Food24
  • Recipes
    • New recipes
    • Recipe round-ups
    • Easter Recipes
    • Air fryer recipes
    • Easy weekday meals
    • Cooking with lamb
    • Delicious pork recipes
    • Fish and Tips
    • Braai recipes
    • Chicken recipes
    • Vegetarian recipes
    • Baking
    • Low carb recipes
    • Gluten-free recipes
    • Dairy-free recipes
    • Pasta recipes
    • South African recipes
  • News
    • Food news
  • Videos
  • Cooking guides and tips
    • Pantry staples
    • Load shedding lifesavers
    • Baking tips and tricks
  • Newsletters
  • More
    • Food24 taste tests
    • Kitchen design and appliances
    • Drinks
      • Non-alcoholic drinks
      • Wine
      • Beer
      • Cocktails
      • Coffee
    • Win
No Result
View All Result
Food24
  • Recipes
    • New recipes
    • Recipe round-ups
    • Easter Recipes
    • Air fryer recipes
    • Easy weekday meals
    • Cooking with lamb
    • Delicious pork recipes
    • Fish and Tips
    • Braai recipes
    • Chicken recipes
    • Vegetarian recipes
    • Baking
    • Low carb recipes
    • Gluten-free recipes
    • Dairy-free recipes
    • Pasta recipes
    • South African recipes
  • News
    • Food news
  • Videos
  • Cooking guides and tips
    • Pantry staples
    • Load shedding lifesavers
    • Baking tips and tricks
  • Newsletters
  • More
    • Food24 taste tests
    • Kitchen design and appliances
    • Drinks
      • Non-alcoholic drinks
      • Wine
      • Beer
      • Cocktails
      • Coffee
    • Win
No Result
View All Result
Food24
No Result
View All Result

15 Mexican food words you’ve always wondered about, plus how to cook them at home

Food24
Katy Rose by Katy Rose
January 31, 2019
in Food News
0
15 Mexican food words you’ve always wondered about, plus how to cook them at home
0
SHARES
3.4k
VIEWS
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp

Mexican food has a fun, versatility to it that just begs to be made at home, but the terminology and names can leave even the best home cook scratching their heads.  

We put together this handy guide to help you in the kitchen, or when you’re ordering at your neighbourhood restaurant. It all starts with the foundation, the tortilla: 

1. Tortilla – “tore-tee-yah”
A thin, round unleavened bread (that is, made without yeast). It can either be made from wheat flour or more traditionally, corn or maize flour. It is the most important ingredient in Mexican style cooking. Sometimes called a ‘tostado’

2. Burrito – “boar-reeto”
A soft flour tortilla, rolled and filled with a protein (such as chicken, beef or pork) and rice and beans. Lettuce and salad is optional. The burrito is usually wrapped up and eaten with the hand.

3. Queso – “case-soh”
The spanish word for cheese. Usually refers to a medium hard yellow cheese. 

START HERE: Try these 4 made-in-Mexico recipes in the comfort of your home

4. Chimichanga – “tchimmy – tchanga”
A deep-fried burrito. Say no more. 

5. Chilaquiles – “chee-lah-kee-less”
A breakfast dish of crisp tortilla pieces, fried in a tomato sauce topped with fried or scrambled eggs. Chilaquiles are like nachos, but for breakfast. 

6. Taco – “tah-koh”
Tacos are smaller sized tortillas, almost always made of a coarser corn grain. They can be soft and pliable, or fried into a U shape to form a crisp shell that holds the filling. The common style is a layer of protein like beef at the bottom of the U, topped with tomato salsa, shredded lettuce, avocado and grated cheese. Tacos are eaten with your hands. Cook this: Chicken tacos with crunchy slaw. 

Mexican food, food glossary, mexican recipes, taco


7. Heuvos rancheros – “where-vohs ranch-aeros”

A Mexican breakfast dish that means “ranch-style eggs”. The main ingredients are fried eggs and corn tortillas, served with any number of fried beans, salsa, peppers, coriander or cheese.

8. Guacamole – “gwoak-ah-moh-lee”
A condiment made from fresh avocados, lime juice, coriander, onions and tomato. The sauce can be made smoother like a dip, or chopped chunkier like a salsa. 

COOKING TIPS: How to make the best guacamole

9. Enchilada – “enn-chee-lah-da”
This is lightly fried tortilla, rolled and filled with beef or chicken and vegetables. The enchiladas are then covered in a spicy red tomato sauce, and baked in an oven with melted cheese over the top. RECIPE: Easy beef enchiladas

Mexican food, food glossary, mexican recipes, taco


10.Chipotle – “chee-poht-lay”

Smoked jalapeno peppers. Chipotle has a sweet spicy and smokey flavour. Try cooking with chipotle with this Mexican chipotle chicken casserole.

Mexican food, food glossary, mexican recipes, taco


11. Quesadilla – “kase-ah-dee-yah”

Popular in Tex Mex cuisine (American style Mexican food), a quesadilla is essentially a Mexican toasted cheese sandwich. Cheese and meat, such as spicy beef, shredded chicken or pulled pork , are layered with cheese between two tortillas. The tortilla “sandwich” is then cooked on a flat cooking surface until the cheese melts and fuses the layers all together. 

