Carnitas Tacos (Crispy Pork Street Tacos With Salsa Verde)
Carnitas tacos are corn tortillas piled with carnitas, pork that is simmered and then fried in its own fat until … Read more
Mexican Cooking: Ingredients, Guides & Where to Start
✦ October’s Featured Dish
Chiles en Nogada
Poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo, cloaked in a walnut cream sauce and scattered with pomegranate seeds. A late-summer dish eaten all through Mexico's September independence celebrations.
Get the Recipe →Explore Mexican Food
Breads & Sides
Elote, bolillos, conchas and Mexican rice.
Breakfast Foods
Huevos rancheros, chilaquiles and motuleños.
Desserts
Chocoflan, tres leches, and Mexico's favorite sweets.
Drinks
Atole, aguas frescas, and Mexico's classic beverages.
Holiday Dishes
Tamales, romeritos and bacalao for the fiestas.
Ingredients
Chiles, corn tortillas, and the pantry staples behind Mexican cooking.
Main Dishes
Mole poblano, cochinita pibil and carnitas.
Sauces & Condiments
Guacamole, salsa verde, mole and hot sauces.
Seafood Dishes
Aguachile, ceviche, and Mexico's coastal seafood dishes.
Snacks & Appetizers
Queso fundido, sopes, chalupas and salbutes.
Soups & Stews
Pozole rojo and other hearty Mexican classics.
Street Foods
Elote and other favorite snacks from Mexico's streets.
The Complete Mexican Food Guide
64 traditional dishes, ingredients, and cooking guides in one place.
Explore the Guide →Tacos al Pastor, Mexico's Beloved Street Taco
Marinated pork, pineapple, and a spit-roasted tradition.
Explore Tacos al Pastor →Mole Poblano, Mexico's National Dish
A rich, chile-and-chocolate sauce steeped in history.
View the Recipe →Essential Dried Chiles for Every Mexican Pantry
The chiles every Mexican kitchen should have on hand.
Explore Dried Chiles →Popular Mexican Salsas
Discover Mexico's most popular salsas and how to enjoy them.
Explore Salsas →Latest Mexican Recipes
View All Recipes →Carnitas Tacos (Crispy Pork Street Tacos With Salsa Verde)
Chilaquiles Rojos: Authentic Red Chilaquiles Recipe
Mulitas: How to Make Mexico’s Crispy Two-Tortilla Tacos
Chilorio: Authentic Sinaloa-Style Shredded Pork Recipe
Vegetarian Enchiladas with Black Beans, Sweet Potato and Red Chile Sauce
Torta Ahogada: How to Make Guadalajara’s Drowned Sandwich
Chile Colorado: Authentic Mexican Red Chile Beef Stew
Nieve de Garrafa: Mexico’s Hand-Churned Ice Cream and How to Make It
Cochinita Pibil: Authentic Yucatán Slow-Roasted Pork Recipe
Empanada Dough: Easy Homemade Recipe for Baking or Frying
A little Mexican curiosity
Fun Facts About Mexican Foods
Big flavors. Little surprises. There’s a story in every bite.
Money that grew on treesThe Aztecs paid in chocolate.
Cacao beans were real money in Aztec markets. A tomato cost about one bean and a turkey about a hundred, and counterfeiters faked beans out of clay and wax.
Global rootsTacos al pastor started as shawarma.
Lebanese immigrants brought spit-roasted meat to Puebla in the early 1900s. Mexican cooks swapped in pork, chile adobo and pineapple, and al pastor was born.
Mexican Food FAQs
A little curious? Open a question.Is Mexican food spicy?
Not always. Many dishes use dried chiles like ancho for deep, mild flavor rather than heat. Most of the fire comes from the salsas on the table, so each person decides how hot to go.
Explore the Mexican pantry →What’s the national dish of Mexico?
Mole poblano is often called Mexico’s national dish. The dark sauce from Puebla blends dried chiles, spices, nuts, seeds and a little chocolate, and it’s served over turkey or chicken at celebrations.
Get the mole poblano recipe →Why are corn tortillas made with lime?
Corn is cooked and soaked in water with cal (calcium hydroxide), a process called nixtamalization. It softens the kernels so they grind into masa, adds flavor and makes the corn more nutritious.
Learn to make corn tortillas →Why are chiles en nogada red, white and green?
The dish from Puebla matches the colors of the Mexican flag: green poblano chiles, a white walnut sauce and red pomegranate seeds. It’s eaten in August and September, around Independence Day.
