixture (mole). You can buy these in canned or grounded kinds and it would still taste good, but to a lesser degree than buying the real beans at stores in town. If you’re buying then in the market, look for Pluma coffee as this is what it is called. These can be perfect for bringing home to friends as gifts or stocking up when you get back from your trip. You can just grind and brew this yourself and enjoy Oaxaca coffe in the comforts of your home. When cooked right, Oaxaca coffee delivers a smooth but intense flavor.

But if you’re looking to try the coffee while in Mexico, you can check out these coffee shops, as they are known to serve some of the best tasting varieties:

Cafe Brujula located near Santo Domingo is a charming cafe which serves coffee that is roasted and brewed to perfection. They also sell these by the pack. Aside from coffee, this cafe offers salads and pastries like limonada, as well as sandwiches.

Cafe Nuevo Mundo located at M. Bravo 206 prides itself with its handcrafted coffee blended to perfection and roasted at the shop daily. Their specialty is this dark roasted coffee which brins out a rich, distinct and creamy chocolate flavor. Their place is quite cozy and relaxing as well.

Best Food: Tamales in Playa Del Carmen

Rachel — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 08:13:22 +0000

The tamales is a traditional dish made of starchy dough called masa. It is then boiled or steamed with banana leaves to wrap it. The inside of a tamales is filled with different kinds of meat, chili, vegetables and cheese and preparation varies depending on the recipe.

Tamales is a staple in every Mexican home and is a lot similar to sandwiches in the Western world. The Mayans and the Aztecs were originally said to have tamales as their food and these were served for their hunters and travellers.

Today though, the tamales is sort of a comfort food that can be eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner or even in between meals. And for everyday foods, they’re also very much found in the dining table during Mexican celebrations like Christmas, Day of the Dead and Independence Day.

If you happen to be in Playa del Carmen, head to Tamales Flor de Lis, which is said to have the best tamales you can find in Mexico. The establishment is a fixture in the country, having existed since 1926 and since then, the flavor and food has not changed all that much. They offer quite a selection of tamales with the traditional red and green mole. But they also offer 12 more flavors, including a sweet selection that has pineapple and corn in it.

Visit Calle 38 and Calle 40 in the late afternoon, and you will find this lady who sets up her shop by the street serving tamales for cheap. It’s homemade, thus quite good, and she offers at least six different selections including the classic verde mole.

Pozoleria Doña Olga offers a different kind of tamales in which they serve this with chicken. It’s especially good for those who aren’t into pork or beef meat and the taste is quite lipsmacking!

Best Food: Elote Street Food

Rachel — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 07:15:22 +0000

You can find elotes mostly in the streets of Mexico and you would recognize this because they look like the traditional corn on the cob and are placed on sticks. This is a flavorful corn dish that is usually enjoyed for snacks.

It’s easy to make an elote at home by boiling corn and preparing the sauces and condiments. These may include salt, chili powder, cheese, lime, butter, sour cream, mayonnaise or lemon juice.

If you visit the central part of Mexico, this dish is known as Esquites, rather than Elote. Some street vendors place them in these cups as it is easier and less messy to eat and add all kinds of spices with a dab of mayonaise, chili and lime.

Elotes are also served in Mexico’s restaurants in the urban areas, with some offering choices for customers to choose what sort of condiments or spices must be added in it.

Elotes are considered comfort food and the plentier corn kernels you have on your cup or the more you can finish this on a stick, the more you enjoy it. The best thing about elotes is that it goes with almost every condiment you try to add.

This street food is something you really have to try if you see this in Mexico.

Best Food: Mexican Taco in Mexico City

Rachel — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 07:03:23 +0000

This traditional dish has meat, vegetables and all sorts of flavors rolled into a soft tortilla and is eaten by hand. The food can be messy to handle, but that is the best part about enjoying it. Tacos are a lot more flavorful because of the garnishes that come with the food, which may include homemade salsas, guacamole, avocado and fresh tomatoes with onions or lettuce.

Tacos also come in varieties of preparation and some of the best places to try these would be at these following establishments all around Mexico City:

At Plaza de Toror Mexico, the El Villamelon serves its tacos with charcoal grilled beef and longaniza with pork crackling. The dish is capped with a sumptous helping of rich flavored arbol chile sauce which gives this taco a real good kick.

At Calle Tlaxcala, you can find this nameless food stand that serves chile en nogada taco. It’s tacos is filled with shredded pork and dipped with nut and cream sauce (nogada) and sprinkled with pomengrate seeds. The taste is a bit spicy and sweet, but really flavorful. This kind of tacos is usually prepared by restaurants during Mexico’s Independence day, but you can find this regularly in Calle Tlaxcala.

If you would Rib Eye tacos, head to Calle Afonso Reyes and look for Califa del Leon. They serve tacos using rib eye meant, which has been thinly sliced and laced with roasted tomatoes and onion and coated with a special chili garlic sauce.

For a different flavor, try the lamb tacos at Avenida Insurgentes. Their Taco de Barbacoa del Arroyo is cooked smokey and tender and served with la salsa borracha, using pulque.

