El Norte (Baja, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aquascalientes, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas)

Champurrado is a chocolate-based atole, a warm and thick Mexican beverage. It is prepared with either a masa , masa harina (a dried version of this dough), or corn flour (simply very finely ground dried corn, especially local varieties grown for atole); piloncillo; water or milk; and occasionally containing cinnamon, anise seed, or vanilla. Ground nuts, orange zest, and egg can also be added to thicken and enrich the drink. Atole drinks are whipped up using a wooden whisk called a molinillo. The whisk is rolled between the palms of the hands, then moved back and forth in the mixture, until it is aerated and frothy; a blender may also be used. Champurrado is traditionally served with a churro in the morning as a simple breakfast or as a late afternoon snack. Champurrado is also very popular during Day of the Dead and at Las Posadas (during the Christmas season), where it is served alongside tamales. Champurrado may also be made with alcohol. Chocolate is native to Mesoamerica, and it was first cultivated by the Mayans and the Mexicas. The Mayans used the cacao beans in various ceremonies such as marriage and trade. Natives drank chocolate with corn puree, or masa. These drinks were thought of as magical and upon drinking, would give the drinker power and strength.

Huevos rancheros is a breakfast egg dish served in the style of the traditional large mid-morning fare on rural Mexican farms. The basic dish consists of fried eggs served on lightly fried or charred corn or flour tortillas topped with a spicy salsa made of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onion. Common accompaniments include refried beans, Mexican-style rice, and guacamole or slices of avocado, with cilantro as a garnish. As the dish spread beyond Mexico, variations using pureed chile or enchilada sauce instead of tomato-chili pico de gallo have appeared. Non-Mexican additions such as cheese, sour cream, and lettuce also have become common additions beyond the dish's native range.

Machaca and eggs dish

Seafood cocktail, made with clams, oysters, red snapper, shrimp, squid in a spicy sauce

A buñuelo ( Spanish: [buˈɲwelo], alternatively called boñuelo, bimuelo, birmuelo, bermuelo, bumuelo, burmuelo, or bonuelo, is a fried dough fritter found in Spain, Latin America, and other regions with a historical connection to Spaniards or Sephardic Jews, including Southwest Europe, the Balkans, Anatolia, and parts of Asia and North Africa. Buñuelos are traditionally prepared at Christmas and Hanukkah. It will usually have a filling or a topping. In Mexican cuisine, it is often served with a syrup made with piloncillo. Buñuelos are first known to have been consumed among Spain's Morisco population. They typically consist of a simple, wheat-based yeast dough, often flavored with anise, that is thinly rolled, cut or shaped into individual pieces, then fried and finished off with a sweet topping. Buñuelos may be filled with a variety of things, sweet or savory. They can be round in ball shapes or disc-shaped. In Latin America, buñuelos are seen as a symbol of good luck. "Buñuelo" and all other variations of the word in Spanish derive from the Old Spanish *boño or bonno, which itself derives from the Germanic Gothic language *𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌲𐌾𐍉 , and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰenǵʰ (thick, dense, fat).

Cocada are a traditional coconut confectionery found in many parts of Latin America and Europe. They are particularly popular in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Spain, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador and Goa Former Estado da Índia Portuguesa. They are oven baked but are served at room temperature to provide their chewy and soft texture. Made with eggs and shredded coconut, cocadas come in a variety of colors due to the modern use of food coloring, however the traditional variations are golden brown. They are often garnished with almonds, either whole or chopped. There are hundreds of cocadas recipes, from the typical hard, very sweet balls to cocadas that are almost the creamy texture of flan. Other fruit, often dried, can be added to the cocadas to create variety, which will also lend to a wide spectrum of cocada colors. Cocadas are mentioned as early as 1878 in Peru. In Colombia and Mexico, Conserva de coco are sold not only as artisan candies from shops, but commonly on the streets, out of baskets, and particularly on the beaches, by men or women who carry them on large aluminum trays. In Uruguay, they are commonly sold in bakeries under the name of coquitos, the more delicate versions include a cherry on the top and syrup coating, sometimes they fill the boxes of assorted masas.

