Mexican food, tacos, and regional dishes.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
The Spanish word "tamal" comes from which Indigenous language?
The Nahuatl word "tamalli" means "wrapped food," describing the parcel rather than any one filling.
What is the usual cooking method for traditional Mexican tamales?
After steaming, tamales rest briefly so the masa sets and pulls away more easily from the wrapper.
Tamales originated in which cultural region of the Americas?
Pork and lard became common tamale ingredients after the Spanish introduced pigs to the Americas.
Many Mexican tamales are wrapped in which material before cooking?
Cooks soak dried corn husks in warm water so they bend without splitting around the filling.
Which Mexican Christmas treat uses thin fried dough and piloncillo syrup?
An old cookbook linked to Sor Juana calls them "pañuelos" because the stretched dough resembles thin cloth.
Which grain distinguishes many traditional Sonoran tortillas from corn tortillas?
Sonoran cooks often roll wheat tortillas large and thin before cooking them on a comal.
Cooks pinch a raised rim around which Mexican antojito?
The pinched edge keeps beans and salsa on the sope's thick corn-masa base.
Mexican cooks roll which tool between their palms to foam hot chocolate?
Rolling the carved molinillo between both palms churns air into cacao and builds the prized foam.
Which Mexican antojito serves cooked corn kernels loose in a cup?
Eloteros often finish esquites with lime, chile, cheese, and mayonnaise after cooking the kernels.
Which ingredient gives many Mexican salsa verdes their tart green base?
Tomatillos add a tart, citrus-like flavor and carry papery husks that distinguish them from green tomatoes.