10 MEXICAN DISHES YOU SHOULD TRY

If you want to understand a culture, you should start by tasting its cuisine, understanding its agricultural rituals, and visiting its land.

No cuisine hasn’t been influenced by other cultures during colonization and this is what makes a cuisine even reacher, the mix and sharing between cultures.

Mexican cuisine can be traced back to 7000 BCE when indigenous people were hunting animals and cultivating the lands. One of the most common plants they were cultivating was the wild chile pepper, which they ate frequently and they still do. You should never ask a Mexican if a food is very spicy or not, as the answer will be no. For them it’s not spicy, for everyone else, it is very spicy. If you want to be sure if it’s spicy or not, you should simply ask them if there is spice in the food.

If Mexican food was a creation of Mayans and Aztecs, it will soon be influenced by the Spanish, after the colonization. The Spanish introduced many of their dishes into indigenous gastronomy, like rice, olive oil, garlic, coriander, and cinnamon. They also brought many domesticated animals like pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, and goats as a dairy source, with cheese becoming a main ingredient in many dishes.

Today Mexican Cuisine is a nice blend of indigenous and Spanish cuisine. It is still based on beans, corn, tortillas, and chile peppers. Traditional Mexican cuisine is considered a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage since 2010. This heritage is based on the preparation of the dishes, the agricultural rituals, and technical skills, which make the Mexican culture unique worldwide.

The particularity of Mexican cuisine is that has numerous tasty dishes, known all over the world. From tacos prepared at a food stall, or tortillas, to high-end dishes served in fancy restaurants, the Mexican dishes showcase a vast diversity of ingredients, techniques, flavors, and colors.

The Mexican dishes are so simple yet so tasteful, engaging your fifth senses, like no other cuisine in the world. There’s no wonder you can find all over the world Mexican bodeguitas with tasty tacos, tortillas, guacamole, and let’s not forget Tequila and Corona Beer. I did not know that Mojito can taste that good until I had my first one in Mexico.

HERE ARE THE 10 MOST DELICIOUS MEXICAN DISHES YOU SHOULD TRY ONCE IN A LIFETIME!

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1. SARMALE (CABBAGE ROLLS)

Considered to be Romania’s national dish, these stuffed cabbage rolls are actually Turkish.

The initial recipe was strongly modified thou. A mixture of rice and minced meat (pork or pork combined with beef) and other vegetables and local herbs is rolled in cabbage leaves or young grape leaves.

I prefer the vegetarian ones made with mushrooms instead of meat and rolled in pickled cabbage leaves and slowly cooked in clay pots in the oven, covered in water, some cabbage brine for sourness, and some slices of traditional bacon for a tasty smoky touch (if vegetarian, then you simply don’t use it).

Traditionally served with mamaliga (polenta) and sour cream, the Romanian cabbage rolls are not only delicious, but very creamy, consistent, and very heavy on your stomach. Plan a nap for one hour afterward.

2. SALATĂ DE VINETE (ROASTED EGGPLANT SALAD OR CAVIAR D'AUBERGINE)

This is my favorite Romanian dish that I prepare for my friends in France and they simply adore it. Like, they get mad at me if I don’t bring the caviar d’aubergine when we meet for Apéro.

It’s also one of the most cooked and eaten Romanian appetizers. It is easy and quick to make, and you can top it with tomatoes or feta cheese.

The traditional way to prepare it is to roast the eggplants on a grill until they become soft, roast them on the stovetop, or bake them in the oven. I simply put them in the oven in Paris, which is simpler, but in Oradea, my hometown, I like them roasted on the stovetop. They have a different flavor from the roasting.

Afterward, all you have to do is remove the skin, chop them with a wooden knife, and dress them either with sunflower oil and chopped onions or mayonnaise and garlic. In Romania, they will dress them with homemade mayonnaise, but I prefer olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

3. MICI (BBQ MEAT ROLLS)

These homemade Meat Rolls are called Mici (which will translate as “small” or ‘little’ and pronounced “Meech”) and they are the most popular Romanian grill dish. There is no BBQ without these tasty meat rolls. Mici or mititei is street food in Romania and they are loved by everyone that is not vegetarian. I used to love them at every Sunday BBQ with mustard.

These meat rolls are made of different combinations of ground meat, black pepper, and other spices, and they are grilled until they darken a little and become moist and soft.

They are served simply with mustard and bread. You can find mici in restaurants, in fast foods, in street food shops or you just can buy the mixture from any grocery store, fresh or frozen, ready to be grilled or fried whenever you feel like it.