Coyotas are empanada-like cookies that are large, flat, and traditionally filled with brown sugar. However, coyotas also come in a variety of flavors, including guava, caramel, chocolate, strawberry, jamoncillo , peach, and pineapple. Spaniards introduced wheat, sugar, and goat's milk to Mexico around 500 years ago. They originated mainly in Villa de Seris, a city in Hermosillo, Sonora Mexico in 1954. They can now be found all over the world. In the US, they can be found in most Mexican supermarkets. The meaning of the name "coyota" is a mestiza woman(of Spanish and native heritage) who is dark skinned and full of grace. However, the literal meaning of the word in Spanish means female coyote. Coyotas tend to be accompanied with milk, coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. Sometimes even topped with whip cream.

Sweet griddle cakes, top with, for example, jam, dulce de leche, nutella

Milk and sugar candy, similar to fudge

Mango pie

A tres leches cake , dulce de tres leches, also known as pan tres leches (lit. 'three-milk bread') or simply tres leches, is a sponge cake originating in North, Central and South America soaked in three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk. Tres leches is a very light cake, with many air bubbles. This distinct texture is why it does not have a soggy consistency, despite being soaked in a mixture of three types of milk. By 1896, the U.S. Department of Commerce was exporting condensed milk to Nicaragua. Cattle, sugarcane plantations, and milk preservation techniques were introduced to Nicaragua by that time, by way of American military occupation.

Banana pie

Bacanora is an agave-derived liquor made in the Mexican state of Sonora. The distillation of Bacanora was illegal until 1992 despite being bootlegged by vinateros for many generations.[citation needed] Since 2000 Bacanora has been a denominación de origen, and thus mezcal can legally be called Bacanora only if produced by the agave variety grown in the Sonora municipalities of Bacanora, Sahuaripa, Arivechi, Soyopa, San Javier, Cumpas, Moctezuma, San Pedro de la Cueva, Tepache, Divisaderos, Granados, Huásabas, Villa Hidalgo, Bacadéhuachi, Nácori Chico, Huachinera, Villa Pesqueira, Aconchi, San Felipe de Jesús, Huépac, Banámichi, Rayón, Baviácora, Opodepe, Arizpe, Rosario de Tesopaco, Quiriego, Suaqui Grande, Onavas, Yécora, Álamos, San Miguel de Horcasitas, Ures, and La Colorada.

Café de olla is a traditional Mexican coffee beverage. To prepare café de olla, it is essential to use a traditional earthen clay pot, as this gives a special flavor to the coffee. This type of coffee is principally consumed in cold climates and in rural areas. In Mexico, a basic café de olla is made with ground coffee, cinnamon, and piloncillo. Optional ingredients include orange peel, anise, and cloves.

A margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Some margarita recipes include simple syrup as well and are often served with salt on the rim of the glass. Margaritas can be served either shaken with ice , without ice (straight up), or blended with ice (frozen margarita). Most bars serve margaritas in a stepped-diameter variant of a cocktail glass or champagne coupe called a margarita glass. The margarita is one of the world's most popular cocktails and the most popular tequila-based cocktail. The history of the margarita is shrouded in mystery and folklore due to its numerous origin stories. According to cocktail historian David Wondrich, the margarita is related to the brandy daisy (margarita is Spanish for "daisy"), remade with tequila instead of brandy. (Daisies are a family of cocktails that include a base spirit, liqueur, and citrus. A sidecar and gin daisy are other related drinks.) There is an account from 1936 of Iowa newspaper editor James Graham finding such a cocktail in Tijuana, years before any of the other margarita "creation myths". The Cafe Royal Cocktail Book, published in the UK in 1937, contains a recipe for a Picador using the same concentrations of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice as a margarita. One of the earliest stories is of the margarita being invented in 1938 by Carlos "Danny" Herrera at his restaurant Rancho La Gloria, halfway between Tijuana and Rosarito, Baja California, created for customer and former Ziegfeld dancer Marjorie King, who was allergic to many spirits, but not to tequila. This story was related by Herrera and also by bartender Albert Hernandez, acknowledged for popularizing a margarita in San Diego after 1947, at the La Plaza restaurant in La Jolla. The story was debunked in 1992 by the San Diego Reader.

A cocktail made with mezcal, orange juice, lime juice, jalapeño

A distilled spirit of Mexican origin sourced from Dasylirion texanum, Asparagaceae, and Dasylirion wheeleri (Desert Spoon, sotol)

Topo-Chico is a brand of sparkling mineral water from Mexico. Topo-Chico is both naturally carbonated at the source and artificially carbonated. Topo-Chico has been sourced from and bottled in Monterrey, Mexico since 1895. The drink takes its name from the mountain Cerro del Topo Chico in Monterrey.

Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented fruit. Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made from grapes, and the term "wine" generally refers to grape wine when used without any qualification. Even so, wine can be made from a variety of fruit crops, including plum, cherry, pomegranate, blueberry, currant, and elderberry. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are major factors in different styles of wine. These differences result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the grape's growing environment , and the wine production process. Many countries enact legal appellations intended to define styles and qualities of wine. These typically restrict the geographical origin and permitted varieties of grapes, as well as other aspects of wine production.

Skirt steak is the US name for a cut of beef steak from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. It is distinct from hanger steak , also called skirt (UK) or onglet (France), a generally similar adjacent cut also from the plate. Though it is from a different part of the animal, its general characteristics and uses cause it to be confused with both flank steak, taken from the flank behind the plate, and the flap meat from the bottom sirloin behind the flank and above the rear quarter. Both the inside and outside skirt steak are the trimmed, boneless portion of the diaphragm muscle attached to the 6th through 12th ribs on the underside of the short plate. This steak is covered in a tough membrane that may be removed before cooking. By keeping the membrane it will be more tender but would require the eater to remove it which is why many remove it prior to cooking.

Birria is a meat stew or soup, originally made with goat, but now commonly made with beef. The meat is marinated in an adobo made of vinegar, dried chiles, garlic, and herbs and spices (including cumin, bay leaves, and thyme) before being cooked in a broth (Spanish: consomé). Historically, birria was the regional name given in the state of Jalisco and surrounding areas to meats cooked or roasted in a pit or earth oven, what is known as barbacoa in other regions of Mexico, although for many people today, mostly in the United States, birria is now a distinct dish. It is often served at celebratory occasions such as weddings, baptisms and during holidays such as Christmas and Easter, and even at funerals. Preparation techniques vary, but the dish is often served with corn tortillas, onions, cilantro, and lime. Birria is also served with tacos. Restaurants or street carts that serve birria are known as birrierías and exist throughout Mexico, especially in Michoacán and Jalisco. However, neighboring Mexican states have their own variations of the dish, including Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, and Colima.

Beef steak, for example, sirloin, cut into strips and pan-fried with onions and a sauce made with tomatoes, chili peppers, garlic, salt and pepper, serve with tortillas, beans, rice, eggs

Corn masa cake, served plain, filled with cheese, beans, chili peppers, meat

Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts, though the definition of the cut differs internationally. The brisket muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals. As cattle do not have collar bones, these muscles support about 60% of the body weight of standing or moving cattle. This requires a significant amount of connective tissue, so the resulting meat must be cooked correctly to tenderise it. According to the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, the term derives from the Middle English brusket which comes from the earlier Old Norse brjósk, meaning cartilage. The cut overlies the sternum, ribs, and connecting costal cartilages. Briskets can be cooked in many ways, including baking, boiling and roasting. Basting of the meat is often done during the cooking. This normally tough cut of meat, due to the collagen fibers that make up the significant connective tissue in the cut, is tenderized when the collagen gelatinises, resulting in a more tender brisket. The fat cap, which is often left attached to the brisket, helps to keep the meat from drying during the prolonged cooking necessary to break down the connective tissue in the meat. Water is necessary for the conversion of collagen to gelatine, which is the hydrolysis product of collagen. Popular methods in the United States include rubbing with a spice rub or marinating the meat, and then cooking slowly over indirect heat from charcoal or wood. This is a form of smoking the meat. A hardwood, such as oak, pecan, hickory or mesquite is sometimes added, alone or in combination with other hardwoods, to the main heat source. Sometimes, they make up all of the heat sources, with chefs often prizing characteristics of certain woods. The smoke from the woods and from burnt dripping juices further enhances the flavor. The finished meat is a variety of barbecue. Smoked brisket done this way is popular in Texas barbecue. Once finished, pieces of brisket can be returned to the smoker to make burnt ends. Burnt ends are most popular in Kansas City-style barbecue, where they are traditionally served open-faced on white bread. The traditional New England boiled dinner features brisket as a main-course option.

Roasted kid goat, spit-roasted or oven-roasted, serve with onions, beans, tortillas

Calabacita con puerco is a traditional dish in Mexican cuisine. It consists of pork that is sauteed in butter, oil or in its own fat. Garlic, onion, black pepper, salt and chilis are added, and left on the fire until everything is cooked. Chopped red tomato, corn grains, bay leaf, cumin and black pepper are then added. All this is boiled until the meat is tender. Chopped pumpkin or zucchini is added until finally cooked. This dish is usually served with refried beans and red rice.

