Mexican Cooking Terminology

MEXICAN
&
SOUTHWESTERN DISHES

Albóndigas -- Meatballs
Amarillo, mole de -- orange mole
Anca de rana -- frog legs
Antojitos--
This is a loose term for the popular snacks
found on every street corner of Mexico.
Most but not all are made of masa and are the foods
most foreigners ask for
when they want to eat Mexican food-
tamales, tacos, burritos,
enchiladas and related dishes.
Arroz A La Española --
Spanish rice.
Arroz Con Pollo --
Chicken with rice;.
Botana--
An appetizer usually served with drinks.
Avena -- liquid porridge with cinnamon
Barbacoa -- barbecued meat
Burrito --
Made using large, warmed flour tortillas.
They are stuffed with guacamole, tomatoes, onions,
beans, cheese and either
carne asada (grilled, marinated steak),
shredded beef or chicken, carnitas (pork), or fish.
Caldillo --
Poor man's stew made of ground beef,
raw potatoes, and seasonings.
Caldo -- soup, broth
Carne Adovada --
Pork steak marinated in chile sauce,
then roasted or pan fried.
Usually served with Spanish rice and refried beans.
Carne Asada --
Made from skirt or flank steak,
marinated in lime and orange juice
with oregano, salt and onions.
It is grilled in strips over a hot fire,
then diced and served in either
soft tacos or burritos
with an array of Mexican condiments.
Carnitas --
Originated in the state of Michuacán
are made from pork simmered in fruit juices.
Sometimes carnitas are baked in the oven;
sometimes they are deep fried.
They’re served in either soft tacos or burritos
with an array of Mexican condiments.
Ceviche --
Made from raw fish,
marinated until “cooked” in limejuice.
It is then combined with tomatoes, onions, chiles and spices
and served with chips or saltine crackers
as an appetizer.
Chalupas --
Meaning "little boats,"
is a fried corn tortilla topped with
shredded chicken or beans, cheese,
tomatoes, guacamole, and salsa.
Chapulines --
grasshoppers roasted with garlic ,
lemon and lots of salt
Chauquehue --
Blue corn meal much thicker than atole.
Served with red chile with pork or
spareribs in place of potatoes or rice.
Chicharrones --
(Cracklings)
Deep fried pork rinds.
They’re a favorite snack
(like potato chips) in Mexico.
Chilaquillas --
Called tortilla hash or poor man's dish.
Includes leftover tortillas fried
until crisp and combined with
chile, eggs, jack or sharp
cheddar cheese, and red chile sauce.
Chile Con Queso --
Melted cheese dip seasoned
with chile and served with tostados.
Chiles en nogada --
stuffed chiles with a walnut/cheese sauce
Chile Rellenos --
Green chiles stuffed with cheese or meat,
dipped in a cornmeal batter,
and deep-fat fried.
Chiles rellenos de picadillo --
Chile Rellenos
stuffed with ground beef
Chimichanga --
Deep-fried meat-filled burritos.
Enchilada --
Made from corn tortillas,
lightly fried in oil,
then stuffed with cheese, onions
and most frequently, shredded beef of chicken.
They can be made vegetarian,
or even stuffed with pork, shrimp or lobster.
They are then rolled, heated and smothered in sauce,
topped with melted cheese and sometimes sour cream.
Enmoladas --
tortillas dipped in mole negro sauce
Fajitas--
Fajitas are a fun, festive dish
made with marinated steak, chicken, shrimp or mushrooms.
They are then grilled on a sizzling hot skillet or comal
with onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and other chiles
and served with flour tortillas burrito-style.
Flautas --
Meaning "flute," a taco variation;
Flautas are made from either corn or flour tortillas,
filled with shredded beef or chicken,
rolled into a thin cylinder and deep fried,
and often topped with guacamole.>br> Garnachas --
stuffed (eg. beef) and fried mini-corn tortillas
Gazpacho --
A cold vegetable soup with a meat broth
or tomato juice base
containing a variety of raw vegetables.
Gorditas --
fried, extra thick tortillas with sauce and cheese
Guacamole --
Avocado salad served as a dip
or on lettuce as a salad,
or ingredient in many other dishes.
Guisado -- stew
Huaraches --
oval corn tortilla with cheese, cream and meat
Huevos Rancheros --
Served in several ways,
but generally is a fried egg on a
corn tortilla and topped with a
special green chile sauce with
onions and tomatoes.
Sometimes served with red
or green enchilada sauce
and garnished with lettuce and cheese.
Huevos motuleños --
rich breakfast with beans, fried egg,
tomato sauce,peas ... on tortillas
Jamoncillo --
Cream Candy Condensed milk used as a spread or ice cream topping.
Lima, Sopa de --
Soup with chicken, rice, tostada and lime
Memelitas -- Tortillas con grasa de puerco
Menudo --
Menudo is a robust, fairly spicy soup
that is supposed to cure hangovers.
Its key ingredients are tripe, hominy, onions and spices.
Mole --
Mole is a highly complex, dark sauce
made from chiles, nuts, spices,
fruits, vegetables, chocolate and seasonings.
It takes a great deal of time and
loving care to prepare and is served
as a sauce in beef and chicken dishes
for special occasions and holidays in Mexico.
Mole adobo -- sauce with cumin and oranges
Mole oaxaqueno --
sweeter mole which contains almonds as well