Tacos de Papas serves homecook tacos following a family recipe that has been with them for 20 years. The tacos contain chorizo and potatoes, with dried chilies, roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion.

Tortilla: The daily fare

Azzi — Mon, 30 May 2011 17:42:35 +0000

No matter how glamorous and stylish the signature food of a country can be, there always exist a stream of fares that are common place and yet, are delectable in every sense of the word. Stuff that can be considered daily fare, something that you pick up from a vendor on your way to work that substitutes for a skipped breakfast, such food can sometimes taste like heaven. Mexican cuisine has a long tradition of some excellent variety for the pleasure of the taste buds, and stuff like Tamales are just a small introduction. What you should look, when in a mood to have a quick snack is a Tortilla. Guaranteed, it is delectable.

Corn, being the staple of Mexican cuisine, is the basic ingredient behind a tortilla. In simple speak, a tortilla is prepared by making a cake made of corn to wrap around a filling that is usually tomato and omelette based. The word Tortilla itself means “little cake” in Spanish. This simple treatment to the remedy for quick hunger removal has almost developed a fan following of its own. You’re on a busy street? You are famished? You find not restaurant in vicinity? Tortilla is the key, and what a key it is!

Due to the ever increasing demand, in the modern times, mechanized methods of preparing Tortillas have come into existence and that means that there’s more Tortilla for everyone at half the expense of time. Low in cholesterol, low in fat content, a Tortilla is the Mexican’s way of starting the war against the demons of hunger. It is a meal that can be held in one hand while the other hand continues to work, whats more, it has got taste like no other. If you happen to visit Mexico, make doubly sure your day starts with a tortilla..

Puebla: One place, many virtues

Azzi — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:46:13 +0000

Just one view of the magnificent Pico de Orizaba from Puebla gets you a feel of the city you are in. Puebla, being a colonial city and one of the most important of it’s kind, certainly has a lot to offer you in ways more than one, be it the fabulous cuisine, the breathtaking scenery, the industrial setting or the fact that some of the best pottery businesses happen to be in Puebla, this city is comprehensive. For a good reason too, after all, it is the fourth largest metropolitan city of Mexico, and certainly one of the most beautiful.

Puebla is perched high up at an altitude of 7217 ft, and is every bit as historic as it is cultural. The architecture is good enough to make it a World Heritage site. Of the 5000 historical pieces of architecture present in the whole state, you have to take special notice of the Cathedral of Puebla, a Gothic beauty at it’s best. Move along and the various museums, which chronicle the historic value of the city and the country catch your immediate attention of you happen to be a history freak. Take a walk inside the Museo Amparo, and you’d know what we mean. Besides these, the host of libraries, the noble houses etc all exude an aura that is worth experiencing first hand.

Just as you would think that you’d had enough of Puebla, think again. Don’t miss out the cuisine too. It is unique and special and every bit Mexican as you would expect. Relish, for example the savory taste of the Mol Poblano, the chiles en nogada and the cemita, all unique to the place that is Puebla. Wind up the vacation with the Talavera Pottery and the El Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May) celebration, in honor of the French defeat in 1862. Just a last recommendation: Visit this place. This post alone does not do it justice.

Taco: Irresistible helpings

Azzi — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:24:10 +0000

As much as food is signatory of a country, as much as it is a paradigm of a country’s culture, it is a feast for the senses ofr which it was originally intended. The very aroma that good food provides is sometimes enough to singlehandedly attract a wannabe tourist to a nation, and yet, the method and objective of any food is very rudimentary and quite simple. Food is thus a dichotomy like no other, and speaking of Mexico, which has got its own storehouse of excellent cuisine and delectable menus, there’s no dearth of options for a foodie, and, among the many choice dishes that come out of Mexico, Taco is one of the most eye catching and certainly one of the most satisfying.

At the very outset, Taco is simply a filling(a yummy one) engulfed with a corn or wheat tortilla helping. The filling is a pretty exciting place to be. You can have a filling in the form of meat, beef, pork, chicken, seafood and what not. (in fact, anything that makes a Taco heartily satisfying) . Accompanying the taco is a garnish made up of any permutation of spicy helpings. You are looking at tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, onions, guacamole, salsa, avocado etc. The bottom line in preparing the Taco is ultra nice taste and at the same time ensure that the belly satisfied to the hilt.

Tacos are traditional to Mexico, and appear in many forms. Popular versions of Tacos include Tacos de Asador, Tacos de pescado, Tacos de Cazo, Tacos sudados and many other notable versions that are each worth a try at least once. Our recommendation is to come to the restaurant with a growling stomach (you can achieve this by sightseeing in Mexico, no big deal) and let the creamy aroma fill your senses with joy. Rest assured, Tacos are irresistible helpings..

Restaurants to Recommend In Tijuana

MexicoVacationTravels.com — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:46:36 +0000

Restaurants to Recommend In Tijuana

A visit to Tijuana in Mexico is particularly memorable because of the exquisite culinary experience it offers. There are plenty of excellent dining restaurants in Tijuana.

