Did you know that Mexican food is the second most popular menu type in the USA?
Americans love celebrating Mexican heritage with tacos, tamales, and tequila. The Mexican restaurant landscape has filled every state in the US.
What makes Mexican food so popular? What is the most popular Mexican food that is served in every Mexican restaurant in the country and prepared in almost every American home?
Let’s discover what makes Mexican food well-admired and craved for by many.
Every bite you take from any Mexican dish is a bite out of history.
Famous Mexican food speaks well about the history of its ingredients, its recipe, and the customs that are involved in creating the dish.
Every Mexican dish has an incredible backstory that makes Mexican cuisine one of the most historic cuisines the world has to offer.
The tastes and sights of Mexican food stem from the Mayan, Aztec, and Spanish cultures.
The Mayans used corn as a staple where the corn tortillas in traditional Mexican dishes are made of. They were known to eat corn tortillas with a bean paste.
The Aztecs introduced the use of salt, pepper, and chocolate in their culinary cuisine and their way of life.
The famous salsa in Mexican cuisine was sold in the Aztec marketplaces.
Chipotle, a smoke-dried ripe jalapeño chili pepper used for seasoning in many Mexican dishes, was a staple in the Aztec diet.
The Aztecs also introduced the concept of tortillas being used as a wrap.
The Spanish influence on Mexican cuisine includes a whole flurry of new foods like dairy products, garlic, and many herbs and spices.
The use of new livestock meats was also introduced especially pork.
Apart from the Mayan, Aztec, and Spanish influences on Mexican cuisine, there are many other flavors from around the world that have their distinct influence on Mexican food.
Likewise, you can also find a hint of Mexican flavor in just about every dish in every culture.
The flavor and fresh ingredients of Mexican food make it a favorite among many countries all around the world.
Let’s take a look at the most popular Mexican food recipes that define the feisty, vibrant, and mysterious flavors of Mexican cooking:
Who wouldn’t love and crave for burritos with minced meat filling?
They are an ideal meal-on-the-go that anyone can fall in love with. Whatever meat you choose to put in a burrito, it is a definite treat for your taste buds.
A traditional Mexican quesadilla would be made with hand-made corn tortillas stuffed with a small amount of cheese and served with good salsa and some guacamole on the side.
Tex-mex cuisine serves these Mexican favorites with some creativity for the fillings. They are very popular for perfect snacking or mini-meals.
Authentic Mexican tacos are made of stewed, fried, or grilled meat.
What makes it authentic? It’s when the grilled meat is marinated overnight with cumin, oregano, paprika, lime, onions, and chilies.
The cooked meat is lightly seasoned with nothing but salt and pepper.
A most favorite Mexican dip that is both refreshing and packed with healthy ingredients, guacamole can spice up your Mexican menu.
Its main ingredient is avocados which is an amazing source of protein.
Enjoy this popular Mexican food containing chili peppers, meat, and tomatoes, and beans. It is a Mexican food recipe called a spicy stew that can be spiced up with garlic, onions, and cumin.
Authentic Mexican salsa is sometimes called chop salad with fresh vegetables, zesty lime, earthy cilantro, and a feisty little jalapeño. Feel vibrant and healthy with this Mexican dish packed with vitamins and fiber.
Enchiladas will always be included in the Mexican food list.
Authentic Mexican enchiladas are made with corn tortillas and then dipped in a homemade sauce, fried, filled with Mexican queso fresco, then topped with sour cream, lettuce, and tomato.
Traditional Mexican food does not contain flour wheat, cumin, canned vegetables, and yellow cheese.
What sets them apart from their Tex-Mex cousins is the use of fresh produce, white cheese, slow-roasted pork, and the usual garnish of fragrant herbs like cilantro, parsley, and epazote.
How will you know if you’re eating authentic Mexican food? Authentic Mexican dishes are rustic, hearty, deceptively simple, packed with nutritious ingredients, and as varied as the regions they hail from.
A popular Mexican food that is a more complex version of the enchilada.
It is a rolled corn tortilla that’s often filled with shredded chicken and cotija cheese, then bathed in black mole and sprinkled with sesame seeds and crumbled cheese.
Top up your meal with one of the best Mexican dishes that is a hearty soup made with hominy (hulled corn kernels) and simmered with red chiles, aromatic spices, tomatoes, and pork shoulder.
To make it even healthier, it is garnished with shredded cabbage, chopped onions, sliced radishes, and lime. It is served alongside corn tortillas.
A torta is a Mexican sandwich that is served hot—grilled or pressed.
This favorite Mexican food is filled with a combination of meats and veggies. A bolillo or telera (two of Mexico’s most iconic pieces of bread) is used.
This popular Mexican food is traditionally made in September, in celebration of Mexican Independence Day.
It consists of poblanos that are stuffed with picadillo—a mixture of pork, chopped fruit, and spices—smothered in a walnut cream sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.
Salsa is often referred to as the core of Mexican cooking and this centuries-old Yucatecan staple is one of the best authentic Mexican dishes you can have.
Chiltomate is prepared with roasted tomato and chile salsa. Its simple ingredients, rustic preparation, and sweet-spicy flavor exemplify modern Mayan cuisine in a traditional Mexican dish.
Tacos de papa is an authentic Mexican cuisine made with mashed cumin-spiced potatoes stuffed into a corn tortilla and fried until crispy.
It can be garnished with a variety of ingredients like crumbled queso fresco, shredded cabbage, salsa verde, sour cream, and pico de gallo.
A traditional Mexican version of grandma’s chicken soup, Sopa de Lima is a bowl of comfort, made with chicken, corn tortillas, avocados, habaneros, and lime.
Mexican food has an undeniable amazing taste. It is famous for its ethnic variety and distinct flavors.
If you are a great lover of popular Mexican food, you will always find a Mexican restaurant around the corner.
That’s how popular Mexican food is. Contact us and try our Mexican food today!
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