Regional Food in Mexico

When people think about Mexican food, they usually think that everyone in mexico eats burritos with rice, bean, cheese, and pork. However, the reality is that Mexican food is way deeper than what the stereotypes set you up thinking. In fact, different regions of mexico have different variations on Mexican food. To investigate, I traveled to mexico to see if i could differentiate the regional foods.

The first distinction in the regional food of mexico I noticed was in the North. I will simply refer it it as “The North”. Before the English came, people here were hunters and gatherers with limited agriculture and limited settlements because of the dry land. When the English came, they decided that the arid, dry land was perfect for livestock. This development led to the dominance in meat, with the most prominent being beef. From what I have observed, The most popular cooking technique is grilling. The ranch culture also promotes the production of cheese. The north is known for its wide variety of cheeses. There are 56 varieties of asadero (smoked cheese)! The large, burrito sized flour tortillas that are usually found in american Mexican restaurants are commonly used in this area.

The North Pacific coast, teeming with pozole, menudo and pork dishes. Jalisco is also known for its tequila production. supplying much of the country’s staple grains, fruits and vegetables. Because it is part of the coast, the cuisine includes marlin, sailfish, swordfish, black sea bass, snapper, porgy, amberjack, tuna, shrimp and octopus.

Another region of food is ‘the Bajo’. After reading the menu on many of the local restaurants, I realized that this region is teeming with cactus dishes. I have also noticed that many of the dishes contain a bit of Indian influence, as they have many spices that I recognized from my trip to India. The street vendors also sold quite a lot of sweet desserts, such as arroz con leche and cajeta.