Best Restaurants In Tijuana

Cien Anos – One of the best places to eat out at Tijuana is the Cien Anos restaurant. This is a very gracious and elegant Zona Rio restaurant. It offers traditional Mexican food. It uses some of the most popular Mexican flavours such as poblano chile, tamarind and mago in its food presentations. The chiles rellenos which is stuffed with shrimps and served with lobster sauce is particularly delicious. Another very sumptuous dish which is served at this restaurant is the delicate calabazza or squash blossom soup. There are some adventurous dishes served at this restaurant as well, such as buttery guisanos or cactus worms and garlic ant eggs.

Carnitas Urupan – If you have a penchant for good food, then one place which you must visit is the Carnitas Urupan. This restaurant excels in serving a special food item which is known as Carnitas. The carnitas is roasted pork which is marinated on a spit until it falls apart and tender. Then it is served in big chunks with cilantro, salsa, guacamole, onions and tortillas. The dish is very reasonably priced at twelve dollars. It is served as one kilo and is sufficient for more than four people. Apart from the carnitas, this restaurant also serves some delicious sea food items.

La Cantina De Los Remedios – A visit to Cancun would be incomplete without experiencing the food at the La Cantina De Los Remedios. This is a restaurant which has a extremely festive and vibrant atmosphere. Along with traditional Mexican cuisine, this restaurant also has a courtyard atmosphere. One of the highlights of this restaurant is that it has an all inclusive menu option. Thus for just one price, you can enjoy a cocktail, a salad or soup, an appetizer, a desert and a main course. The drink menu in this restaurant is very extensive and has inspired the name los remedies which means with remedies.

There are plenty of restaurants which you can visit in Cancun for a wonderful and splendid dining experience. You just need to choose the restaurant according to your preferred choice of food.

Mexican Food: Tamale

Azzi — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:53:47 +0000

Food is a diversity thing. It really separates one country from another. What;s more, each food, having it’s own unique taste is worth trying at least once in a lifetime. For this, you need to travel, travel far and wide, tasting each country as it comes. Right now you are in Mexico. You are hunting the Mexican staple. Allow yourself to be familiar to the word Tamale. For many, and in fact, in the old ages, they were the de facto sandwich that the Spanish consumed. Now, tamales are not really a substitute for a sandwich, but they sure are legendary in the country you are in.

Tamales are old, really old (read 8000 BCE), and a typical tamale is made from dough made up of nixtamalized corn and is wrapped in corn husks. The filling is sweet, and varies from region to region. In fact, Tamales are so very common in Mexico, that almost every region in the country conjures up it’s own version of the Tamale. Some even say, and it is quite eye dropping, that there exist some 1000 different Tamales in the country. You better come prepared.

You can take Tamales as a morning breakfast or an evening food, as traditional Mexicans usually do. As for the fillings, you are looking at anything between chicken, pork, salsa, dried fruit, raisins and mole. Some regions even use banana leaves instead of the corn husks as the outer covering, and this certainly adds a dash of style to the already stylish Tamale. Accompanied with the Tamale are the famous Atole or Champorrado taken hot and maize based beverages. Taste is just an understatement here. You have to feel it for real.

To give you a glimpse of how iconic this food is in Mexico, Tamales were the first signs of civilization taken by the Spanish when they first visited this country. Now, you dont have to do that. Just visit a street dealer and ask for a fresh helping.

How brave are you? Know your Chiles!

Eduardo — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:29:59 +0000

So you want to be adventurous and try the real taste of Mexico…

Sure you’ve heard that the Mexican food is a real treat for your taste buds. It is! But as in any foreign cuisine, there are some special ingredients that provide a distinctive flavor to it, and in the case of Mexican food, the Chile is one of them.

The Chile (hot pepper) is, by definition, a spice to add flavor to any dish. But I must say that in some parts of the country, that spice is mistakenly considered a meal. Beware!

If you are brave enough, make sure you prepare yourself (and your stomach) when going into a typical Mexican restaurant and ordering anything from the menu, chances are it will include a type of sauce (“salsa”) that will range from lightly spicy to spicy hot. If you happen to get “enchilado” (getting that burning sensation in your mouth and tongue!), remember some basic tips: water don´t do any good (peppers are oily, you will only fill your tummy but the burning won´t go away), nor wine or any alcohol beverage. One of the best solutions is to simply eat a piece of bread and just count the minutes until you feel better. The bread absorbs the oil of the pepper and helps ease the pain a bit!

Here are a couple of well known Chiles you should know about:

Jalapeño – One of the most commonly known, is also one of the biggest, it varies in color from light to dark green, and is considered as medium hot, although there are some types that will be very hot.

Habanero – Beware of this name, if you are about to eat any dish or sauce that contains this powerful and very hot pepper, you must know what you are getting into, specially if you are visiting the Yucatan Peninsula (Cancún, Mérida, etc). Many consider this the hottest pepper in the country.