TYPICAL FOOD OF GUADALAJARA: THE 10 MOST POPULAR DISHES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The typical food of Guadalajara has a rich culinary culture; the Aztec influence is very present in their dishes. Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico and is the capital of the state of Jalisco.

Tacos are served almost everywhere; They are the cheapest street food in town. Other street food stalls serve churros and fruit-filled empanadas.

Drowned cake

Throughout Guadalajara there is a variety of very popular traditional drinks, such as agua de Jamaica, horchata, and tamarind water.

Other popular foods include the drowned cake, birria, pozole, fish ceviche, and breakfast of eggs, beans, cheese, and tortillas.

Another typical element of Guadalajara is the regular meal or meal of the day, which includes a soup, a drink and a main dish (including tortillas, rice and salad) that is served in certain places from noon and is quite cheap.

You may also be interested in this list of the most popular Mexican foods.

List of the 10 most popular typical dishes of Guadalajara

1- Birria

Many consider birria as the most emblematic dish of this city; This traditional goat stew is a classic from the state of Jalisco.

This meal is a fusion of Spanish lamb or goat, with the flavors of tomatoes and Mexican spices. The spiciness level can be adjusted.

The meat is cooked slowly with spices and is traditionally cooked completely on the ground, covered in maguey leaves.

It can be eaten by inserting a spoon into the rich chili broth baked with pieces of goat meat straight to the mouth, or it can be accompanied by tortillas, chopped onion, coriander, salsa and a pinch of fresh lemon juice to make birria tacos..

2- Drowned cake

It is probably the most iconic food in Guadalajara. Torta ahogada is a sandwich filled with fried pork cuts soaked in a tomato sauce or a chile de arbol sauce.

Pieces of pork are usually placed inside the bread, sometimes accompanied by beans, then bathed in hot sauce and left to soak. Finally, onion pieces are placed on top.

The essence of any drowned cake is birote bread (also known as bolillo), a type of short, salty and crunchy baguette that can only be found in Guadalajara.

This bread has a crispy crust on the outside and is soft on the inside; its flavor is sweet-salty.

This type of bread is so loved by the inhabitants that there is a campaign to protect it with the status of the Denomination of Origin, as in the case of champagne, cognac and tequila, for example.

The drowned cake is so popular that it is served as much in expensive places as in sports bars and on street food carts. Depending on the hotness of the sauce, the cake can be smothered or half smothered.

3- Meat in its Juice

The meat in its juice is a soup or broth made with small juicy pieces of beef steak baked in its own juice along with beans and fried bacon; It is one of the most representative dishes of the gastronomy of Guadalajara.

It is similar to a stew. It can usually be accompanied by white rice, corn tortillas, chopped onion, lemon juice, and cilantro / cilantro.

4- Bathed Lunch

Lonche is a colloquial word from Guadalajara that probably comes from the English word lunch (lunch).

The bathed lunch is a variation of the drowned cake; Its main difference is that the tomato sauce is mixed with sour cream and that it is served with finely sliced ​​avocado pieces.

5- Chicken a la Valentina

Chicken a la Valentina is Guadalajara's version of ordinary fried chicken. This dish consists of a chicken bathed in tomato sauce, which is served with french fries and a fresh salad.

Usually this dish is served to share between two people.

6- Barbecue Tacos

Tacos are known and found throughout Mexico, but barbecue tacos are only sold in the morning in this city.

Barbecue tacos are fried, spicy, and fatty tacos. For the inhabitants of Guadalajara, this dish usually serves as a good cure for the tequila hangover from the night before.

7- Red Pozole

In Guadalajara it is very common to go for dinner (a traditional dinner) to a cenaduría (special restaurant).

One of the main dishes is the red pozole, which consists of a stew, soup, or broth with pork or chicken, lettuce, and radish. While the red pozole is spicy, the white pozole is not.

Pozole can be found in almost all of Mexico, but in Guadalajara it is combined with the traditional flavors of Tapatia cuisine.

This dish is a corn kernel stew served with a side of chopped lettuce, avocado, onion, radish, salt, lemon, oregano, and chili powder added to taste.

It is also accompanied with tostadas or tortilla chips.

8- Fat Worms

Although they are usually associated with Oaxaca, the worms are also consumed in Guadalajara. They are small larvae that attack and grow on the agave, which are the plants from which most of the Jalisco tequila comes.

These worms are usually cooked with garlic, onions, and a little tequila. The most famous place where they are sold is located in the center of Guadalajara and is called La Tequila.

9- Jericalla

It is the typical Tapatío dessert, originated in Guadalajara; It consists of a kind of milk custard, eggs and cinnamon.

It is believed that this dish was created in the kitchens of Hospicio Cabañas many years ago; this place served as an orphanage. The surname of the nun who was in charge of the kitchen was Jericua or Jerica, so her creation bears her name.

This nun wanted to create a cheap, high-protein, kid-friendly meal, so she baked a mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Inadvertently, he left this preparation for a long time in the oven and the top was burned. But it is this burnt crust that gives this dessert its unique flavor.

10- Pata Toast

This dish consists of a toast with pork hocks; They are usually made in a fairly traditional and traditional way.

Clearly, this meal catches the attention of all tourists visiting this city.

References

1. Seven traditional dishes you have to try on your trip to Guadalajara (2017). Recovered from theculturetrip.com
2. Jalisco's traditional cuisine (2014). Recovered from mexiconewsnetwork.com
3. Guadalajara on a plate (2012). Recovered from bbc.com
4. 10 reasons to visit Guadalajara, Mexico for the food and drink alone. Recovered from foodrepublic.com
5. Guadalajara's traditional flavors you can't miss (2016). Recovered from mexiconewsnetwork.com
6. Jericalla. Recovered from mydeargdl.tumblr.com