El Atole

Más vale atole con risas que chocolate con lágrimas.

Gee willikers, it sure gets cold this month out here, so what better way to counter it than a hot steaming cup of sweet blessings? :y

Atole is a drink made with water and corn flour, and is way different to your average hot cocoa in that it contains a bountiful amount of other flavor spices: vanilla, cinnamon, orange flower and leaves water, fruit pulp, and so on.

It is sweetened by using either honey, piloncillo or sugar; and is a staple of mercados everywhere, where it’s sold early in the morning as a breakfast option to both merchants and customers, being the perfect companion for all kinds of breads like bolillos, conchas and tamales.

If made with wheat or rice instead of corn flour, it supposedly works as a cheeky little remedy for diarrhea and other digestive ailments.

And seriously guys, it’s cold as balls right now.
So I’m gonn’ go get myself one rn - 3-

Los Bolillos

15 centimeters of white bread, plain and simple.

Much like a French baguette, bolillo buns are crunchy on the outside and spongy on the inside, which is known as “migajón”; the difference being the thicker crust of bolilos.

Teleras (shown left) are another kind of bolillo, wich is divided in three segments and has a thin crust, barely crunchy, basically a white bread bun. Birotes are a special kind of bolillo from Jalisco that have a salty taste to them, fit for making tortas ahogadas.

Get them while they’re hot in the morning, right as el panadero wakes you up with his yelling. The perfect partner for all kinds of food in the form of tortas, molletes, and as accompaniment to seafoods.

El Piloncillo de Panela

Brown sugar, how come you taste so good?
Brown Sugar, just like a young girl should.

The main ingredient in the making of mexican candies, as well as sweetener for many beverages.

It is basically whole cane sugar; derived from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice that’s just a purification step away from being muscovado sugar. You know, it’s things like this that make you realise how sugar makes no sense and is more complicated than it needs to be -_-

In Mexico, panela is known best as piloncillo (“little pylon”) after the shape it is usually sold in; and since the name panela is already used to call a type of mexican cheese.

It’s uses are mostly for making desserts, candies and as sweetener for beverages, but there’s also recipes for salsas that call for it.

Los Chilaquiles

A staple of fondas everywhere.

A simple breakfast option that goes with anything: from pulled meats to chorizo, all sorts of cheeses, onions in any shape and sizes, and eggs and beans in whatever fashion you want them.

But the basic component is of course the tortilla, cut in triangles and then fried or baked till crunchy; as to avoid getting too soggy when they get coverd in the salsas.

A humble one at the table, chilaquiles don’t always claim the place of a main dish; and instead work together with the eggs and beans to make a hearty meal to start off your day.

Guacamole

A creamy mixture of different flavors: the soft and slightly sweet tree testicle… err, avocado; the intense aroma of onions, the heat of peppers, the sourness of lemons, the repulsiveness of tomato…

For making guac, the only limit is your imagination~

..unless you decide to go full gringo and put mayonaisse in there.
Seriously, wtf is wrong with you? Don’t. -_-

This salsa’s friends are tortas and tacos alike, as well as tostadas, grilled meats, molotes, and can pass as an appetizer with tortilla chips.

Healthwise, it helps lower cholesterol and triglycerides, and increases good cholesterol. It contains antioxidants and vitamin E as well.

DO NOT EAT IT IF YOU GOT GALLSTONES.
It will make them go active and hurt like a motherfuck ;-;

La Birria

Made with either mutton or goat meat, this dish from Jalisco is jampacked with spices, which are different depending on the region; and neighboring states have adopted it and added their own touch.

The traditional style however, consists of baking the meat in a hole in the ground,placing hot rocks at the bottom, then a tray for the meat, which gets covered with maguey leaves, and over these goes the meat and the spices. Then it all gets sealed and buried for about 5 hours to let cook and absorb the flavors of the maguey and spice mix.

The final product is a tender yet elastic meat, since the collagen is not entirely broken down as it does in carnitas.

In the case of oven cooking, it is instead broiled as a stew, which can be eaten with the meat or separately. The dish is accompanied with tortillas, frijoles and minced onions, and is a staple of cold places where the combination of spice and heat warm up bodies and lift up spirits.

It’s common to use as a remedy for hangovers, so breakfasts following christmas or the new year fiestas constantly have it at the table.

Arroz Rojo

A simple yet tasty recipe with rice, spiced up with tomatos and onions; combined with corn, peas, carrots, whatever you like. It’s very much a freestyle recipe about its own veggies.

…yeah not much to add here.
It’s just some meatless pilaf, people.
All it does is make meals more plentiful, ok?

Hell I’m not even sure this is that mexican, maybe they have it too in Nicaragua or somesuch; but look man, what’s important is that it goes with other foods and I gotta get the accompaniments outta the way first before I can tackle the complex stuff >:V

Los Nopales

They grow all over the place, and the fruit is a common treat for those daring enough to try and reach them. Other than that, the stern segments, known as “orejas” are peeled off their spines, cooked through many methods and eaten either whole, in rajas or cubes.

But those are mere commonfolk uses. Research has gone overboard with these greens and you can find stuff like jello, mermelade, juice, tortillas, breads, chips, candies, liquor, pills… hell there’s even skin cream, soap, shampoo and other shit.

Low in carbs, helpful for treating diabetes, and gives a dish a good green coloring as garnish; with a sticky texture and watery flavor that perfectly matches salty meals. Get it pickled and use with the spicier ones.

El Tequila

Agua de las verdes matas, tú me tumbas, tú me matas, tú me haces andar a gatas, con la cola entre las patas.

The spirit of la fiesta, a drink for the macho in you. Yes even women are macho when drinking it! >:Y

Legally, tequila can only be produced in the state of Jalisco and some regions of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. This because the red volcanic soil of the region is the one best suited for growing the source of the spirit: the blue agave.

The agaves grow differently depending on the region: The highlanders are larger in size and sweeter in aroma and taste, while agaves from the lowlands have a more herbaceous fragrance and flavor.

A crisp acidity, and a peppery sip to the palate; if you gotta have somethin to go with this one, salt and lime would be a good choice to complement it…IF YOU’RE A FOOL!

The true way to go is with a glass of Sangrita, yo! >:Y

Los Frijoles

Ah, benditos frijoles, never the main event, but always there, floating in your stew thing, like little puerquitos in the litter…

Not used for their flavor, but for their texture; Mexican foods use beans to add something soft to bite among the crunchfest of breads and to mellow down the more intense flavors. Also for the nutrition.

By themselves they’re not much, but by damn when a recipe calls for them you better fukin have them in, because they will make every bite more delectable and are a cheap, nutritious way to fill up empty stomachs.