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.
Sincronizadas are snacks consisting of two corn or flour tortillas, cheese, and slices of ham. Optionally, beans and chorizo sausage can also be added to the dish as a filling. Quesadillas sincronizadas are commonly cut into wedges and served with guacamole, pico de gallo, or sour cream. It is said that the only way the sincronizada differentiates itself from a regular quesadilla is the mandatory inclusion of ham. There is also a similar dish called gringa, which uses al pastor pork meat instead of ham. The lines are blurred between these dishes and they often get confused with one another, but what matters the most is that all of them are delicious and popular throughout the world due to their unique flavors.
Carne asada tacos are the first tacos in history. It is believed that the first tacos appeared in the 1500s, made with thin slices of meat cooked over hot coals. The meat was placed in a corn tortilla and topped with guacamole, onions, chili peppers, and lime – also known as the carne asada taco. Over time, people started to make other versions in different regions, and nowadays we are witnessing a true taco-mania, and it all began with the simple carne asada tacos.
Mulitas are sometimes described as "quesadillas on steroids". The Mexican dish usually consists of a crispy tortilla filled with chunks of grilled meat, cheese, and salsa or guacamole topping, although the fillings may vary from one food stand to another. The name of the dish literally means little mule, referring to the fact that the food is wrapped and transferred from a street vendor to the consumer. It is recommended to top each mulita with another tortilla and drizzle it with lime juice.
Menudo is a traditional offal soup, and the main ingredient in it is beef tripe. It is often seasoned with chili peppers, garlic, onion, lime, and oregano, creating a rich and hearty flavor profile. Although menudo is undoubtedly a Mexican dish, it is still unknown in which part of the country it was invented. The northern area claims it came from their farmers who made the dish from leftover parts of their cows. Others claim that it was invented in central Mexico. Regardless of the geographical point of origin, the fact remains that there are two versions of this soup; menudo rojo and menudo blanco. Menudo rojo is mostly popular in northern Mexico and Guadalajara, while the white version is popular in Sinaloa and central Mexico. Commonly found in most Mexican restaurants, the soup is also often made for special occasions, since it takes from 7 to 10 hours for the soup to cook properly. It has been around since at least the 1930s, when menudo parties were held on Christmas, New Year, and similar festive occasions. Menudo is often referred to as a cure for all hangovers, which is unsurprising considering its hearty, rustic, and spicy flavors. It is common to accompany the soup with some corn tortillas for dipping, garnish it with lime wedges, and serve it hot, preferably in large bowls.
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