A gringo's guide to mexican food terms

or everything you need to know to read a taqueria menu



Abuelita - a brand of chocolate, used to make hot chocolate

Achiote-Annatto, a spice used in the Yucatan region

Adobo - chiles, garlic, vinegar, onions, tomatoes

Adobado - meat flavored with Adobo

Ajo-Garlic

Al carbón - marinated meat

Al Horno- Oven baked

Al Pastor - marinated pork

Albóndigas - meatballs with rice in broth, often with vegetables

Ancho-Dried poblano chile

Antojito-Appetizer

Apio - celery

Arroz-Rice

Arroz con pollo - rice and chicken, typically with saffron and sofrito

Azúcar-Sugar

Barbacoa-Barbecue

Birria - spicy mexican meat stew, usually with goat, lamb or mutton

Bistec - beefsteak

Bolillo - a bread, similar to a baguette

Borrego - lamb

Buche - pork stomach cooked in lard

Cabeza - cow head

Café-Coffee

Calabaza-Squash

Caldo - soup

Caldo de Mojarra - fish soup

Caldo de Res - beef soup

Carne en su jugo - meat and beans in a meat broth

Camarón-Shrimp

Carne-Meat, usually beef

Carnitas-Shredded, fried pork, often salty

Cebolla-Onion

Cecina - dried, salted meat, usually beef.

Cemita = sandwich on a fluffy, seeded egg roll

Chalupa - fried soft corn tortilla, stuffed with various

Chicharrones - deep fried pork rinds

Chilaquiles - Fried tortillas, topped with salsa or mole and cheese. typically a breakfast item

Chilorio - tender pork fried for a long time in chile sauce.

Chimichanga-Deep fried meat burrito

Chipotle-Ripe jalepeno, smoked and dried. Can be canned in Adobo sauce.

Chivo - goat

Chorizo-Spicy sausage

Choriqueso = chorizo with cheese

Chuletas Asadas - broiled pork chop

Cochinita Pibil - slow-roasted pork stew.

Cubana - type of torta, typically with veal milanesa, ham, sometimes chorizo and eggs

Curtido - pickled vegetables, typically cabbage, carrots. similar to cole slaw

Crema-A thickened cream similar to sour cream, but not as tangy.

Elote-Corn

Ensalada-Salad

Entomatada - tortilla in tomato sauce with onions, chiles and filling

Fideos - noodles

Fresa - strawberry

Galletas-Cookies

Gordito - a taco with a thick-shelled tortilla

Gringas - a quesadilla, typically with al pastor

Guisada - meat in thick, tomato and cumin sauce

Habanero-Extremely hot pepper

Helado-Ice cream

Hoja santa - spicy, plate-sized leaf

Hongos - mushroom

Horchata-Rice beverage

Huaraches - corn torilla, stuffed with black beans, hoja santa (spicy leaf), salsa, cheese, meat

Huevos-Eggs

Huevos Divorciados - Two eggs, one covered in green salsa, one in red, with tortillas in between

Huevos Motulenos = eggs with black beans, cheese, often ham, peas, plantains and picante

Jamaica - Hibiscus (the flavoring of red zinger tea)

Jamon - Ham

Leche-Milk

Lengua - beef tongue

Limon - lemon/lime

Machaca - dried beef, with eggs, onions, peppers

Maize-Corn

Mancha Manteles - stew with turkey, chorizo, pork, pineapple, apple, chiles cinnamon, lard, tomatoes

Mariscos -Shellfish

menudo - spicy tripe soup

Milanesa - breaded meat, commonly beef

Naranja - Orange

Nopales-Cactus

Ostiones - mussels

Pambazo - special bread dipped in guajillo pepper sauce, filled with meats and beans

Pan-Bread

Pan Dulce-Sweet Bread

Papas - potatoes

Pata - pickled veal

Pepitas - roasted pumpkin seeds

Pescado - fish

Picaditas - thick tortilla topped with various

Picante-Spicy hot

Pierna - pork leg

Pimienta-Black pepper

Platano - banana

Pollo-Chicken

Pollo Asada - chicken marinated in citrus or vinegar

Pollo motuleños - chicken cooked in OJ, achiote, plantains

Pozole - soup or stew with hominy, pork, chile, vegetables

Puerco-Pork

Pulpo - Octopus

Pupusa - round, thin bread stuffed with various

Queso-Cheese

Rajas con crema - poblanos with creme, common party food

Relleno-Stuffed chiles

Res - beef

Romeritos - patties of dried shrimp, sprigs of rosemary, potatos and mole sauce. typical for xmas and lent

Sal-Salt

Salchicha - sausage

Sincronizada - similar to a quesadilla, usually made with masa

Sopa-Soup

Sopa de pancita - beef tripe in tomato,guajillo broth