Unmasking Mexico Flavours!

Happy #followfriday readers! This week’s Blogger in the Spotlight (BITS) is none other than Mark who lives in San Francisco. Mark is a “Mexico enthusiast” with a passion for its history, food, geography and most importantly, its diversity of culture and great people. His first time stepping across the border was during his youth while growing up in South Texas and going to Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros to visit relatives and friends. Since then, he has been hooked on the foods of this great city. Here is his post on The Exotic Flavours of Mexico, that you must not miss.

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Unmasking Mexico.. and its tantalizing Flavours

Defining a country by its food is nearly impossible, especially if the subject is Mexico!  As varied as its culture, music and geography, so too is its food.  With a blend of pre-Hispanic and European (Spanish & French) influences, Mexico boasts a complex and colorful bounty to appease any palate from the greens-seeking vegan to the meat-chomping carnivore.

Like other international destinations, Mexico is a country delighted to display its wonderful regional cuisine that’s found in its 31 states and the Distrito Federal.  From fancy, sit-down restaurants to the make-shift taco stand, from the Mayan-inspired dishes of the Yucatan to the grilled cabrito (kid goat) found in the northern reaches of the country, from the freshest Mayan Riviera ceviche, to Guanajuato’s “Enchiladas Mineras”, its all there, in a country which some might say is infatuated by its culinary contributions to the world, and rightly so.

Even with an infinite amount of time to visit Mexico, one will find it impossible to sample even a fraction of its many tasty creations.  On a recent 10-day trip I took during the country’s Bicentennial celebrations, I was satisfied with the extent of foods I was able to experience, however, I felt the perpetual tug of defeat to know that I barely scratched the surface once again.  Oh well, no worries because I have a lot to look forward to during my next trip.  Here is just a glimpse of some of the many dishes I enjoyed during my travels…Buen provecho!

Mark’s Top Picks for Mexican Food..

1. Carne asada tacos in Mexico City

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Carne asada translates to “grilled meat” and is very popular in Mexico.  This dish is beef and is accompanied by freshly-made guacamole and “frijoles de olla”, or pot beans.

2. “Pescado frito”, or fried fish in Coyoacan

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A delicious, super popular dish in the Mercado in Coyoacan a suburb of Mexico City. Once you try it, you will be hooked!

3. The Popular snack, “Esquite”

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Very popular snack food in Mexico called “esquite”.  It’s corn that’s been shaven off the cob and served with mayo, chili powder, cheese and lime.

4.The Traditional dish, Pozole

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A traditional dish eaten during Mexico’s Independence celebration, Pozole is a hearty pork stew with hominy.  It is made in three colors: red, white and green to coincide with the Mexican flag colors!

5.The world famous Churros

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Here you see a street vendor in the state of Guanajuato selling deep-fried churros that are dusted in cinnamon and sugar. This dessert is legendary even outside of Mexico or the United States. Totally for the carbo addict and the sweet-toothed.

6. Mad about beans? Try the bean and pork Quesadillas

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Freshly-made bean and pork open-faced quesadillas topped off with squash blossoms.

7.Beefy Beef Quesadillas

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One of the best beef quesadillas I have ever eaten were here, at the corner of Puebla & Insurgentes streets near the Metro station in Mexico City. If you like your red meats, you will love these!

8.The Night Market and the oh so healthy, Corn on the Cob

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Night shot of street vendor selling “elote” or grilled corn-on-the-cob in Coyoacan

About this weeks Guest Writer:

markMark Mendiola Guerra is a third-generation Texan living in the San Francisco Bay Area for over a decade now. He holds a Liberal Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and has used it quite efficiently over the years to build an impressive path of job-hopping, as he puts it. His past jobs have called on him to do a multitude of things from real estate, social work, construction, to acting and writing, most recently. Feeling most connected with his writing, he wishes to blend that with another passion: Mexico!

Mark has traveled to over 24 states throughout Mexico and loves the culture, people, food and history so much that he created his own site, to share, exchange, and engage others in a positive dialogue about the country. You can also find him tweeting away as: @planetnomad

Follow Mark: @planetnomad
Visit his website: Mexico Unmasked

13 Comments

  • Runaway Juno says:

    Quesadillas! Curos! Wow,,, many of my favorites! I loooove Mexican food! Salsa is running through my vein!
    Thumbs up to both of you guys! 🙂
    In Seoul, there’s the best Mexican restaurant is near my place, but I don’t think it could compare to these list! haha 🙂 Love it….

    • Mark says:

      Thanks Juno for your comments! I especially love your “salsa is running through my vein” one…I too have that condition my friend. But, it’s a “condition” that I really hope has no cure…Ha Ha! Glad you enjoyed and just remember that when you visit, I’ll personally see to it that you get the best Mexican meals we can find! 🙂

  • Sean says:

    the pozole looks interesting! i’ve never had ‘hominy’ before, but i remember reading about it in a storybook when i was a kid! 😀

    • Mark says:

      Interesting Sean that you read about hominy as a kid! I loved it as a kid when my family would make “menudo” ( another broth similar to pozole) and put hominy in it. My sister ONLY ate the hominy because she didn’t like all the “other” parts that were in menudo…her loss, I thought! Thanks for your comments!

  • Earl says:

    What I’d give for a large esquite right now! During my time in Mexico I was absolutely surprised by the sheer variety of food available. And in the end, eating well in Mexico is not nearly as expensive as it is in many other countries. Most of the best food I ate was found at hole-in-the-wall stands or restaurants that served up delicious fare for the equivalent of just a couple of dollars.

    Nice roundup Mark!

    • Mark says:

      Thanks for sharing your comments Earl! Yep, anyone with your background of living in Mexico would definitely know the abundance of cheap, but great food around! I agree with you too about the “hole-in-the-wall” places being some of the best eats around…..I seek those places out before others…that’s just me!

  • Wow, I am a lover of all food and Mexican food rates pretty high on my list. Living in Asia for the last 2 years, Mexican food is about the only category I’ve missed. This list of pictures looks incredible! I think I could easily devour everything on the list for breakfast…right now!

  • eiling says:

    interesting food, the deepfried churros looked like fried you tiau here in malaysia

  • What about churros rellenos??? Churros filled with chocolate/caramel/condensed milk/fruit/anything else you can possible think of?

  • gabybali says:

    With photo most voted on #CancunPhotoContest, I see that Ciki & Cumi are eating pork Quesadillas in my vision! haha….I’ll take you to TJ’s Mexican Restaurant in the heart of Seminyak when you come to Bali, ya!

  • Benjamin says:

    Tacos al pastor??

  • LeslieTravel says:

    I don’t know about the Pozole but the churros look tasty! Great photos and foodie picks.

  • Great list, Mark! You’re making me hungry. Next time you’re in central Mexico, come to Puebla, and we’ll take you out for some mole poblano, cemitas, tacos arabes, and chalupas. 😉

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