A Cinco De Mayo Mexican Foods Glossary

Cinco de Mayo will soon be here. As you look over a menu, or hear of some Mexican foods, you may be wondering to yourself, or asking someone else, "What's that?" Below is a glossary of some Mexican foods:

Bolillo: oval bread with a crunchy crust like a baguette. Soft inside.

Burritos: folded white-flour tortillas filled with refried beans and/or a meat mixture. Can be held like a sandwich or eaten with a fork. Often topped with a sauce, or sour cream.

Cayenne Pepper: hot red chili pepper.

Chili Con Queso: melted cheese with chilies. Like fondue. Usually served as an appetizer with corn chips or tostados.

Chili Peppers: range from mild to blazing hot, with small jalapeno and tiny Serrano peppers being the hottest.

Chili Powder: hot spice usually consisting of only hot chili peppers. See below. Other spices may be added.

Chimichanga: deep-fried burrito. See burrito above.

Chorizo: a very spicy dry Mexican sausage made with pork, beef, or a combination of both. Milder Spanish chorizo may be used instead.

Churros: doughnuts squeezed out through a pastry bag and fried in long ribbons.

Cilantro: also known as fresh coriander or Chinese parsley. Can be used for both seasoning and garnish. Has a strong distinctive flavor. Coriander seeds are the dried ripe berry of the cilantro plant.

Cumin: a pungent herb similar in taste to caraway. It's the predominant flavor in chili powder and is used often to season Mexican food.

Empanadas: pastry turnovers stuffed with meat, vegetables, or fruit. Served as an appetizer, buffet food, or dessert.

Enchiladas: corn tortillas stacked, rolled, or baked around any combination of fillings.

Flan: baked, creamy custard dessert.

Jack Cheese: often called Monterey Jack Cheese. Mild Cheddar cheese may be used instead.

Jalapeno Peppers: see Chili Peppers above.

Jicama: a root vegetable with brow skin, varying in size and turnip-like in appearance with a refreshing, slightly sweet flavor. In Mexico this vegetable is usually peeled, sliced and eaten raw, with a sprinkling of lime juice and chili powder.

Masa Harina: moist corn-flour preparation used to make corn tortillas.

Menudo: soup made with hominy and tripe (stomach) in a clear broth or a red chile base. Lime, chopped onions, crushed red chili peppers and spices may be added.

Mole: a spicy sauce usually used with chicken or turkey, which includes unsweetened chocolate as an important ingredient.

Nachos: tostado chips with a tasty topping, usually shredded Jack cheese and chopped chilies. Broiled until hot.

Refried Beans: cooked pinto beans, mashed and then fried in oil, usually lard or bacon fat.

Salsa: literally means sauce. Main ingredients is tomatoes which can be fresh or cooked. Comes in mild, spicy, or hot.

Sopapillas: small, rectangular, thin fried crisps usually served hot with cinnamon and honey for dessert.

Taco: a fresh corn tortilla folded up and around many different fillings. Most common is deep- fried to be crispy.

Tamale: mixtures include minced beef, pork, chicken, or corn in a thick sauce imbedded in a corn-meal batter and wrapped and steamed in corn husks. Sweet tamales are filled with raisins and nuts.

Tortilla: thin pancakes made from white flour or corn flour, lightly fried and used for tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, cheese crisps, alone, etc.

Tostadas: crisp-fried tortillas served flat with various toppings, sauces and garnishes.

Tostados: triangular pieces of crisp-fried tortillas used mainly for dipping and to garnish soups and salads.