Cabrito is roasted goat kid, a specialty of the Mexican city of Monterrey. Apart from Mexico, the dish is also popular in Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and Portugal. Traditionally, goat kid should be no more than three weeks of age and it should never have been fed anything other than mother's milk. Those predispositions are crucial for developing good flavors in the dish. There are numerous styles of cooking cabrito, such as cabrito al pastor (spit-roasted, no seasonings), cabrito al horno (oven-roasted), cabrito en sangre (braised in blood with offal and seasonings), and cabrito en salsa (braised in tomatoes with garlic, onions, and chilis).
Tacos are the national dish of Mexico, dating back to the Mexican silver mines of the 18th century, when the word taco referred to gunpowder that was wrapped in a piece of paper and inserted into rocks. It was used to excavate the precious ore from mines and was called tacos de minero or miner's tacos. Today, the word is widely known to signify the leading street food and fast food item in Mexico – thin, flat griddle-baked tortillas topped with numerous fillings, folded and eaten without any utensils. A taco is basically anything eaten on a soft tortilla, and there is an infinite variety of them. In Sonora, in the north of Mexico, they eat the classic carne asada - thinly sliced meat grilled over coals and topped with salsa, onions, guacamole, and a lime wedge. In Baja, the topping consists of fried fish with cabbage and an acidic mayonnaise sauce. In Mexico City, sudados (sweated tacos) are the most popular option, filled with cooked and steamed meat. In Jalisco and Michoacan, they prepare carnitas, eaten in the morning or in the early afternoon, filled with deep fried pieces of pork that are sliced according to preference. Similar is the taco de cabeza, filled with pieces of cow's head that was steamed for a long time, and the customers can choose from slices of eyes, brains, tongue, lips, cheek, or ears. Tacos are mainly made of corn, except in the north, where wheat flour is used more often. They also differ in size, from the tiniest white tacos (blancas) to bigger ones, often made with blue corn. Most tacos come in pairs of two, in order to be able to hold all the flavorful and slightly wet ingredients. Some of them are fried until they become crispy and crunchy, in which case they're called tostadas. As anything can be a filling, there is a version made with fried veins from dried chiles, usually accompanied by salt, a tasty treat called tacos de venas. However, the standard is ground or shredded meat, cheese, potatoes, or vegetables and a topping of onions and coriander. Eaten at all times of day and night, one can find them on every corner in Mexico, in restaurants known as taquerias. Alternatively, they can be bought from numerous street vendors.
Tacos al pastor are thinly sliced pork marinated in a complex blend of dried chilies, spices, and achiote, stacked onto a vertical spit, and served on small corn tortillas with pineapple, onions, and cilantro. The origins of this vibrant street food trace back to the 1920s and 1930s when Lebanese immigrants arrived in Puebla, bringing with them the method of roasting lamb on a vertical, spinning spit known as a shawarma. Over the decades, local palates adapted this Middle Eastern technique, substituting the original lamb with thinly sliced pork shoulder and replacing Mediterranean spices with indigenous ingredients. Handling the meat involves a meticulous multi-day process. The pork is bathed in a thick, vibrant red adobo. This marinade relies heavily on rehydrated guajillo and ancho chilies, acidic vinegar, earthy cumin, fragrant oregano, and a dense paste made from crushed annatto seeds called achiote, which imparts the signature crimson hue. The marinated pork slices are tightly layered onto a long metal rod, forming a large, bell-shaped mound called a trompo. An onion and a peeled pineapple are typically placed at the very top of the spit. As the metal rod slowly rotates next to a vertical gas-powered heat source, the outer layer of the pork develops a charred, crispy crust while the interior remains succulent, constantly basted by the dripping juices of the roasting fruit above. While pork remains the standard base, multiple variations exist to accommodate different tastes. Chicken al pastor has emerged as a lighter alternative, utilizing the exact same red adobo but applied to stacked poultry. Plant-based iterations frequently utilize sliced king oyster mushrooms or textured soy protein bathed in the chile paste and griddled rather than spit-roasted. Another highly popular adaptation is the gringa, which takes the carved al pastor meat and places it inside a flour tortilla with melted cheese, then heats the entire package on a flat-top grill until the cheese bubbles. The serving style is fast-paced and visually theatrical. An individual wielding a long, sharp knife shaves the deeply caramelized exterior of the spinning meat directly into a pair of small, warm corn tortillas held in the opposite hand. A flick of the wrist slices a thin wedge of roasted pineapple from the top of the spit, letting it fall perfectly onto the waiting meat. The assembled meal is immediately dressed with finely diced white onions, chopped fresh cilantro, a generous squeeze of lime juice, and a spoonful of spicy salsa—most often a smoky chipotle or a bright, fiery salsa verde made from tomatillos.
