To the inexperienced – and I had absolutely no experience when I started my trip – Mexican street food can seem bewildering. At every intersection in Mexico City, there is a hawker stall on every corner. Sometimes there are several different stands spread out along the block. The local people all know what to do. Of course it is.
On the other hand, I was lost and only familiar with the Tex-Mex version of Mexican cuisine. From afar, it seemed like there was a lot of etiquette, from ordering to adding sauce and toppings to returning the plate after eating. Such a situation is very unsettling for the British. We are reserved. We don't like to look like we have poor etiquette or are obvious amateurs.
I needed a primer and asked Francisco Vielma, manager of the Mexico City hotel where many G Adventures tours originate, for help. He had two reactions. The first was a surprise. “Help? Why?” He wanted to know.
“scary.” I confessed feeling like a turnip. “I don’t know what to do.” Francisco smiled broadly. “Do what you love. Ask what you like. Observe. copy. Enjoy.” His second response was to volunteer to show me around the area. “It will be my great pleasure,” he vowed.
The starting point he suggests is corn. Just as pasta is closely related to Italian cuisine, tortillas made from corn dough form the basis of many Mexican foods, especially in the central and southern regions. Chili is the flavor base, as well as coriander, oregano, allspice and cinnamon. Chicken, beef and pork are popular fillings.
Francisco notes that the offices and schools on the surrounding streets are full of people who start work early and may have walked hours to get there from their suburban homes. Lunchtime often doesn't start until late afternoon, so people have to fill up on food to keep eating.
“That’s why you should eat as much as possible.” Francisco advised. “I don’t have time to eat before I leave home, but I get hungry when I get to work. Street food is fast, filling and cheap.”
The first thing to try is Taco al Pastor, a Mexico City specialty. Introduced by Lebanese immigrants, this food is similar to kebabs cooked on rotating skewers, tacos al pastor means shepherd's tacos, but the meat is pork rather than lamb. Additionally, the pork is marinated in a special sauce, sliced thinly, and placed inside a tortilla. This is when the penny drops for me. A taco is simply a soft tortilla with filling. I was fooled by a popular global fast food chain into thinking that tacos were crunchy, U-shaped fried tortillas. But this is part of the great Tex-Mex trick. Anyway, a good taco al pastor will definitely fill a growling stomach.
Next stop is to try a few different quesadillas. One tortilla is filled with chicharrón (spicy minced pork belly fat) and the other is filled with quesillo (a sticky white cheese from the state of Oaxaca). Quesadillas, like ravioli, are folded, sealed, and quickly fried in hot oil. We spoon salsa verde, a tomatillo-based green sauce, and salsa roja, a tomato-based sauce. I found both sauces to be surprisingly delicious in one bite.
Some of these stalls touch on the topic of Montezuma's Revenge, an upset stomach that many travelers experience in Mexico after discovering that their food has been left out in the hot sun for hours in unrefrigerated containers. Francisco is quick to point out that street vendors boil or cook their food at high temperatures. He argues that the real danger comes from water and that travelers should stick to bottled water.
As if to prove a point, Francisco took me into the local market hall, which was crowded with people from all walks of life. Workers in work clothes are sitting side by side with business people in suits and having a good time. cheap food. A cheap and quick three-course meal to fill your stomach after a long morning at work. We watch as the chicken is expertly butchered with giant scissors before each of us eats a lamb torta known as barbacoa de Borrego. It's served on a white bread roll with a baguette-like consistency and topped with spicy salsa verde.
By now I was feeling rather full, but Francisco wanted to take me to his favorite local haunt. It's about a 10-minute walk away, so theoretically it should work up a bit of an appetite. Almost as soon as the smell of sizzling meat reached my nostrils, I discovered the stall in question. It's no surprise that this is a beef restaurant. Our tacos are piled high with thinly sliced ribeye straight from the grill, then topped with caramelized onions and salsa. I was surprised that I ate it all, but by the time I returned it to the seller, there was nothing left on the plate. delicious!
One of the things that surprised me was how many people would flock to a particular stall, while the neighboring stalls would be empty. I think it's because of the quality of their food, but Francisco was quick to correct me.
“It’s not their food, it’s the salsa. People are attracted by the street vendor's reputation for its delicious sauce. If you discover it, word will spread and people will come. “They’ll wait 30 minutes or more if they know their taco or torta is going to have great sauce.”
With three more weeks to go, including two weeks of the Classic Mexico Adventure, I felt ready to finally enjoy the many delights of street food. Takeout is all about being confident, following the crowd, observing what sauces and condiments people add to their food, and above all, overcoming your tendency to get frustrated because street food is king in Mexico.
Are you ready to tantalize your taste buds with all the street food in Mexico? Here are some of the best tours that will tempt you:
Classic Mexican Adventure
Mexico: Central Mexico and Yucatan Peninsula
Different Sides of Mexico: From Puerto Vallarto to Oaxaca
Essential Central Mexico