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Regional Mexican Dishes WORTH Flying Two Hours to Eat!May 16 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Many of the BEST Mexican dishes are local specialties; here's how to spot unexpected taste treats! Do you know of any place in the world that has better beignets than Cafe du Mond in New Orleans? Is there a better steamed blue crab than those from Obrycki's in Baltimore? Are there any good kosher knockwursts outside New York City? And is any cheese steak sandwich quite as good when served outside the City of Brotherly Love? I don't think soooo... Let's face it, some things were just meant to be eaten where they are most appreciated. That's certainly the case with Mexican food. Some of my very favorite dishes aren't served in Mexican restaurants outside of Mexico, and others are so specialized that you really only find good examples on their home turf, or even only in certain restaurants. If you're the kind of person who likes knowing what to try when traveling, or if you just want to know what kinds of things to look for on menus at your local "best" Mexican restaurant, then read on! This review takes a look, region by region, at some of the most characteristically local Mexican cuisine you can find. Proveche! Mexico City and the Central Plateau Mole may have originated in the city of Puebla, but its sure found its home in many of the capital's top restaurants. While most people tend to think of mole as being the classic poblano variety, which is a brown paste made of chilis, chocolate, peanuts, seeds, and dozens of other spices, there are actually lots of different kinds of mole to be tasted -- not all of them brown. Some of my favorite moles are described as "green pipian," "red mole," or similar variations. One of the moles that I think is most indigenous to Mexico City is the one called manchamanteles. If you see this on the menu, try it! It's not usually hot at all and the soft sweet flavors of mixed fruit really cut the zing of the chilis down to size! My mother-in-law tells me that turkey was once comonly served as mole, and since she's from Guadalajara, I believe her, but turkey isn't that common in Mexico and most restaurants I've been to use chicken. Look for something like "pollo in mole poblano" -- that's the ticket to great eating! Recommended Restaurant: Casa de las Azuelejos (Sanborns) Guadalajara and the Central Pacific Region You might find birria on menus outside the state of Jalisco, but its home is really Guadalajara, and that's where you can count on finding it. Birria is a stew made from lamb or pork. Its tangy red sauce is made from a blend of spices that marry the heat of chilis to pungent spices like cloves and cumin. Large chunks of meat are used, and the stew is baked for several hours. It is served with chunks of bread (usually bolillos) or with tortillas. Some restaurants specialize in birria. If you're in Jalisco, ask locals to point you to the restaurant with the best birria. You can always find it in larger marketplaces, like the sprawling Mercado Libertad in downtown Guadalajara. Borrego (roasted lamb) is to the state of Jalisco what cabrito is to the northern states -- a dish that doesn't just originate from the area, but that defines the flavor of the region and that stands as a symbol for all that is good. It's like jambalaya in New Orleans, crab cakes in Baltimore, or baquettes in Paris. Good borrego is like good barbecue -- it takes time to do it right. Wood fires are built in the morning and the flames allowed to die down leaving behind their hot coals that smolder and slow-cook the lamb (or sheep) -- which is splayed out over the coals on a spit. Hours later, the tender slow-cooked meat is ready for tasting...Mmmm, que rico! Recommended Restaurant: Restaurante Sin Nombre (Tlaqapaque) Monterrey and the North No mention of northern Mexican cuisine is complete without a thorough discussion of cabrito. Cabrito is the raw essence of northern food, and like borrego in the south, it involves the slow art of fire and smoke to slowly roast the young suckling goats. Larger restaurants in Monterrey and the northern border states start cooking the goats early in the morning, and you can stroll along the street and peer in through large plate glass windows to watch the goats being splayed out over a bed of fiery coals. There's a whole language to ordering cabrito. It reminds me of eating crabs in the Chesapeake Bay area. Just as you need to know the difference between hard shell and soft shell crabs, between females and jimmies, and between claw and backfin meat, so to in Monterrey