Enchiladas consist of a tortilla that is usually dipped in a chile-based sauce, then stuffed with various fillings such as cheese, meat, or fish. Then it is rolled up, baked, and topped with sauces, onions, beans, or more cheese. This highly versatile dish is believed to have originated from a Mayan dish called papadzules, consisting of corn tortillas dipped in pumpkin purée and filled with chopped boiled eggs. From there, numerous variations developed throughout Mexico and outside of its borders. The word enchilada, which first appeared in print in 1885, comes from the Spanish word enchilar, meaning to season with chile pepper. Today, there are countless versions of enchiladas. In northern Mexico's Sonora, they make them open-faced, topped with black olives and a red chile sauce, while the New Mexico version is prepared by layering the tortillas in a tall stack with cheese and onions between each layer. Enchiladas have become so popular that there is even a National Enchilada Day (in the US), celebrated every year on May 5, also known as Cinco de Mayo.
Enchiladas de camaron is a popular Mexican dish consisting of fried tortillas filled with shrimp and various ingredients such as corn, onions, chiles, tomatoes, and coriander. These rolled tortillas are especially popular in the North Pacific and Gulf regions of Mexico, and it is recommended to serve them garnished with crema Mexicana, avocado slices, and grated cheese.
Pozole is a soupy and aromatic one-bowl stew from Mexico, usually served to crowds on special occasions and celebrations such as Christmas, weddings, or birthdays. Its main ingredient is nixtamal or hominy - large, dried corn kernels that are pre-cooked in an alkaline solution in order to soften them. The process, known as nixtamalization, makes the solution foamy or potzolli in Nahuatl, which is how pozole got its name. Other ingredients in the dish include a variety of herbs, spices, and meat such as pork, chicken, or seafood, depending on the region. Usual garnishes include lettuce, onion, oregano, pepper, fried tortillas, and lime, so that each guest can add something to the dish according to their preference. The dish has an extremely unusual history - it was invented in pre-Hispanic times and was used in ritual sacrifices, when corn and pieces of human flesh were offered to the gods. After the Spaniards' arrival, cannibalism was banned, and pork became the meat of choice because it tasted similar to human flesh. The Mesoamericans believed that the gods created people out of masa (cornmeal dough), so hominy corn remained in the dish. Pozole can be served in a red, white, or green broth, symbolizing the colors of Mexico's flag. It is also a well-known and popular cure for hangovers, especially in restaurants known as pozolerías that specialize in it. In the state of Guerrero, pozole is especially beloved - at the moment, there are four versions of pozole in this Mexican state.
Pozole is a soupy and aromatic Mexican stew that comes in three versions – red, white, and green, symbolizing the colors of the Mexican flag. Although there are many variations, pozole verde or green pozole is usually made with a combination of hominy, chicken or pork (or both), onions, garlic, salt, and a green sauce consisting of poblano and jalapeño peppers, green tomatoes, lettuce, radish or spinach leaves, oregano, cumin, pumpkin seeds, salt, garlic, and onions. The ingredients are covered with water, simmered until everything is fully cooked, and then mixed with the sauce and simmered for a few more minutes. The stew is served in individual bowls and it's usually garnished with shredded lettuce, diced onions, lime wedges, and chicharrónes.
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