Seafood soup

Cheese soup with potatoes, tomatoes, onion, chile verde

Tostada topped with salt-cured sea bass ceviche

Carne a la tampiqueña is one of the most popular meat dishes in Mexico. It was created in 1939 by the restaurateur José Inés Loredo and his brother chef Fidel from San Luis Potosí, who moved to the port of Tampico, Tamaulipas. Each ingredient was given a meaning. The oval platter represents the Huasteca; the strip of roasted meat, the Rio Panuco; the green enchiladas, the huasteco field; the white cheese, the purity of the people living in the Huasteca; the guacamole, the fruits of the region; the black beans, both the fertility of the land and the oil boom in the area.

Carne adobada is a dish from New Mexican cuisine made of pork marinated in a spicy red chile sauce, typically served as a stew with tortillas, beans, and rice. The marinade usually includes ingredients like garlic, oregano, and vinegar, giving it a rich and flavorful profile.

Beef or pork stewed in a red chile sauce

The chile relleno is a dish in Mexican cuisine that originated in the city of Puebla. In 1858, it was described as a "green chile pepper stuffed with minced meat and coated with eggs". The most common pepper used is Puebla's poblano pepper, though New Mexico chile, pasilla, or even jalapeño peppers are popular as well. It is typically stuffed with melted cheese, such as queso Chihuahua or queso Oaxaca or with picadillo meat made of diced pork, raisins and nuts, seasoned with canella; covered in an egg white batter, simply corn masa flour and fried, or without any batter at all. Although it is often served in a tomato sauce, the sauces can vary.

Chilorio is a pork dish from the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Chilorio is generally made from pork fried in chili sauce. In making chilorio, pork is slow-simmered for hours until it falls apart. It is then broken into bite size pieces, fried in lard, and cooked in a chile sauce made from re-hydrated dried chiles. The sauce is usually flavored with onions, cumin and garlic. This recipe has been known for approximately 300 years and is believed to have been used as a means of preserving stewed meat, as the seasonings act as natural preservatives just like lard, in the same way as a sausage, only this one does not come packed in any casing or membrane.

Small burrito typically filled with stewed and shredded meat, for example, brisket, chilies, tomatoes, cheese

Cocido [a] or cozido ( Portuguese: [kuˈziðu] ⓘ)[b] is a traditional stew eaten as a main dish in Spain, Portugal, Brazil and other Hispanophone and Lusophone countries. In Spanish, cocido is the past participle of the verb cocer ("to boil"), so it literally means "boiled [thing]". In Portuguese, the word cozido means "cooked", "boiled" or "baked", being the past participle of the verb cozer ("to cook", "to boil", or "to bake").

Entomatadas are a Mexican dish made of a folded corn tortilla which has first been fried in oil and then bathed in a tomato sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, onion, oregano, chile serrano (optional) and salt. The recipes for the tomato sauce vary by cook. The tortilla can be filled with a number of different ingredients, however the most common are chicken, beef, cheese or beans. The chicken and beef have most often been pressure cooked so that the meat is tender and can be pulled apart with the fingers. More tomato sauce is poured on top of the filled tortillas and the dish is garnished with sour cream, shredded cheese (queso fresco) and slices of white onion. Entomatadas are often served with refried beans or rice. They are somewhat similar to enchiladas, the primary difference being its tomato-based sauce, as opposed to a chili pepper sauce.