12. Mole – “mow-lay”
This traditional spiced sauce is famous for the inclusion of dark chocolate. The sauce, however is not sweet, but rather delicately spiced. It is usually served with chicken and rice. Also known as ‘mole poblano’ . 

13. Fajitas – “fah-hee-tahs”
This is a soft tortilla, filled with fried steak strips, caramelised onions and red peppers. The steak and peppers are often served sizzling on a cast iron dish, with the various components on the side. You can then build your own fajita to your liking; they are usually eaten with your hands. 

14. Nachos – “natch-ohs”
Small pieces of corn tortillas are deep fried to form crisp chips. They are layered with cheese, peppers, chicken or beef and then baked under the grill. The chips with melted cheese are eaten with your hands, and often served with dipping sauces like salsa, sour cream or guacamole. 

Mexican food, food glossary, mexican recipes, taco


COOK THIS: 5 Super tasty nachos recipes to spice up your week

15.  Cojita – “koh-hee-tah”
A firm, salty cheese that is similar to parmesan cheese. It is most commonly served with grilled mielies. 

Restaurant guide: The best Mexican restaurants across SA

Tags: Mexican Food RecipesRecipes


Related Posts

French vs Swiss vs Italian meringue: A quick guide to marshmallowy goodness
Baking tips and tricks

French vs Swiss vs Italian meringue: A quick guide to marshmallowy goodness

March 23, 2023
misomite
Features

Discovering the world of locally made miso with master fermenter James Kuiper

March 23, 2023
From vetkoek to fynvleis: The new 100+ Flavours report is a deep-dive into SA food culture
Features

From vetkoek to fynvleis: The new 100+ Flavours report is a deep-dive into SA food culture

March 22, 2023
Next Post
Your weekend feast: 1 February 2019

Your weekend feast: 1 February 2019

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Food24 Team Loves

misomite

Discovering the world of locally made miso with master fermenter James Kuiper

March 23, 2023
Chefs share 8 trade-secrets to making a fantastic milk tart at home

Chefs share 8 trade-secrets to making a fantastic milk tart at home

February 20, 2023
The 4-ingredient dough recipe that changed my life

The 4-ingredient dough recipe that changed my life

February 13, 2023
We predict 2023’s biggest food trends for home cooks

We predict 2023’s biggest food trends for home cooks

February 1, 2023
The Food24 team shares their 2023 kitchen goals

The Food24 team shares their 2023 kitchen goals

February 1, 2023

Recent favourites

  • 15 perfect potato side dishes that will upgrade any meal

    15 perfect potato side dishes that will upgrade any meal

    32 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Quick and speedy pantry hacks: 5 clever things to do with store-bought olives

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • From vetkoek to fynvleis: The new 100+ Flavours report is a deep-dive into SA food culture

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The impact that load shedding has on your household’s grocery basket

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Discovering the world of locally made miso with master fermenter James Kuiper

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get weekly access to our best recipes, tips and tricks

Sign Up
Footer

Quick links

  • Home
  • News
  • Videos
  • Win

Collections

  • New Recipes
  • Festive
  • Baking
  • Dessert Recipes
  • Braai Recipes
  • Lunchbox
  • South African Recipes
  • Pasta Recipes

Other links

  • Advertise with Food24
  • Editorial Policy
  • How to Pitch
  • Contact us

Not in the mood to cook?

Visit eatout.co.za to find the perfect restaurant near you.

eatout.co.za

© 2020 Food24.com. All rights reserved.

  • About us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • New Media
IAB
No Result
View All Result
  • Recipes
    • New recipes
    • Recipe round-ups
    • Easter Recipes
    • Air fryer recipes
    • Easy weekday meals
    • Cooking with lamb
    • Delicious pork recipes
    • Fish and Tips
    • Braai recipes
    • Chicken recipes
    • Vegetarian recipes
    • Baking
    • Low carb recipes
    • Gluten-free recipes
    • Dairy-free recipes
    • Pasta recipes
    • South African recipes
  • News
    • Food news
  • Videos
  • Cooking guides and tips
    • Pantry staples
    • Load shedding lifesavers
    • Baking tips and tricks
  • Newsletters
  • More
    • Food24 taste tests
    • Kitchen design and appliances
    • Drinks
      • Non-alcoholic drinks
      • Wine
      • Beer
      • Cocktails
      • Coffee
    • Win

© 2019 Food24.com. All rights reserved.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Fill the forms below to register

Subscribe to Newsletter

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Close
Food24
Recipe Disclaimer

All recipe content is the responsibility of the party from whom such content originated. You agree that you use the content on Food24 at your own risk. Please read our editorial policy.
Close
Food24
Get the latest recipes delivered to your inbox weekly
Promotional Newsletter

Be the first to receive information about competitions and special offers from Food24 and it's partners.

You have successfully been subscribed!
Something went wrong. Please try again.
Make sure you have completed all required fields.
I don't want to see this again