How well do you know Mexican food?
Mexican cuisine is thousands of years old and full of surprising influences. Six questions, from easy to hard.
Did you know?
- Mexico has more than 60 native varieties of corn, known as landraces, in colours including blue, red, yellow and purple. Blue corn tortillas have a slightly nutty flavour and are especially popular in central Mexico.
- Avocados are native to south-central Mexico, which is still the world's largest producer. The word 'avocado' comes from the Nahuatl word 'ahuacatl', which entered Spanish and then many other languages.
- The word 'chocolate' and the word 'tomato' both come from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. They entered Spanish and then many other languages along with the foods themselves.
An ancient cuisine that keeps evolving
Mexican cooking rests on foundations laid thousands of years ago by Indigenous peoples, who domesticated corn, beans, squash, chillies, tomatoes and cacao. After the 16th century, Spanish ingredients such as pork, cheese and wheat were added, and later immigrants contributed their own ideas, creating one of the world's richest cuisines.
The milpa system
Traditional farmers grow corn, beans and squash together in a field called a milpa. The corn gives beans a stalk to climb, beans add nutrients to the soil, and squash leaves shade the ground. Together, these crops also form a nutritionally balanced diet.
Sauces as an art
Mexican sauces range from fresh salsas made in minutes to complex moles that take days. Oaxaca is known as the 'land of seven moles', each with its own colour and ingredients. Grinding ingredients on a stone metate is still valued for the texture it gives.
Regional variety
Yucatán cooking uses achiote and sour orange, as in cochinita pibil; the north favours grilled beef and flour tortillas; coastal areas specialise in seafood such as ceviche. Travellers often find that Mexican food at home is very different from versions served abroad.
Celebration foods
Many Mexican dishes are linked to festivals. Tamales are shared at Christmas and on Candlemas, pan de muerto is baked for the Day of the Dead, and pozole is served on national holidays. Food is central to family gatherings and community celebrations.
Street food and markets
Much of Mexico's everyday cooking happens in markets and on the street. Taquerías, tamale vendors and stalls selling tlayudas, quesadillas and elotes serve millions of people daily. Traditional markets, with sections for fruit, chillies, herbs and cooked food, are often the best places to see the full range of Mexican ingredients, many of which are rarely found outside the country.