They go very well with a cold pint of Romanian beer and french fries.

4. CIORBĂ DE VĂCUȚĂ (ROMANIAN BEEF SOUP)

Ciorba de Vacuta (pronounced: ch-orba de vah-kutsa) means Beef Soup in Romanian. It is one of the classic chorba in Romania, that you will find everywhere and it used to be my favorite Romanian chorba. Nowadays, when I go home, my mom makes it without beef. it is still good, but it tastes better with the beef.

There are 3 key ingredients in almost every ciorba: borsch (or lemon juice as a substitute), leustean (lovage), and sour cream. I personally don’t add sour cream to my chorbas. I find them lighter without.

Borsch is a sour liquid made from fermented wheat germ. It is added to give a characteristic sour flavor to our chorbas. Luckily, a similar flavor can be achieved by using fresh lemon juice, but trust me, it is not the same. When I am in Paris, I go to a Romanian supermarket or even a Russian supermarket. They both have the borsch.

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4. CIORBĂ DE BURTĂ (ROMANIAN TRIPE SOUP)

The Tripe Soup is another traditional Romanian chorba made with beef tripe, garlic, sour cream, eggs, and vinegar. With an amazing creamy texture, it’s one dish that you either love or hate it. Personally, I’ve tasted the original recipe once in my life. I did not hate it but did not love it either.

If you are like me, I have a piece of good news. There is a vegetarian version of this chorba and is so close to the original that you don’t even know you are eating mushrooms instead of beef tripe. This version I love.

6. SALATĂ DE BOEUF (ORIENTAL SALAD OR BEEF SALAD)

This Oriental Salad, is a traditional salad made for Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. We like to go wild on decorations on top of the salad, don’t ask me why. It can be served as a side dish, or as a meal on its own. You can make it with beef, turkey or chicken, potatoes, peas, and lots of mayonnaise. If you don’t like the mayonnaise, you can add greek yogurt which is not that heavy for your stomach, and then it will taste like the greek version of the oriental salad.

We call this “salata de boeuf” which is actually French for beef, so this literally means beef salad. You can make it vegetarian, without the beef, and tastes very good.

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7. PLACINTĂ CU VARZĂ MURATĂ (PICKLED CABBAGE PIE)

This is my favorite pie in the world. It is not known in all the country, it’s from Transylvania. So, you could call it, Dracula’s pickled cabbage pie. Some make it with sweet cabbage but it does not taste the same, trust me, or with mashed potato, or with sweet Romanian homemade cheese.

I prefer it by far with pickled cabbage. You have to taste it to understand. You can fry it on a pan on the stovetop, or put it in the oven, it will get a crusty layer. Both versions are very tasty.

8. MĂMĂLIGĂ CU BRANZĂ (POLENTA WITH CHEESE)

Romanian Mămăliga it’s a substitute for bread. It is a Romanian national dish and used to be considered peasant food. However today you will find polenta in different interpretations on nearly every menu in the finest restaurants.

Is usually served with a dollop of sour cream on top. It is similar to cornbread but the addition of eggs, cheese, and milk are very tasty.

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9. COZONAC CU NUCĂ (WALNUT BRIOCHE)

A Romanian will never go for a Panetone for festive holidays because we have our own brioche, better than Panetone.

A traditional Romanian Cozonac is filled with lots of walnuts and chocolate. This cozonac tastes like a sweet milk brioche and is best served with warm milk. We usually eat the cozonac on Christmas and Easter. I simply adore the cozonac cu nuca. You can make it also with sweet poppy seed. I personally don’t like it. You can also add inside the brioche raisins or other dried fruits or some Turkish delight.

Our neighbors, Bulgarians call it kozunak, Armenians have the choereg, Greeks call it tsoureki, Israeli cuisine has the wonderful challah and the French have fashioned it as brioche.

10. PAPANASI (BEIGNETS) WITH SOUR CREAM AND JAM

I’ve left the Best for Last. This is my favorite dessert in the world.

Papanasi or French Beignets is a traditional dessert originating from the northern part of the country but popular among all Romanians. It is a high-end dessert recipe.

Papanasi are a kind of fried cheese doughnuts or French beignets, best served hot, with sweet and sour cream, and preferably, blueberry jam. But you can add a different type of jam if you prefer. I find they go even better with wild berry fruit jam. Maybe it doesn’t sound too appetizing but the taste is absolutely divine!