La Comida II (Beyond the Tacos...)

Beyond Tacos:

Venturing out from Southern California, you realize there’s more to Mexican food than just burritos and tacos. In fact, burritos are difficult to find in Queretaro because (we think) they’re more of a Tex-Mex creation, meaning more of an American tradition of fattening foods.

Remember the rule: Mexican food is usually a tortilla, with some kind of meat, beans and/or vegetables. These are some exceptions (not many) we found in Queretaro (in no particular order):

Gorditas at the Mercdo

Gorditas -One of my first encounters (a good word for what happened) with Mexican food was at the Mercado. We sat down at one of the stools and ordered something. Now, at the Mercado, you don’t know what you are getting, especially if you are new to Spanish. So, I played it safe and ordered a Gordita with pollo. I was expecting something like a taco supreme. Instead, I got a folded tortilla (yup), with two enormous chunks of chicken thrown into it. I was offered all kinds of salsas and vegetables but i declined. Other gorditas have been less chunky. But the rules applies: tortillas, meat and cheese.

Elotes

Elotes Throughout the streets, you will smell these corn on the cobs being roasted on every street corner. They are just that: corn on the cob, sometimes on a stick, and flavored with chili powder, salt or anything else, including mayonnaise. Sometimes the vendors will shave off the corn for you and give it to you in a cup, called esquites. It sounds exotic, but it's Green Giant's Niblets of Corn--but in a cup instead of a can!

Dorilocos

Dorilocos-(left photo)-The perfect blend of American and Mexican food. You take some Doritos, cut open the bag and fill it with vegetables, lime, valentina (a popular salsa) and Japanese peanuts. The cool thing is: you eat it out of the bag, so it’s loco (crazy). It’s perfect for on-the-go people who can’t eat tacos or gorditas on the go and love Doritos.

Tortas

Tortas-(right photo) My favorite. It’s a sandwich, made on different bread (usually an oval bread). You can fill it with meat, cheese and vegetables. Different styles include Cubana ( a combination of meats) Milanesa( usually breaded meat) or chorizo (a kind of spicy sausage). Perfect for lunch. Or in Mexico, perfect for breakfast or dinner, also.

Chile Relleno

Chille Relleno- A green or red chili pepper stuffed with something--usually meat, cheese and vegetables (relleno means filling). One of my personal favorites because it’s not too spicy but really delicious.

At the local Helado store

Helados--I recently realized what this delicious dessert was about 2 months ago. Gelato! It’s a kind of ice cream, made with traditional flavors and non-traditional. Last week, Gavin and I had mamey, which tasted like nothing we’ve ever had before. Kind of fruity, but with a chocolatey kick. Helado stores are all over the city and are usually safe (meaning the water is purified (I hope) or they use milk. It’s a delicious way to relax.

Refrescos y bebidas: There are all kinds of drinks. Horchata is one, which is a creamy drink with rice in it. One horchata usually fills me up. Think of it as a vanilla milkshake with rice in it. Agua de Jaimaca is a purple drink, with a very strong, sweet taste.

Limonada

It tastes like, well, Jaimaca, a twist between berries and lemonade and is made from hibiscus tea. Tamarindo is made from the tamarind, which is very herbal. Agua de Naranja is good ol’ orange-aide, while  limonada is just limeade. For the longest time, all we saw were limes, and no lemons. The limes are used on everything from tacos to cleaning supplies.

Rosca de Reyes--Tradition has it, that this bread-during Christmas time is filled with tiny Jesuses. If you find one, according to tradition, you have to buy tamales in February.

And Rosca de Reyes at Costco!

Or so, the story goes. It's a charming tradition--this sweet bread is abundant during Christmas and winter time.

Pan Dulce  Sweets. OK, There a lots of pastries and cakes, almost on every corner in Mexico. Panaderias  have donuts,

I wonder why this photo is the largest. Deliciouso. Rico. Our neighborhood Panaderia (bakery)!

chocolate filled pastries, and thousands of other kinds. But it’s not your typical bakery. The irony is amazing: you walk in, grab a platter and tongs and select the bread or pan dulce you want. Hygienic, right?

Our local bakery, er, panaderia

At the same time, we can bring Rudy right into the panaderia! But it's close by, the workers are nice and the prices are right My favorite panaderia is Esperanza, but they are expensive: about 14 pesos for a pastry and 20 pesos(about $1) for a small sandwich. Please try to click on this to get more info: .http://www.esperanza.mx/index.html

Eric with some tamales!

Tamales- are usually corn-wrapped and filled with, what else, meat, cheese and some kind of vegetable. Some are wrapped in banana leaves ((we haven't had these yet). Actually, tamales are different; some kind as meat, others are only vegetable. There is one street downtown that has 3 tamale restaurants in a row. And they’re all good. They are cooked in a huge vat and served with any kind of salsa or mole.

Do you have a favorite Mexican food I did not mention? Please add a comment and tell us all about it! Thanks.

No pictures, but still good:
Pozole-If you call it a soup, Mexicans will quickly correct you. It’s a tomato-based liquid (sounds like soup to me) stew (or soup) with meat and vegetables in it. Very popular around Christmas time. When we were at the pyramids near Mexico City, Teotihuacan  they told us a legend-- the meat in Pozole was made from human, and the red sauce was the blood. They stopped that (I hope) We had it served to us, with (you guessed it) tortilla chips.

Sopes-A flat tortilla with salsa, cheese and whatever else you want. All over the city and country.

Enchiladas Queretanas-When we first got here, everyone said, “Oh, you haven’t tried the Enchiladas Queretanas?” Okay, so we tried it. Yup. Now, repeat after me: It is a tortilla, filled with meat and vegetables and smothered with cheese. It has a peculiar taste because it has different spices (salsas and chiles) on top and inside. Okay, it’s like a Trader Joe’s Enchilada, with cheese and salsa. But it is really good.

Next: Comfort Food