Mexican cuisine is UNESCO-listed intangible heritage, and eating your way across the country is a trip in itself. Corn, chiles, beans and lime are the base notes; every region builds its own repertoire on top: Yucatan's achiote pork, Oaxaca's seven moles, Jalisco's birria, Guerrero's pozole.
The taqueria is the classic eatery: standing-room tacos from the trompo or the grill, late into the night. Fondas serve the comida corrida, the fixed-price lunch that is the country's great bargain. Markets are the soul of regional cooking: go hungry and follow the crowds.
Etiquette: greet when you arrive, tip 10 to 15 percent in restaurants, and say provecho to neighbouring diners.
Mexican cuisine has enormous regional variety. Below are the essential dishes.
Mexico's 32 states each cook differently. The highlights by state:
Achiote, sour orange and habanero: the Maya-rooted cooking of Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo.
The land of the seven moles: tlayudas, chapulines, chocolate and mezcal.
The street-food capital: tacos al pastor, mole poblano, barbacoa and carnitas around Mexico City and Puebla.
Birria, tortas ahogadas, pozole and tequila country: Jalisco, Michoacan and the Bajio.
Carne asada, cabrito, flour tortillas and Pacific seafood from Baja to Tamaulipas.
Tropical and coastal: Veracruz seafood, Chiapas tamales, Tabasco cacao and Guerrero pozole.
Fruit waters, especially horchata (rice) and jamaica (hibiscus).
The smoky agave spirit of Oaxaca, sipped neat with orange slices and sal de gusano.
The blue-agave spirit of Jalisco; look for 100% agave on the label.
The fermented agave drink of the highlands, served in pulquerias.
Beer with lime, salt, chile and sauces, the beach-day classic.
Coffee brewed with cinnamon and piloncillo in a clay pot.
