Mexican Cuisine
Adobo Sauce – a dark red sauce made with ancho chilies and tomatoes, used for meats, poultry and vegetables.
Albondigas – meatballs
Almuerzo – the large breakfast or bruch, usually served in mid to late morning.
Ancho cjilies – mild, sweet chilies, somewhat resembling the green bell pepper and the most commonly used pepper in Mexican cooking.
Atole – sweet beverage made with corn masa, milk and various flavorings.
Bunuelos – a crisp, wafer thin deep fried pastry.
Cena – a festive, late night dinner.
Chihuahua cheese – creamy colored, moist cheese with a mild flavor, similar to Monterey Jack cheese.
Chile – the podlike fruit which is used as the major flavoring in Mexican cooking; usually spelled chilli in the U.S.
Comal – old fashioned clay baking surface used in Mexico to bake tortillas.
Comida – dinner, most often served in the afternoon.
Masa Flour – sometimes called instant masa, flour made from corn masa dough.
Dasayuno – early morning breakfast.
Enchiladas – a tortilla based dish, tortillas are dipped in sauce, lightly fried, then filled and rolled.
Flan – caramel topped baked custard.
Gazpacho – cold sauce with tomatoes and peppers.
Guacamole – mashed avocado dip, served with plantain or tortilla chips.
Jalapeno chili – very hot, small green chilies.
Merienda – light supper served in the early evening.
Mole – a chili based sauce, sometimes using unsweetened chocolate (mole poblano).
Pepitas – pumpkin seeds.
Refritos – refried beans, mashed, cooked dried beans which have been refried in lard and seasoned before eating.
Taco – tortilla, filled with meat, cheese, beans, etc., rolled and served hot or deep fried until crisp (chimichanga).
Tamale – moist corn masa dough enclosing spicy filling of meat and wrapped in corn husks for cooking.
Tortilla – thin, baked, unleavened bread made with wheat flour or corn masa (meal).
Tostadas – crisp fried tortillas, covered with various fillings and eaten like an open-faced sandwich.