Discover how Mexican you are with this fun taco quiz.

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They have a mouth-watering aroma that will hit your senses even if from across the street, and they are one of the only dishes that can be best enjoyed when standing up. Street food is a Mexican specialty, but tacos must surely take the crown for being our best-loved street food. 

In addition, there are so many variations of the taco that we could eat a different one each day without getting fed up and, instead, finding ourselves flabbergasted by the infinite amount of flavor and texture combinations that fit perfectly well on top of a tortilla.

(You can experience something of the taco’s versatility on our Charming Colonia Roma Food Tour.)

Celebrating Taco Tuesday

Do you celebrate Taco Tuesday? Today, March 31st, is Mexico’s Taco Day (Día del taco), a celebration created in 2007 by a TV broadcast channel.

The event recognizes what this classic Mexican dish represents. According to Alberto Peralta de Legarreta, Mexican gastronomy researcher, and writer, a taco is a “packing made out of maize or wheat tortillas that is stuffed with meat, vegetables or a stew, seasoned with hot sauce, lime drops and a so-called garden, a mixture of chopped onion and cilantro.”

The origins of tacos

Tacos are one of Mexico’s iconic cultural items and a popular dish whose origin is stated during the prehispanic era. However, tacos were incorporated as a commercial product in Mexico City around 1906, when the tacos de guisado or stew tacos from the small local “Tacos Beatriz” became popular. 

For many Mexicans, a tortilla is a blank canvas that can be decorated with multiple stews or meats. Every taquero (taco maker) has his/her talents, whether in the way of heating the tortillas, preparing the stews in clay casseroles, cutting the trompo de pastor correctly, placing the tacos inside a basket or tossing and catching the pineapple with a tortilla directly from the trompo de pastor.

However, the experience inside each taquería is unique and determined by the relationship you have with the place, the reason you ended up there, the cravings you have in mind, and the amount of alcohol in your system. 

Culinary Mexican tradition, the special seasoning of our people, and our taqueros’ talents are some of the things that converge and are materialized in each taco. Admiring its process, craving its arrival, and giving a hot taco the first bite are daily activities for us Mexicans, who regretfully take them for granted.

However, it doesn’t matter if you eat a taco campechano outside school, a taco de canasta in front of your office building, some taquitos al pastor after partying hard, or some tacos dorados while sitting at a restaurant table, the experience is always unique. 

Your mouth is probably watering by now, and you have an impulse to eat one or many tacos. Don’t worry because, as we mentioned before, today is Taco Day, and eating all the tacos you can is socially acceptable.

There are countless varieties of tacos

We recommend you taste more tacos than the classic tacos al pastor, tacos de carnitas, or tacos de canasta, remember, the variety of taco fillings in Mexico City is countless and tasting them is worth the try.

If you want to savor the best some of the best tacos in Mexico City, don’t miss our Taco Tour in Mexico City with Beer and Mezcal! where you’ll experiment with the flavor of the most delicious combinations of meat, vegetables, and salsa on top of tortillas. You’ll also learn much more about this iconic Mexican dish.

If you have any questions about our tours and service, get in touch. 

Article by: María José Ordóñez Platas

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Authentic Mexican food is built upon ancient social practices, knowledge concerning nature, traditional craftsmanship and oral expressions that belong to our people. All of these qualities come together and achieve unique dishes that excel in flavor and character, delighting even the fussiest palate. 

Some of the most famous Mexican dishes like mole, pozole, tamales, and tacos have all these things in common. Still, they can be individually identified by various traits exclusive to each dish. This is why we decided to share some details, so you get to know them and understand that you can’t leave Mexico without trying at least one of them.

And while you’re here, if you are traveling to Mexico City and want to sample classic Mexican flavors in the company of passionate local foodies, consider joining us on our Mexico City Food Tour in the Historic City Center.

Pozole

Pozole is a classic choice at any Mexican celebration whether in its green, white or red varieties. The protagonist of this complex bouillon is cacahuazintle corn or pozole corn, recognizable for its grains’ size, soft consistency, and sweet flavor.

Pozole can be white if no extra salsa is added to the broth, red if the salsa has chile ancho and guajillo or green if it is prepared with green tomatoes. In addition, this soup contains chicken and/or pork meat, onion, radish, lettuce, lemon juice, and oregano and is sometimes accompanied by piquín chili powder and toasted tortillas (tostadas) with fresh cream and grated white cheese.

A complete truly complete meal!

Mole

Often chosen as the main course in popular celebrations like weddings and baptisms, mole originates in the prehispanic salsa “mulli” that was used to accompany chicken, steak or pork meat.

Mole is an evolving dish that has taken elements from different epochs, making them part of its composition and achieving a variety of styles and combinations, procuring the creation of more than fifty types.

Whether you decide to taste an almond mole with shredded chicken and red rice, a turkey leg with black mole, a duck breast with manchamanteles (tablecloth-staining) mole or some shrimps with green pipian, the search for chili, tomatoes, peanuts, almonds, chocolate, and/or spices that hide inside these complex salsas is worth the try. Do you accept the challenge? You won’t regret it.

Tacos

It is undoubtedly ambiguous to say we want a taco because we could be thinking about a taco de canasta, taco de suadero or even a steak taco. Nevertheless, to be identified as a taco, maize-based food needs to have a cooked hash set on top of one (or two) tortillas. It has to be eaten without any utensils and should have been warmed in a Mexican griddle or comal.

You have probably heard or even tried the typical tacos al pastor. Still, we recommend tasting others, such as tacos gobernador, tacos de costilla, tacos de alambre or tacos de lengua. Experiencing our Tacos & Mezcal Tour will help you know the best features of this classic dish and figure out why it’s so famous inside and out of Mexico, sampling the best variety of Mexican tacos. 

Tamales

These cooked maize paste “wraps” can be stuffed with sweet or savory fillings containing meat, vegetables, fruits, chili or salsa.

There are between 500 and 5,000 tamales in Mexico, all with different shapes and hidden inside diverse leaves, which grant them specific characteristics and contribute a little flavor.

If you want to taste corn or maize differently than a classic tortilla, don’t miss the corundas from Michoacán, the chipilín tamales from Chiapas, the pink piloncillo tamales from Guerrero or the classic red or green salsa tamales eaten all around Mexico. 

Have no fear if you can’t handle chili or if you’re not into some specific Mexican flavors. Remember there are pozole, tacos, tamales and mole for everyone, which is why we’re sure you’ll find some adequate version that fits your palate, and you’ll be able to enjoy it all the way.

Now that you know that the best way of appreciating Mexican gastronomy is eating, we invite you to taste the colors, flavors, and textures of our country in the best food tours Mexico has to offer.

Get to know us on our Facebook or website, Sabores México Food Tours. Bon appetite!

Article by: María José Ordóñez Platas

The post You Can’t Leave Mexico Without Trying These 4 Traditional Dishes appeared first on Sabores México Food Tours.