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Basic Menu List
Mexican cuisine is so rich and varied, that an exhaustive list is next to impossible to assemble. Not all of the dishes are spicy, but take care to ask the waiter if a certain item is picante before ordering. Enjoy!
Barbacoa: Mutton cooked underground and served in tacos.
Burritos: Wheat flour tortilla filled with meat or cheese.
Cabrito: Roasted kid. (Real popular in Northern Mexico).
Carne Asada: Thin slices of grilled beef served with corn or wheat flour tortillas.
Carnitas: Chunks of roasted pork. (A bit greasy, but delicious). Fill tortilla with meat, add avocado, coriander, onion and hot sauce.
Cebollitas:
Grilled onions along with anything and are great with
lime and salt.
Cecina: Dried slices of beef or pork
prepared in all sorts of sauces or grilled.
Ceviche: Raw fish or other seafood
marinated for hours in lime juice and served as a
cocktail with chopped onion, avocado, coriander and
tomato.
Chuleta: A beef (res), pork (cerdo) or
lamb chop.
Chicharron: Fried pork rind served with
carnitas or other types of cooked meat. A popular
appetizer with tortillas and sauce.
Chilaquiles: Fried tortilla chips served
in a platter with sauce and cheese sprinkled on top.
Often comes with shredded chicken or a fried egg on top.
Popular for breakfast.
Chile en Nogada: Chile pepper (hot)
filled with a meat stuffing, batter-fried and covered
with a creamy walnut sauce. Pomegrante seeds and a bit of
parsley are sprinkled on top to represent the red, white
and green color of the Mexican flag. Specialty of the
summer season.
Chile Relleno: Deep fried pepper (hot)
stuffed with cheese or meat and covered with tomato
sauce.
Chorizo: Spicy Mexican sausage served in
a variety of ways.
Churros: Tubes of fried dough covered
with sugar and accompanied with hot chocolate.
Cochinita Pibil: Shredded pork served with a spicy sauce — a specialty of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Dulce en Almibar: Preserved fruit served in a sugar syrup.
Enchiladas: A semi-fried corn
tortilla filled with chicken and covered with cheese, sauce and
sometimes onion slices.
Flan: Rich custard topped with a caramel sauce.
Flor de Calabaza: Squash flowers served in
quesadillas or as a side dish.
Frijoles: Standard Mexican boiled bean dish
served with just about everything. Refritos are beans mashed and
fried in oil or lard.
Gorditas: Fried corn dough filled with refried
beans and topped with cream, cheese and lettuce.
Guacamole: Mashed avocado with tomato, onion,
lemon juice, salt and garlic.
Huauchinango al Mojo de Ajo: Red snapper fried
with lots of chopped garlic. Served in filet or the complete fish
(entero).
Huitlacoche: A mushroom-like fungus taken from
ears of corn. A real treat served in quesadillas, as a garnish or
as a filling in various dishes.
Machaca: Dried shredded beef, sauteed and served
with wheat flour tortillas. Sometimes served with eggs or in
various sauces. (Popular in the northern states).
Menudo: Pieces of intestine served in broth.
Milanesa: Breaded pork, beef or chicken steak.
Fried and served with tortillas.
Mole [MO-lay]: A truly Mexican sauce composed of chocolate, ground chili peppers and lots of spices. Usually poured over chicken or enchiladas. There are various types of moles, including Poblano, Oaxaqueño and pipian. (A bit spicy, but a side dish of avocado helps cool the tongue).
Natilla: A thin custard pudding.
Nopales: Prickly pear cactus leaves — most
popular in salads or grilled in tacos.
Pancita: Cow’s stomach served in rich
broth.
Pozole: Hearty hominy soup with shredded pork
and garnished with lettuce, radishes, chopped onion, oregano and
chili pepper.
Quesadillas: Fried tortillas filled with cheese,
chopped beef, potatoes, beans, squash flowers or many other
possible combinations. Served with hot sauce.
Queso Fundido: Melted cheese served with either
corn or wheat flour tortillas, sort of fondue style.
Romeritos: Rosemary stalks prepared in mole or
other types of sauces.
Salsa: Spicy sauce served with everything in
varying degrees of hot. May be red or green or made of chopped
onion, tomato, and chili peppers. Every restaurant has its own
specialty.
Sopes: A grilled tortilla covered with hot
sauce, sprinkled cheese and chopped onion.
Tacos: A soft corn tortilla filled with meat,
chicken or pork. Very unlike U.S.-style tacos.
Tamales: Banana leaves or corn husks filled with corn meal and sometimes pieces of chicken or pork. Sweet tamales are flavored with sugar and served as a desert.
Tortas: A hard-crust roll filled with meat or
cheese and tomato, avocado, onion, cream, chili pepper or hot
sauce.
Tortillas: Basic part of a Mexican meal.
Tortillas are made of ground corn or wheat flour (popular fried,
in the northern states of the country). Best served hot, they are
called tostadas.
Tostadas: Fried corn tortilla covered with shredded chicken or beef, tomatoes, lettuce, cream, chili peppers and cheese.
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* The word caliente refers to hot (to the touch). Picante or picoso refers to food that is spicy hot.
SOME USEFUL WORDS
YOU SHOULD KNOW
BEFORE ORDERING
A MEAL
I’ve reserved a table
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Reserve una mesa
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Do you have a table?
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¿Hay una mesa libre?
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Waiter/Waitress
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Camarero/Camarera
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May I have the menu?
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El menu por favor?
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¿May I have the wine list?
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¿La lista de vinos?
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I’d like ...
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Quiero ...
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A little more
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Un poco mas
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What will you drink?
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¿Que desea beber?
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This is no good
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No esta buena
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One beer please
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Una cerveza por favor
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Glass of wine
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Un copa de vino
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Cup of coffee
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Una taza de café
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Bottle of water
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Una botella de agua
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Ice (cubes)
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Hielo (cubiertos)
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The bill please
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La cuenta por favor
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Cheers! (To your health)
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Salud!
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Breakfast
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El desayuno
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Lunch
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El armuerzo (la comida)
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Dinner
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La cena
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Fork
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Tenedor
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Knife
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Cuchillo
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Spoon
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Cuchara
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Napkin
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Servilleta
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Purified
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Purificado
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Greasy
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Grasiento
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Salty
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Salada
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Sugary/Sweet
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Azucarado
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Bitter
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Amargo
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Watery
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Aguado
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Small
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Chica, Pequeño
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Big
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Grande
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Rare
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Poco cocido
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Medium
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Mediano
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Medium well done
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Medio turno
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Well done
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Bien cocido
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Hot (to the touch)
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Caliente
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Hot (spicy)
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Picante
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Picante means spicy hot. To discover if a dish is picante ask, "¿Es picante?" The waiter may reply, "No es picante" (It isn't hot), or "Es picante" (It is hot) with a great big nod. Or the reply may be "No se pica", meaning it won't burn you with its spicy taste. He might also say, "Se pica un poco", meaning "It's a little spicy hot" or has a bite. "No pica mucho" means "It's not very hot".
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The Hungry Traveler: Mexico is a perfect "friend" to bring with you ....
when ordering food in Mexico.Far more detailed than our beginner's list (on this page) it has all the essential information every savvy traveler needs to navigate through the tasty and often complex waters of Mexican cuisine: menus, restaurants, and food items.
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(Pocket size: 3 3/4" x 6", 212 pages)
Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1997
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