My four favorite dishes I tried in our four months exploring the delicious Mexican Food culture! “Que Rico”

As I bite into the crisp tortilla of a fresh street taco, tasting the caramelized onion and juicy carne asada, I think about the delicious Mexican food culture and all the unique dishes I have had the privilege to enjoy in my time in Mexico.

Eating with friend's in Punta De Mita. 

Tacos

Before we traveled to Mexico, I had eaten a lot of tacos. But the tacos I tried in Mexico were completely different.

During my family’s four-month trip through Mexico, we went out to numerous small taco stands. From Nuevo León to Nayarit, the types of tacos vary from region to region, but this is what you are most likely to find.

The taco stands usually consisted of a large hot plate where they cooked the corn tortillas with some meat juice for oil and a delicious flavor.

Then they have small metal vats of different types of carne (meat) that you can choose to have on your tortilla. They usually have carne asada, chorizo, carnitas, or sometimes birria.

Once they give you your tortilla and meat, they let you add the toppings of your choice. They usually have onions, beans, tomato, cucumber, cilantro, and limes to squeeze on top.

Gorditas

During our time in Hidalgo Nuevo León, Mexico, where we were climbing in Potrero Chico, we enjoyed visiting their Tuesday and Friday market. There, they had multiple stands that sold fresh gorditas for 20 pesos each ($1).

To make a gordita, they first take what looks like a thick fried tortilla and cut it open to stuff with pork. Gorditas are usually served with sliced cabbage and salsa verde on the side.

Sopes

Sopes are a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a fried masa (corn) patty base with savory toppings.

Sopes are made from masa harina, which is a type of corn flour. The masa harina is mixed with water and salt to form a dough, which is then patted out into small circles. The circles are then fried in oil until they are golden brown.

Once the sopes are cooked, they are topped with a variety of savory ingredients, such as refried beans, shredded meat, cheese, lettuce, onions, and salsa. Sopes are very similar to gorditas.

Birria

Our good friend Javier first introduced us to birria when we were staying in Punta Mita, a nice town on the Nayarit Coast.

We walked with Javier down to a stand where they were making fresh birria. The lady first ladled lots of beef into the pot we had brought, after they added lots of salty broth that contained lots of fat and potatoes to mix with the beef.

When we got home, we added onion and ate our hot birria for breakfast.

Elote  

Elote is a popular snack in Mexico, made out of corn on the cob lathered with mayonnaise or different kinds of salsa. My little brother Zev is a big fan of Elote. 

My little brother eating Elote 

Conclusion 

I hope you enjoyed reading about my journey through Mexican food culture. There is so much to explore, and I am always looking for new and exciting foods to try.