Mole pipian -- see pipian

Mole poblano -- classic mole
Mole verde -- green mole
Molletes --,br> Sweet anise seed rolls. Usaully accompanied by Mexican chocolate.
Molote -- mix of corn, chorizo and potato
Nachos --
An hors d'oeuvre of tostados
topped with a variety of toppings
jack cheese, sour cream, guacamole,
diced tomatoes and
jalapeño chile to name a few.
Nenguijuti Zoque --
meat in red, mild sauce with ginger
Omlete de huevo -- omlette
Paella --
A classic dish combining rice and a
variety of both meat and seafood.
Pastor, Al -- Kebob style roasted pork meat
Pibil -- orange, garlic & cumin sauce
Pipián --
a sauce made of pumpkin seed, chile and spices
Pok chuk -- pork in achiote sauce
Pozole --
Hominy stew made with dried lime-
treated corn and combined
with pork and seasonings.
Quesadillas --
Made in a number of different ways,
buy always with cheese filling.
Usually a folded corn tortilla
with a chile and jack cheese filling,
fried quickly over high heat.
Queso Fresco--
A tangy, crumbled cheese made
with sweet milk and rennet tablets.
It is allowed to set until
it can be separated from the curd.
Served with sugar, syrup,
or preserves as a dessert,
sliced with salsa as a botana
or sprinkled on soups or antojitos.
Feta is about the best substitute.
Sincronizadas --
wheat tortilla sandwiches with ham and cheese
Sopa Azteca --
soup with tortilla chips, avocados and spices
Sopa de Lima --
soup with chicken, rice, tostada and lime
Sopapillas --
Puffy, crisp, deep-fried bread
garnished with powdered sugar
and served with honey as a dessert.
May also be stuffed with refritos or meat
and topped with chile sauce, cheese, and lettuce.
Taco --
There are two types of tacos: fried and soft.
Both are made with corn tortillas.
Fried tacos and lightly fried,
folded in half and stuffed
with either shredded beef or chicken.
Then they’re topped with lettuce, tomatoes,
cheese and a little salsa fresca.
Soft tacos are not fried.
The tortillas are warmed and stuffed,
with either carne asada (grilled, marinated steak),
carnitas (pork) or fried fish.
Tamal (plural is tamales)
Tamales --
Tamales are made from masa dough filled with
meat, vegetables and spices
(or fruit)
and wrapped in a corn husk
(or banana leaf)
and steamed until hot.
Tamal de bola --
tamales with pork and tomato sauce
Taquitos --
(Rolled tacos)
Same as tacos except filling
is placed inside tortillas
and rolled cigar-fashion, then deep-fat fried.
Tazajo con pepita --
stew in a bread-like sauce of pumpkin seeds
Torta --
Stiffly beaten eggs
leavened with baking powder
and seasoned with salt and oregano,
then deep fried.
Served during Lent with
chile or with a chile sauce
as a meat substitute.
Tortas --
Mexican sandwiches made from a bolillo
(or hard Mexican roll)
cut in half and layered inside
with tomatoes, avocados
or guacamole and carne asada,
shredded beef or chicken, cheese and salsa.
Tortitas -- fried potato pancakes
Tostadas --
Open-faced taco.
Tostadas Compuestas --
Corn tortilla cups filled with
chile con carne topped with
shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes,
and grated cheese.
Tostados --
Similar to fried tacos,
except that they are served on a
fried flat corn tortilla
and topped with a layer of beans,
shredded beef or chicken,
lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, avocado and salsa.

Know other terms that should be added ?
Need more info ?
Let me know !

Elaine

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