Mexican food glossary and food terms
GLOSSARY OF FOODS AND FOOD TERMS
Almuerzo: name given to an early (11:00 a.m.) light lunch, often a
dish based on Tortillas.
Annatto: the seeds of a tropical tree, delicate in flavor but
colors foods a bold orange-red. Called achiote in Mexico.
Arroz: rice.
Bolillas: crusty, torpedo-shaped rolls of white bread (wheat flour)
popular at all meals, especially breakfast, and particularly in Mexico
City.
Bunuelos: simple deep-fried fritter served with cinnamon sugar and
often a syrup or molasses sauce. A specialty of the fiestas, especially
the posadas of Christmas.
Burritos: Tortillas that are made of wheat flour, larger than the
Masa Harina Tortillas, often served filled with Frijoles,
spicy meat sauce, lettuce and cheese and rolled up like an envelope.
Cafe: coffee.
Cafe con Leche: a blend of coffee and hot milk specially favored
for breakfast.
Cafe Negra: black coffee.
Carne: meat, usually referring to beef.
Cena: the late evening meal, usually light. One course perhaps
followed by fruit and a beverage.
Ceviche: strips of raw fish marinated in lime juice and lemon juice
with chilies, onions, and garlic. The flesh of the fish loses its
translucency and turns white as if cooked. Delicious as an appetizer. Of
ancient Peruvian origin.
Chipotle: a red hot pepper, smoked, available pickled or fresh, and
brick red in color. Like a brick, it delivers a potent punch!
Chorizo: popular fresh sausage made of fresh pork, pork fat, and
seasonings.
Comida: literally, "a meal". The term is usually used to designate
the leisurely heavy meal served from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Desayuno: breakfast, usually early and light.
Empanadas: crescent-shaped pastries with sweet or savory fillings.
Of Spanish origin.
Enchiladas: Tortillas that have been rolled over a filling, ends
open, covered lightly with a sauce, and baked in the oven or served
without being baked.
Ensalada: salad.
Epazote: herb indigenous to Mexico
(also called pazote, peqweed, or goosefoot). Dried
and crumbled, it is used in bean and tortilla dishes, adding a strong
distinctive flavor.
Flan: the most popular Mexican dessert, a slow-baked custard of
eggs, condensed milk with a caramel or coconut glaze.
Frijoles: beans, the dried type. Any one of many cooked varieties.
Frijoles Refritos: beans that have been cooked then reheated by
mashing in lard till a smooth thick paste is formed. Eaten as a staple
side dish, usually with mild grated cheese on top.
Guacamole: a smooth but piquant paste made by mashing ripe avocados
with lime juice, onion, seasonings. Used as an appetizer, more frequently
as a garnish to other foods.
Horchata: a cooling drink prepared from ground melon seeds with
added water, sugar and grated lemon rind.
Huevos: eggs.
Huevos Rancheros: a popular egg dish suited for almuerzo or
a North American brunch. Eggs are cooked in spicy tomato sauce seasoned
with onions, peppers and served traditionally with Tortillas and
Frijoles Refritos.
Jicama: looks like a large turnip, and served sliced in thin flat
rounds. Tastes crisp and very juicy, somewhat like an apple. Mexicans buy
it from street vendors and douse it with peppery hot sauce.
Leche: milk.
Masa Harina: a special corn flour made by soaking the corn in lime
water and grinding it very finely. It is used for the making of Tortillas
and often to thicken stews and sauces.
Merienda: late afternoon snack of coffee or chocolate and sweet
rolls or pastries.
Mole: the name given to many
different sauces, each similar only in that the combination of seasonings,
tomatoes (red or green), nuts, etc., are first ground to a paste then
cooked in hot lard before the other parts of the dish are added. The most
famous mole, Mole Poblano, is made the same way but with the
addition of bitter chocolate (poblano means in the style of
Puebla).
Ollas: earthenware jugs, often attractively glazed and decorated,
used to store liquids.
Salsa: sauce.
Sopa: soup.
Sopa Seca: literally, "dry soup". Refers to a rice or pasta-type
dish similar to Italian pasta casseroles, baked with sauce.
Taco: a fried crisp Tortilla, either rolled or folded with a
filling.
Tamales: when prepared as a simple bread dough from Masa Harina
and steamed in corn husks, Tamales are eaten like bread. When the dough
part is filled with spicy mixtures of meats, Tamales become a complete
meal.
Tinga: a stew of meat and vegetables with seasonings prepared by
sautéing onions, garlic, then tomatoes and seasonings and finally adding
meat and then the vegetables. With Mexican ingredients and European
method, these dishes are a blend of old and new world cuisine.
Tortilla: a flat, pancake-like bread made from specially ground
corn flour called Masa Harina. It can be used as a bread, spread or
layered with filling, rolled, baked, fried, shredded into soups, or
shredded and fried and enjoyed as snacks. The uses are almost endless. The
tortilla even serves as an edible plate and a utensil for eating other
foods.
Tostada: when Tortillas are crisp-fired, still flat, and stacked
with a filling – cooked ground meats, Frijoles, shredded lettuce or cheese
for example – they are called Tostadas.