From Tacos to Mole: The Regional Mexican Dishes Every Foodie Needs to Try

Brief History of Mexican Food

The history of Mexican food is long and diverse. Historians believe authentic Mexican food as we now know it dates back to the Mayans.

Though its ancient roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine, present day Mexican food is a delicious blend of Old World meets New World.

The Mexico food of today uses many of the same ingredients the Maya ate, but with Spanish, French and even Lebanese cooking techniques and ingredients.

You may say it’s the ultimate fusion cuisine — even meshing further with U.S. food to form new fusions, like Tex-Mex and Southwestern cuisine.

Mexican Staple Foods

Some of the staple foods in traditional Mexican cuisine include corn, beans and chilis — all present before the Spanish arrived.

Of these, corn is considered the most important ingredient in Mexican cuisine, even dating back to pre-hispanic cuisine.

You’ll rarely find a dish that doesn’t incorporate one, or all, of these ingredients. This can even include corn that has been “nixtamalized” to make tortillas or masa dough.

The Nixtamalization Process

Corn is among the ingredients native to Mexico, and still the most important food used in Mexican cuisine today.

Corn in Mexico was first domesticated and cultivated by the Maya in the Yucatan Peninsula, and also the neighboring country of Guatemala.

Nixtamalization is a process by which maize (corn) is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution like limewater, washed, and hulled… Nixtamalized maize has several benefits: It is easier to grind, has more nutritional value, improved flavor and aroma, and decreased mycotoxins.

However, it wasn’t until the discovery of nixtamalization that corn was manipulated so it could be made into masa for tortillas, tamales and more.

The Seven Regional Mexican Cuisines You Need to Know About

There’s really no such thing as typical Mexican food, as the country’s cuisine varies greatly from region to region.

As is common with large countries, Mexico is a country with several very distinct regions. The types of foods in Mexico vary A LOT across these areas.

Each region has its own style of dress, different slang or dialects, social customs, local traditions, and of course, traditional foods to suit different taste buds.

Below you’ll find a brief explanation of the seven culinary regions of Mexico: North Mexico, North Pacific Coast, Bajío, Central Mexico, South Pacific Coast, Gulf Coast, and South Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula).

1. North Mexico: Baja California Peninsula, Zacatecas, etc.

The vast El Norte region of Mexico spans about 2,000 miles, from Baja California on the Pacific Coast, to the Gulf of Mexico lowlands.

In places on the coast, like Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Ensenada, and Loreto, it’s all about seafood and fish tacos.

Northern Mexico cuisine is hearty and unpretentious, just like its cattle ranch culture.

The North is a great place to enjoy perfectly grilled beef and steak, and local delicacies like machaca, arrachera and cabrito — some of its most popular foods.

2. North Pacific Coast: Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, etc.

Stretching along the Pacific Ocean shoreline, there’s great fresh seafood options along the coast, like pescado zarandeado (shaken fish) in Nayarit State.

However, Guadalajara and Jalisco State are the true culinary powerhouses, famed for birria and tortas ahogadas, and the tequila from Tequila, Mexico.

3. Bajio: Michoacán, Queretaro, Guanajuato, etc.

The Bajío (pronounced bah-he-yo) is surrounded by rugged mountains, but itself lies in an immense plateau.

Here, you’ll find a lot of pork and rice dishes, like morisqueta, one of the best Mexican Bajio foods.

There’s also the beloved Mexican carnitas, deep fried pork confit from Michoacan State.

4. Central Mexico: Mexico City, Puebla, Hidalgo, etc.

Being centrally located, the foods you’ll find in Central Mexico come from all around.

In the Mexican capital of Mexico City, the local cuisine is a mix of prehispanic foods like tlacoyos and fusion cuisine, like tacos al pastor.

The distinct Poblano cuisine of Puebla, Mexico, includes mole poblano, cemitas poblanas and tacos arabes — three things which help put Central Mexican cuisine on the map.

Thanks to its diversity of options and unique flavor combinations, Central Mexico cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines in Mexico.

5. South Pacific Coast: Oaxaca, Chiapas, etc.

Known for having the most indigenous Mexican cuisines of any region, this area has cooking techniques and dishes that date back thousands of years.

The food of Oaxaca is so beloved that its capital, Oaxaca City, is known as the “Foodie Capital of Mexico,” famed for mole, tlayudas and queso oaxaca cheese.

6. Gulf Coast: Veracruz, Tabasco

Gulf Coast cuisine is seafood-heavy, as it sits on the Gulf of Mexico.

The Mexican food from this part of the country has a unique fusion of prehispanic, Spanish, Caribbean and Afro-Cuban flavors.

Besides the food, the mountains in this area have the ideal climate for growing coffee — and the Coatepec region of Veracruz state is said to have the best coffee in Mexico.

7. South Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula): Quintana Roo, Yucatan, etc.

In some ways, the Yucatan Peninsula could be its own country! In fact, it used to be known as the Republic of Yucatán in the mid-1800s.

Yucatan cuisine uses local ingredients like axiote (annatto) and naranja agria (sour orange) — which you’ll find its most popular dish, cochinita pibil (slow-cooked pork).

Common Mexican ingredients like avocados, beans, chiles, herbs like oregano and cilantro, tomatoes, corn, meats and seafoods always leave diners happy and satisfied.

While many of the best Mexican foods contain these, you’ll also find these (and various ingredients) in the best cuisines all over the world.

When in doubt, just omit the salsa 🌶️ It’s usually the salsa that adds heat, so you can always order your food “sin picante”(not spicy), or simply don’t add salsa.