Get the chiles en nogada recipe →The Ultimate Guide to Authentic Mexican Food
Mexico is home to one of the world’s most celebrated culinary traditions, where Indigenous ingredients and centuries of cultural influences have created a cuisine recognized for its incredible diversity, bold flavors, and regional specialties. From vibrant street foods and comforting family recipes to rich moles, fresh seafood, and irresistible desserts, Mexican food is a cornerstone of Latin American cuisine. Every region—from Oaxaca and Puebla to Yucatán, Jalisco, and Northern Mexico—offers its own unique dishes, cooking techniques, and traditions that have captivated food lovers around the world.
Whether you’re planning a trip to Mexico, searching for authentic Mexican recipes, or discovering the country’s most iconic dishes, you’ll find everything you need here. Explore favorites like tacos, tamales, pozole, enchiladas, chiles rellenos, and elote, along with regional specialties, traditional Mexican desserts, refreshing drinks, cooking guides, and the rich culinary traditions that make Mexico one of the world’s premier food destinations.
If you’re new to Mexican cuisine, start with our comprehensive guide to 64 Traditional Mexican Dishes You Have to Try, then continue exploring our authentic recipes, desserts, drinks, and regional food guides. Whether you’re cooking at home or experiencing Mexico’s incredible flavors for the first time, AmigoFoods is your trusted resource for authentic Mexican food.
Chilaquiles Rojos: Authentic Red Chilaquiles Recipe
Chilaquiles rojos are fried corn tortilla chips tossed in a warm red salsa of tomatoes and dried guajillo chiles, then … Read more
Mulitas: How to Make Mexico’s Crispy Two-Tortilla Tacos
Mulitas are two corn tortillas griddled together with melted cheese and chopped meat inside—usually carne asada or al pastor—until the … Read more
Chilorio: Authentic Sinaloa-Style Shredded Pork Recipe
Chilorio is Sinaloa’s red chile shredded pork: pork shoulder simmered, fried in its own fat and cooked down in a tangy guajillo and ancho sauce. Here is what it is and how to make it.
Vegetarian Enchiladas with Black Beans, Sweet Potato and Red Chile Sauce
Vegetarian enchiladas are corn tortillas rolled around a meatless filling and baked in chile sauce. This version fills them with … Read more
Torta Ahogada: How to Make Guadalajara’s Drowned Sandwich
Torta ahogada is Guadalajara’s “drowned sandwich”: a crusty birote salado roll filled with refried beans and carnitas, then soaked in … Read more
Chile Colorado: Authentic Mexican Red Chile Beef Stew
Chile colorado is a northern Mexican stew of beef chunks braised in a smooth red sauce made from dried chiles, … Read more
Nieve de Garrafa: Mexico’s Hand-Churned Ice Cream and How to Make It
Nieve de garrafa is Mexican ice cream churned by hand in a metal canister packed in ice and salt — no machine, forty minutes a batch.
Cochinita Pibil: Authentic Yucatán Slow-Roasted Pork Recipe
Cochinita pibil is the Yucatán’s slow-roasted pork: shoulder marinated in achiote (annatto) paste and sour orange juice, wrapped in banana … Read more
Empanada Dough: Easy Homemade Recipe for Baking or Frying
A tender, sturdy homemade empanada dough with flour, cold butter, egg and ice water, plus disc sizes, baking vs. frying, variations and freezing tips.
Mexican Rice Recipe (Authentic Arroz Rojo)
Mexican rice, called arroz rojo or sopa de arroz in Mexico, is long-grain white rice toasted in oil until golden, … Read more
Tlacoyos: Mexico’s Stuffed Masa Cakes and How to Make Them
Tlacoyos (tla-KOY-ohs) are thick, oval cakes of corn masa stuffed with beans, fava beans or fresh requesón cheese, then cooked … Read more
Enchiladas Suizas: Creamy Swiss Enchiladas Like Sanborns
Enchiladas suizas are Mexico City’s creamy “Swiss” enchiladas: corn tortillas rolled around shredded chicken, bathed in a tomatillo salsa verde … Read more
Carne Asada Tacos: How to Make Authentic Street-Style Tacos at Home
Carne asada tacos pair citrus-marinated, grilled skirt or flank steak with warm corn tortillas, onion, cilantro, lime and salsa. Slice … Read more
Pozole Blanco Recipe: Authentic Mexican White Pozole With Pork
Pozole blanco is a Mexican soup of pork and hominy simmered in a clear broth with onion, garlic, bay and … Read more