Here in California, everyone knows burritos and tacos are Mexican food, but there’s a lack of knowledge about what Mexican snacks actually are. My Latin American roommate introduced me to several unique and tasty, authentic Mexican snacks, so we decided to share the good food and knowledge with you:
Fresh fruit with tajin
Photo courtesy of food-fire.com
Tajin is a chili powder that can be bought at most supermarkets. When eaten with fruit, it transforms ordinary flavors into a complex sweet and spicy medley. Some favorite types of fruit for this snack include mango and watermelon.
Mango nada
Photo courtesy of yelp.com
Mango nada is the perfect snack for a hot summer day. Blend mango and water into a puree. Then, pour the puree into small paper cups, insert a popsicle stick in the middle of each cup and pop the cups in the freezer. After they’re frozen, enjoy the popsicles with tajin, chamoy (a sweet spicy sauce) and lime juice.
Lay’s with Valentina and lime
Photo courtesy of gabrielaskitchen.wordpress.com
For an interesting twist on chips, Spoon recommends adding Valentina sauce, a popular Mexican hot sauce and drops of lime juice. It gives much more of a kick than classic chunky salsa and is super simple to make.
Arroz con leche
Photo courtesy of thymeandlove.com
Arroz con leche literally translates to “rice with milk.” Although the exact translation doesn’t sound too appetizing, the actual dish is amazing. It tastes like sweet rice pudding with a soft and creamy texture, infused with a hint of cinnamon.
Tosti Locos
Photo courtesy of yelp.com
Tosti Locos are tortilla chips mixed with a variety of foods such as lime juice, jicama, Valentina sauce, salt, tajin, peanuts, cucumber and cueritos (pork rinds). When mixing everything together, start by adding small quantities of each ingredient so the flavor doesn’t become completely overwhelming.
Bionicos
Photo courtesy of michinapoblana.com
Bionicos can be found at restaurants as a dessert, but they also make very enjoyable snacks. Simply mix any variety of fruit together and top with a crema made from sweet condensed milk and sour cream.
Elotes
Photo courtesy of lacolombe.wordpress.com
A traditional Mexican street food, an elotes is a corn on the cob smothered with a layer of butter, mayonnaise, grated cheese and sometimes chili powder. Although not the healthiest, they are very flavorful and cheap.
Fresas con crema
Photo courtesy of yelp.com
Another fruit based snack, fresas con crema is strawberries and condensed milk mixed with sour cream. Because the crema adds a lot of sweetness to the fruit, the dish works best if the strawberries are not overripe.
Next time you’re craving Mexican food, instead of heading to the nearest taco shop, try out one of these authentic Mexican snacks. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.