A gordita in Mexican cuisine is a dish made with masa and stuffed with cheese, meat, or other fillings. It is similar to the Colombian and Venezuelan arepa. There are two main variations of this dish, one of which is typically fried in a deep wok-shaped comal, consumed mostly in central and southern Mexico, and another one baked on a regular comal. The most common and representative variation of this dish is the "gordita de chicharrón", filled with chicharron (a spiced stew of pork rind) which is widely consumed throughout Mexico. Gorditas are often eaten as a lunch dish and accompanied by several types of sauce. A gordita is typically prepared as a thick tortilla. The dough is most commonly made of nixtamalized corn flour, as also used for tortillas, but can also be of wheat flour, particularly in northern Mexico close to the United States border. An old variant of corn gorditas uses masa quebrada (broken dough) where the cornmeal is coarsely ground, leaving bits of broken grain. In the deep-fried version, once the masa has been prepared, it is separated in small portions, then each one is filled with meat, and shaped like an oblong disc. The pastry is immersed in boiling oil until golden and crispy on the outside. After cooking, the gordita is allowed to stand to drain excess oil, then a small slit is cut into one side to allow vapor and excessive heat to release, and lime juice and salsa are poured inside, which gives the gordita its characteristic flavor. In some regions of Mexico, the slit is also used to stuff additional ingredients, mostly dressings such as fresh cheese, nopal salad, tomatoes, guacamole, potatoes, beans or rajas (sautéed strips of chile). By tradition, gorditas are filled with chicharron, but there are local variations which substitute it by chicken stew, shredded beef, carne al pastor, eggs with chorizo sausage, carnitas or picadillo.

Gringas are a variety of quesadillas which consist of flour tortillas filled with cheese, al pastor meat, and pineapple. They are then grilled in the same manner as a quesadilla. Some attribute the name to the use of white flour tortillas.

Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico

Machaca Spanish: [maˈtʃaka] ⓘ is a traditionally dried meat, usually spiced beef or pork, that is rehydrated and then used in popular local cuisine in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. It is also readily available in many groceries and supermarkets in these areas. In areas where the dried meat product is not easy to obtain, slow-cooked roast beef or skirt steak shredded and then fried is sometimes substituted. The dish is known primarily in the north of Mexico, and the southern regions of the U.S. states of Arizona, California, and New Mexico, and in Texas where it is known as machacado. In central and southern Mexico, it is not well known by lower socioeconomic classes. Machaca was originally prepared most commonly from dried, spiced beef or pork, and then rehydrated and pounded to make it tender. The reconstituted meat would then be used to prepare any number of dishes. While drying meat is one of the oldest forms of preservation, the drying of beef with chilis and other native spices was developed by the ranchers and cowboys of northern Mexico.

Menudo, also known as Mondongo, pancita or mole de panza ("stomach sauce"), is a traditional Mexican soup, made with cow's stomach (tripe) in broth with a red chili pepper base. It is the Mexican variation of the Spanish callos or menudo. Similar dishes exist throughout Latin America and Europe including mondongo, guatitas, dobrada , in Italy, trippa alla romana, and in Greece patsas - πατσάς . Hominy (in Northern Mexico), lime, onions, and oregano are used to season the broth. It differs from the Filipino dish of the same name, in that the latter does not use tripe, hominy, or a chili sauce. Tripe soups of both beef and mutton have been traditional in Spanish cuisine since at least the 14th century. Don Enrique de Villena refers to them disparagingly in his Arte Cisoria (1423), saying:

The milanesa is a variation of the Lombard veal Milanese, or the Austrian Wiener schnitzel, where generic types of breaded cutlet preparations are known as a milanesa. The milanesa was brought to the Southern Cone by Italian immigrants between 1860 and the 1920s. Its name probably reflects an original Milanese preparation, cotoletta alla milanese, which is similar to the Austrian Wiener schnitzel.

Mole , meaning 'sauce', is a traditional sauce and marinade originally used in Mexican cuisine. In contemporary Mexico the term is used for a number of sauces, some quite dissimilar, including mole amarillo or amarillito (yellow mole), mole chichilo, mole colorado or coloradito (reddish mole), mole manchamantel or manchamanteles (tablecloth stainer), mole negro (black mole), mole rojo (red mole), mole verde (green mole), mole poblano, mole almendrado (mole with almond), mole michoacano, mole prieto, mole ranchero, mole tamaulipeco, mole xiqueno, pipián (mole with squash seed), mole rosa (pink mole), mole blanco (white mole), mole estofado, tezmole, clemole, mole de olla, chimole, guacamole (mole with avocado) and huaxmole (mole with huaje). Generally, a mole sauce contains fruits, nuts, chili peppers, and spices like black pepper, cinnamon, or cumin. Pre-Hispanic Mexico showcases chocolate's complex role, primarily as a beverage rather than a confection. Although modern culinary practices emphasize its versatility, historical evidence indicates chocolate's earlier use in sacred rituals and as currency. It wasn't until much later that chocolate was added to mole.

