Mexican food is one of the most tasteful and flavorful foods one can have. These foods can be cold, hot, or warm, and they will always be delicious. I grew up with my immigrant parents who all they knew was traditional Mexican food, the crops and seasonings used there are more diverse than American foods. Mexican foods have thousands of years of history traced within them, within our ancestors who made foods with love. These foods are shared within Mexican culture today between mothers and their children, between my mother and her mother. In the fall, these foods can vary and have many delicious flavors due to their extravagance. But what makes these foods Mexican? Is it the seasonings?
10. Menudo
Menudo is also known as “mole de panza”. Many people in the United States would see this dish as disgusting. They’re not used to the cultural food from Mexico. Cow stomach doesn’t sound appetizing at all. To many people originating from Mexico, they would tell you otherwise. Americans would believe this dish isn’t at all special, they wouldn’t know that this dish came from poverty. They used the leftover stomach to feed the poor. Now we don’t eat it because we are poor, it shows how far our ancestors have come since then. That’s what makes it special to us.
9. Tacos
Everyone knows what a taco is, however, Mexican tacos will allow you into a whole new world. Al pastor tacos are cooked in a trompo, which is like a vertical rotisserie, right in front of you. Al pastor tacos are something me and my family enjoy having together, whether it’s at a soccer game or just for dinner. Tacos come from our ancestors who needed the energy and nutrients to continue with the things they used to deal with back then, back when we were conquered or when we were trying to survive. Tacos are something that I could have in the morning and for dinner and never get tired of them because when my mom makes it, there is nothing else better in the world. When we are eating tacos at the dinner table there is no better feeling than the smell of it under our noses and the feeling of love.
8. Caldo de Pollo
My mother likes to say, “Cuando llegue a la casa te voy hacer un Caldito de pollo” whenever I’m sick. Caldo de pollo, known as chicken soup, is the best food you can have when you’re sick, or even just to enjoy on a cold day. It has comforting qualities that were used to soothe our ancestors during hard times. Now, caldo de pollo is something my mother makes to soothe me to sleep, help me with sickness, and even more now that I need nutrients and eating for 2. This food can make you feel like you’re home again. For me home is my mom’s caldo de pollo, bringing me to Mexico during sick times.
7. Elote Preparado
6 decades ago, Elote preparado was made. It’s a well-known snack, and food for some people. Over these decades, street vendors would come up with ways to make corn on the cob more appetizing than it already is. My family likes to go to El Primo after going grocery shopping to have a quick snack and savor it when we get home. The consumption of elotes began with just chili and epazote. Now as we know it, elotes can have mayonnaise, cheese, chili, and lime. I think what makes an elote special is the taste being unique like you would never think corn on the cob could get any better than it already is, and then boom, Mexicans add things to it that bring family tradition.
6. Esquites
When I think of esquites, I think about it being a cold day, the small styrofoam cup warming up my hands, and the smell!!! It brings me back to delightful memories that I share within my family with this dish. We would watch this lady, a street vendor in Norristown, add chili, mayonnaise, cheese, and lime to the corn kernels. Not only that but she would have mangoes, elotes preparados, fresas con crema, y como se antojaba todo. Not only are these foods easily found in Mexico, but they also have various names, along with other foods in this article. Some citizens in Monterrey call it elote en vaso. Now that the cold is creeping up on us again, I’m anticipating the day my cousin tells me to get up and get esquites with her.
5. Tamales
Tamales are one of the most diverse foods from Mexico even though they are all put into one category. If any of your family is Poblano, you know the tamales are sweet and savory. My grandmother owns a tamale stand and when I visit her, her tamales are always delicious, especially to foreigners. Maybe your grandmother makes tamales, she could make tamales completely different from mine if you’re from Oaxaca. Tamales Oaxaquenos are spicy and savory. There are many more flavors and different ways to make tamales. Maybe you make tamales with hojas de platano, others use hojas de maiz. Days during Dia De Los Muertos or el Dia De Los Reyes if you get baby Jesus despues de que partes la rosca, is when tamales are more common. It was believed that this dish was meant for the Gods only, which is why they’re most common during the holidays.
4. Ceviche Mexicano/Agua-chile
My family enjoys ceviche a little too much. I have had shrimp before, but it resulted in my throat closing up and getting itchy all over, so I never had it again. However, I love the smell of ceviche. When I had shrimp, it was so good I wanted to have it over and over again no matter what happened to me. But my family prohibits me from consuming any type of shellfish now. Just a couple of weeks ago, my family had ceviche and I looked out the window in envy because they were enjoying it and I couldn’t. My friend’s mom makes ceviche with fish instead of shrimp. The first time I ate the fish ceviche, it was honestly good, but I would probably prefer the shrimp way more. My mom improvises it with fish to make me feel included, not the same as the shrimp but still good.
3. Pozole
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and although Mexican immigrants do not know the true meaning of the holiday, we enjoy celebrating with our traditional food. One of these foods is pozole. When I was little, I remember that my mom would rush all over the kitchen trying to get every seasoning she could find and add it to the pot, the kitchen smelt so good everytime. On special occasions she’d make pozole, sometimes if I begged her to, she would make it if I was craving it. My mom’s pozole is not spicy, it’s lemony and it reminds me that my mom loves to cook for me and my family. My boyfriend’s Mexican side of the family likes pozole rojo, which is spicy, I enjoy it, but I think nothing compares to your own mother’s special cooking.
2. Mole Poblano Con Arroz
Sometimes my mom enjoys eating food from her pueblo. My grandma or my sister send her mole poblano directly from Mexico for her to get the authentic taste of it. If not, she would just grab mole poblano from here and make it at home for us to enjoy with some rice. I like this dish because it’s something I am familiar with. This food is one of the many foods that I get to have almost once every couple of weeks without the feeling of it being repetitive. It’s a common dish in Quinceñeras, baby showers, bodas, or any party. In our culture, the mole represents celebration. My mom likes to make red rice, which is most commonly served in many restaurants. My grandmother on my aunt’s side, que en paz descanse, would make arroz blanco hervido all the time. It would be like the white rice at Chinese restaurants and it was always superb. Together, the mole and arroz combined are favorites in my house.
1. Gorditas/Sopes
Gorditas arrive on your plate, nice and warm. This food is something me and my mom enjoy making together when we have the whole family over. It’s easy to make and they will always be bomb. There was a time I woke up to the smell of gorditas and I brushed my teeth, ran downstairs, helped my mom with the lettuce and cheese, then sat down and ate 7. Every single time she makes it she asks me to cut the lettuce and grate the cheese. There are parts of Mexico that see it as a dessert, they will sell it with pretty paper around it and covered in sugar instead of what my family would normally put on it. There is something about this dish that just brings out the good mood throughout the house, whether it’s the smell of it, the taste of it, or maybe just spending time with family, you will always see us with a smile on our faces.
Mexican dishes are one of the most diverse foods you can have. In Norristown, there are many restaurants that bring the authenticity of these foods to us, and many don’t. Here are some of the restaurants I recommend for you guys if you decide to try any of these foods.
El Primo
Plaza Azteca
La Poblanita
El Combo Loco
Taqueria La Michocana