you need to know the difference between pierna and pecho, and between machito and molleca. If you want to be on the safe side, stick to pierna (leg) and pecho (ribs -- actually the word means "chest"). If something is described as "fritada," I'd stay away from it because it usually means that its fried in goat blood. My brother-in-law swears that machito is the best part -- but he's a macho, and he gets a sadistic joy out of seeing what kinds of things he can sucker Cun Gringo into doing... I must admit that after trying machito, it really is a treat not to be missed -- but if the thought of eating kidneys and the heart makes you squemish, then you'll want to pass on it. Cabrito is usually very tender and somewhat gamey tasting. It's often greasier than you'd expect, and pieces like the legs are a bit stringier and tougher than chicken. If you want to know beans about beans, you must try the frijoles a la charra. If they're authentic, they'll be very flavorful with some serrano chili and plenty of fresh cilantro. You'll also find fresh tomatoes and onions in there, chunks of garlic, and pieces of bacon or smoked pork. Beware though! Ordering frijoles charros outside of northern Mexico often gets you ordinary frijoles, or frijoles borrachos, which are cooked in a similar way, but that are far less flavorful. If you really want to try an authentic dish of these beans and you don't have a trip to northern Mexico on your busy agenda, send me an email and I'll gladly provide an authentic (and delicious) recipe... Machacado con huevo is the one breakfast food that I feel characterizes northern Mexican food. Dried flaked salt beef is sauteed in a pan and then beaten eggs added, so that you get scrambled eggs with shreds of salty beef in it. Serve with flour tortillas and maybe a little pico de gallo (or salsa chipotle). Recommended Restaurant: El Rey del Cabrito, El Gran Pastor Veracruz and the South Gulf Coast Camarones Veracruzano is my favorite of the many dishes described as "veracruzano" -- which just means in the style of Veracruz. Fresh seafood is a staple along the coast, and almost any kind of fish will be prepared "veracruzano". If you don't find camarones (shrimp), try the huachinango (red snapper). Either way, you will usually get it topped with a crude fresh sauce of tomatoes, onion, and other vegetables. This is also one of the few dishes that I mention in this review that you actually might see on the menus of Mexican restaurants in the United States, so keep an eye open for it. Merida, Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula Sopa de Limon (lime soup) seems to be the food that people consider most characteristic of the Yucatan, and it can be a real treat if you find a good one. The best sopa de limon that I ever had was at a small restaurant on Isla Mujeres; the soup was a light broth with chunks of white chicken meat, some crispy strips of freshly fried tortill and just absolutely redolent with tangy fresh lime flavor. The worst was not much more than a greasy chicken broth that I was served at an outdoor restaurant a couple miles from Chichen-Itza. Ceviche can be had in a lot of different places, but the best I ever had was in a small sidewalk restaurant next to the main tourist market in downtown Cancun. Their ceviche was just plain white fish with some scallops and shrimp, soaked in lime juice along with fresh pico de gallo -- heavy on the onions. It was served with freshly fried tortillas, and was absolutely heavenly! I don't like some of the ceviches I've gotten around Acapulco, where the seafood tastes like its soaked in lime-flavored ketchup -- yucko! And I'm not crazy about versions I've had that were heavy on sugar or vinegar. But in Cancun... There's also one other dish I'll mention which is definitely a local Yucatan thing (especially around Vallodilid)-- pickled turkey. Somebody might be able to correct me if I'm not remembering this correctly, but I believe it was called "pavo de Vallodilid". I know pickled turkey sounds bizarre, but hey, they deep fry the whole bird here in Texas and nobody thinks that's weird! Eat Local, Eat Well You might not find many of these dishes on the menu of your local Mexican restaurant, but they are all well-known dishes that represent the best local cooking of different parts of Mexico. If you're blessed with a truly authentic Mexican restaurant, you just might be able to try some of this great food without the two-hour plane ride, but even if the trip is the only way to really find the real McCoy, it'll be a trip to gastronomic pleasure! Proveche!  |
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