A whole fish that is split in half, coated with a chile and garlic seasoning paste, then grilled, some recipes use fillets

Red sauce with pumpkin seeds, serve with turkey, chicken

Chicken in a cream sauce

Thick soup made with hominy, pork, chicken, fish, tomatillos, avocado, chili peppers, radishes, garlic, herbs, spices, lime juice

Roast pork

The Sonoran hot dog is a style of hot dog that originated in Hermosillo, the capital of the Mexican state of Sonora, in the late 1980s. It is popular in Tucson, Phoenix, and elsewhere in southern Arizona. It consists of a hot dog that is wrapped in bacon and grilled, served on a bolillo-style hot dog bun, and topped with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, and a variety of additional condiments, often including mayonnaise, mustard, and jalapeño salsa. The Sonoran hot dog is prepared and sold by vendors called "dogueros" at street carts. It was estimated in 2009 that over 200 places in Tucson purveyed the Sonoran hot dog, and that Phoenix had even more.

Carne asada is grilled and sliced beef, usually skirt steak, flap steak, or flank steak though chuck steak can also be used. It is usually marinated then grilled or seared to impart a charred flavor. Carne asada can be served on its own or as an ingredient in other dishes. The term carne asada is used in Latin America and refers to the style of grilled meat in those countries. In South America, the term used for grilled meat is asado and it has a different style and preparation. Carne ranchera can be purchased from meat markets either prepared (preparada, i.e., already marinated) or not (no preparada), for marinating at home. The meat is characteristically marinated in lime juice, salt, and Mexican seasonings, but may also be simply rubbed with salt or spice rubs such as lemon pepper, before grilled. After grilling it is typically chopped for filling tacos and burritos, which also minimizes toughness. Once grilled, it is called carne asada.

Corn tortillas topped with pounded pork or beef, avocado, cilantro, onions, salsa, limes

Fish tacos, dogfish is a popular fish

Shrimp tacos

Bacon-wrapped and deep-fried hot dog with, for example, pico de gallo, avocado, pineapple, grilled jalapeno, crema

Telera roll stuffed full with meat, hot dogs, eggs, ham, Oaxaqueño cheese, pierna, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, jalapeños and mashed black beans, created in Mexico City

Seafood tostadas, made with ceviche, sea urchin, lobster, octopus, mussels, sea snails, sea cucumber, tuna, shrimp, clams

A Caesar salad is a green salad of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice (or lime juice), olive oil, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard, Parmesan and black pepper. The salad was created on July 4, 1924, by Caesar Cardini at Caesar's in Tijuana, Mexico, when the kitchen was overwhelmed and short on ingredients. It was originally prepared tableside, and it is still prepared tableside at the original venue.

Carne seca is a type of dried beef used in Mexican cuisine. In northern Mexican cuisine, particularly the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, and Nuevo León, carne seca is cooked in a dish called machacado (named machaca in other states), which includes tomatoes, onions, chile verde, and eggs. Sometimes, potatoes are included or used in lieu of eggs. In Arizona, according to Marian Burros of The New York Times, carne seca is a popular meat filling used by Tucson-area Mexican restaurants in enchiladas, chimichangas, and tacos, and is sometimes mixed with eggs.

A large fried rectangular flour tortilla made to look like fried pork skin, topped with, for example, lettuce, avocado, hot sauce, crema

Cuajada is a dairy product traditionally made from sheep's milk, but now it is more often made industrially from cow's milk. It is popular in the northern regions of Spain (Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Navarre, Aragon, Castile and Leon, and La Rioja). In Latin America it is popular in Colombia, Venezuela, and in the Central American countries of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and in the northern region of Costa Rica. Raw warmed milk is mixed with rennet or plant extracts and left to curdle. It was traditionally made in a wooden vessel called kaiku and heated with a red-hot poker, giving it a distinct faintly burned taste. Cuajada means "curdled" in Spanish. In Basque, it is called mamia.[citation needed] Cuajada is usually served as dessert with honey and walnuts or sometimes sugar, and less often, for breakfast with fruit or honey. In Colombia, it is typically served with melado, a thick syrup made of panela. In Nicaragua, salt is usually added to the cuajada, which is eaten with güirilas and other dishes[citation needed]

Piper auritum is an aromatic culinary herb in the pepper family Piperaceae, which grows in tropical Central America. Common names include hoja santa , yerba santa, hierba santa, Mexican pepperleaf, acuyo, tlanepa, anisillo, root beer plant, Vera Cruz pepper and sacred pepper. It is a perennial herbaceous plant up to nineteen feet (six meters) in height with heart-shaped velvety leaves. The leaves can reach up to 30 centimeters (12 in) or more in size. The flowers are in simple white spikes containing myriads of tiny florets which rise above the foliage like candles. The entire plant is said to have the fragrance of Sassafras. The complex flavor is not so easily described; it has been compared to eucalyptus, licorice, sassafras, anise, nutmeg, mint, tarragon, and black pepper. The flavor is stronger in the young stems and veins.

