What do people eat in Mexico?

The variety of food available in Mexico is truly great, with unique dishes for each region as you move from the north to the south, east to west, with many regional styles throughout. We are often asked, "What is the official food or meal of Mexico?" The truth is, there is no real official dish of Mexico, as it really depends on where you are.

Beef, chicken and pork dishes are popular throughout the country, and fish is an important item anywhere near Mexico's long pacific and caribbean coasts. You'll find vegetables of every kind and include the traditional beans, often served with rice. There is also a large variety of salsas and chilis including the very hot habanero common in the south.

If there is one food item common to all of Mexico, it would be the corn tortilla. Corn originates from Mexico and is still a main staple of diet there, even though flour is becoming more popular. Anywhere you travel in Mexico you'll find food stands that offer tacos of many varieties, all using the corn tortilla, and corn tortillas are still made fresh daily in stores, bakeries and food stands. So in that sense, since it is so common to all of Mexico, the simple taco could be considered the "unofficial" dish of Mexico.

Our selection of dishes presented here are sent to us by contributors who wanted to share their special recipe, and were chosen because they represent a dish unique to Mexico.

See Mexican kitchen vocabulary and Mexican menu items for more information on the cuisine of Mexico.