Mexico has one of the most extensive street corundas cultures in Latin America, and Forbes named Mexico City as one of the foremost cities on the world in which to eat on the street. The taco is the best known and the most popular of Mexican street foods, and the first to be embraced north of the border into the United States. A taco simply is a folded tortilla with some kind of filling. Mexican street taco fillings vary from one region to another.
The fillings for tacos vary widely and most taco vendors have a specialty, the most known are al pastor and bistek. There are also tacos for more adventurous people that are filled with beef eyes, brains or tongue. Taco vendors are usually distinguished from other street food vendors by having a large block of wood called a tronco, on which meat and other fillings are minced with a cleaver. Tamales are one of the most popular street foods in the world. They feature a filling and are wrapped in corn-based masa dough and steamed in corn husks. Tamales come in sweet and savory versions, some spicy and some bland.
Versions with pork or chicken with a salsa or mole sauce are the most popular along with a version called ‘rajas’ which are strips of poblano chili pepper and cheese. Camotes are a traditional food present in Central and Southern Mexico. This Mexican street food is closely related to the holiday Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Because of the close ties to such a central holiday, the Camote is very important to the culture of the Mexican people. Camotes are a pressure cooked sweet potato served individually to each customer. There are other street foods made with tortillas.
Tostadas are flat hard tortillas either fried or dried on which are placed a variety of toppings such as shredded chicken, pork, beef, seafood, cheese and salsa. Quesadillas are derived from the Spanish word for cheese, queso, and refer to a tortilla folded in half and filled with cheese and possibly other ingredients such as spicy meat, mushrooms, chili pepper strips and more. There are street foods that use the same corn dough used to make tortillas, but in different preparations. Gorditas can be found in almost all parts of the country. Chalupas are small tortilla like cups of fried corn dough filled with cheese, beans or a variety of stew topped with salsa and chopped lettuce. They are most popular in Puebla.
Elote refers to fresh corn which is served on the cob or cut kernels. If on the cob is it either grilled or boiled then coated with mayonnaise and dusted with any of the following: chili pepper, salt, cotija cheese, lime juice and hot sauce. The cut kernels are usually served in a dish called esquites, where similar seasonings are mixed in and it is eaten with a spoon. The Spanish and later the French introduced a variety of wheat breads which have been adapted into a variety of street foods. Tortas are rolls which are cut to make thick sandwiches with various fillings.
These include refried beans, cheese, various hot meats such as breaded chicken or pork, carnitas, egg and more or with cold cuts, along with avocado, onions and pickled jalapeños. Not all Mexican street foods are based on breads. Street stalls and markets serve soups and broths such as menudo, pozole and pancita. Caldo de pollo is chicken soup. Priced by the piece of chicken included, it usually also contains rice and chickpeas, with condiments such as oregano, onions, salt, lime juice and chili peppers available. In addition to food, there are several kinds of drinks popular on the streets. Aguas frescas are a classic street drink.