Don Lechon : TOP TEN MEXICAN DELIDISHES YOU JUST CAN´T MISS. OINK OINK!

By Don Lechón

Oink, oink, lechones! I´m back with a bunch of suggestions for Mexican delicacies you just can´t miss if you´re treading through this magnificent territory rich in history and tradition.

Mexican gastronomy is a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican cooking with Spanish ingredients brought during the Spanish Conquest. Over the centuries this resulted in an immense variety of dishes and beverages full of flavors, colors and exotic tastes.

Tlatelolco Market by Diego Rivera

Are you ready to pig out?

1. Menudo.- Traditional mexican soup made with tripe, red chili pepper, chopped onion, lemon and oregano. Menudo was born during the Mexican Revolution when food was scarce for troops, so they started to use all parts from the cow. Menudo is a traditional dish especially in Mexican parties. It´s accompanied with corn tortillas and beer. What is special about menudo is that it's slow cooked so the spices give it a very rich flavor.
Are you hungover? Tis´your dish!

2. Chilaquiles.-Traditional Mexican dish made with corn tortillas, red chili, cream, cheese and chicken. Accompanied with beans... Oink my goodness..every taste feels like heaven!

3. Tamales.- Traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa (corn dough) which is steamed or oiled in a leaf wrapper normally filled with meat. Now tamales can be found filled with cheese, mole, beans or even more amazing, the masa can be mixed with mashed strawberries, guava and other exotic fruits. You have to oink them all!

4. Mole.- (From Nahuatl molli or mulli, sauce) Iconic Mexican dish made with chocolate, almonds, cloves, sugar, raisins, garlic, toasted sesame, and many varieties of red chili. According to the legend, the Archbishop was in town and he didn´t like spicy food. So a clever nun added sweet ingredients to make her sauce a little less spicy. The result? A 100% Satisfied Archbishop.

5. Chiles en Nogada.- (1814) Once again, a group of ingenious nuns colaborated to make this dish for an important governor. Chiles en nogada is a poblano chili stuffed with fried picadillo (mincemeat) with raisins, pine nuts and parsley topped with a thick and rich nut sauce, flavored with pomegranate seeds.

6. Sopes.- Small fried tortillas topped with chorizo, cheese, pork or chicken meat, avocado, sliced tomatoes and onions, cream and red or green sauce. A simple dish and simply irresistible! I can devour three of those!

7. Tacos ahogados.- Drowned fried tacos? What a name! But that´s exactly what it is. Filled with shredded beef or pork these delicious tacos are doused in a red and very spicy but addictive sauce, you can add purple onions if you desire. Oink la la!

8. Pescado a la Veracruzana.- Delicious fish fried and seasoned with ingredients such as tomatoes, chili, onions and green olives, olive oil and garlic. It´s originally from Veracruz however you can try this amazing dish in every seafood restaurant.

9.- Pozole verde.- (From Nahuatl pozolli for foam) An amazing green soup prepared with kernels of corn and shredded chicken. To prepare the soup you liquify jalapeño peppers, cilantro, cumin, poblano chilis and garlic with salt and pepper. When it is served you can add avocado and radishes in slices, lemon and tostadas (baked tortilla chips).

10.- Enchiladas Suizas.- "Swiss enchiladas? Mexican dish? I don´t get it!" That´s what a Swiss friend of mine said when I took her to a traditional Mexican restaurant . Similar to traditional enchiladas, it is prepared with a tomato sauce with no chili (Finally! a non-spicy Mexican dish!). This is added on top of chicken wrapped in fried tortillas. Cream and melted cheese is applied generously. The urban legend about this traditional food was born in the mid 19th Century during the reign Emperor Maximiliano of Hasburg. A lady originally from Coahuila was the owner of a restaurant called Café Imperio. She combined Mexican and French styles of cooking and upon the completion of her master opus it reminded her of the Swiss Alps and Voilà, Swiss Enchiladas!