Mole , meaning 'sauce', is a traditional sauce and marinade originally used in Mexican cuisine. In contemporary Mexico the term is used for a number of sauces, some quite dissimilar, including mole amarillo or amarillito (yellow mole), mole chichilo, mole colorado or coloradito (reddish mole), mole manchamantel or manchamanteles (tablecloth stainer), mole negro (black mole), mole rojo (red mole), mole verde (green mole), mole poblano, mole almendrado (mole with almond), mole michoacano, mole prieto, mole ranchero, mole tamaulipeco, mole xiqueno, pipián (mole with squash seed), mole rosa (pink mole), mole blanco (white mole), mole estofado, tezmole, clemole, mole de olla, chimole, guacamole (mole with avocado) and huaxmole (mole with huaje). Generally, a mole sauce contains fruits, nuts, chili peppers, and spices like black pepper, cinnamon, or cumin. Pre-Hispanic Mexico showcases chocolate's complex role, primarily as a beverage rather than a confection. Although modern culinary practices emphasize its versatility, historical evidence indicates chocolate's earlier use in sacred rituals and as currency. It wasn't until much later that chocolate was added to mole.

Nopalitos is a dish made with diced nopales, the naturally flat stems, called pads, of prickly pear cactus . They are sold fresh, bottled, or canned and less often dried. They have a light, slightly tart flavor, and a crisp, mucilaginous texture. Nopalitos are often eaten with eggs as a breakfast and in salads and soups as lunch and dinner meals.

Red sauce with pumpkin seeds, serve with turkey, chicken

In Mexico, queso Chihuahua is commonly recognized as a soft white cheese available in braids, balls or rounds and originates in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. In Chihuahua and neighboring states, it is called queso menonita, after the Mennonite communities of Northern Mexico that first produced it, while elsewhere it is called queso Chihuahua. This cheese is now made by both Mennonites and non-Mennonites throughout the state and is popular all over the country. Queso Chihuahua is good for melting and is similar to a mild white Cheddar or Monterey Jack. It may be used in queso fundido , choriqueso, quesadillas, chilaquiles, chili con queso, or sauces. The physicochemical specifications for Chihuahua cheese are 45% maximum moisture, 26% minimum butterfat, 22% minimum milk protein, 55% minimum total solids, 6.5% maximum ash, and a pH of 5.0 to 5.5.

Queso flameado , also known as queso fundido or choriqueso, is a dish of hot melted cheese and spicy chorizo that is often served flambé. Often compared to cheese fondue, it is a party dish; it is popular at cookouts and in restaurants as an appetizer. Almost unique in Mexican cuisine, in the cuisine of the United States this dish has been widely adapted and is considered a native dish in El Paso. In Mexico, it occurs in restaurants more often in the north. Typical main ingredients are melted cheese and a characteristic meat sauce of loose fresh chorizo, tomato, onion, chile and spices. It is served in a small, shallow casserole or other ceramic or metal heat-proof baking dish. The cheese and sauce are prepared separately, and combined just before serving. This may be done at the table, especially if finished with a flambé: high alcohol liquor is poured on the cheese and ignited, and as it burns the server folds in the sauce. If not flambéed, the mixture may be quickly broiled. Either way, the finished dish is presented while it is still bubbling hot, and it is spooned onto small soft tortillas for individual servings. Queso flameado is said to originate in the borderlands of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, as a campfire dish. In Tex-Mex restaurants, this dish is sometimes confused or conflated with chili con queso, a cheese sauce served with tortilla chips for dipping. The term queso fundido also refers to processed cheese and is defined as such in the Spanish version of Codex Alimentarius.

Fresh, unaged, crumbly white cheese made from milk that is curdled with rennet, though sometimes the terms queso fresco and queso blanco are used interchangeably

Sauce made with tomatoes, onion, chili peppers, garlic, cilantro, seasonings and beer, used with tacos, fajitas, chicken, eggs, tortilla chips