The culinary richness of the states of north-central Mexico combines many of the traditions of the south of the country but adapted to the resources and history of the northern states.
With a drier and hotter climate, the people of the north-central states of Mexico base much of their diet on dried ingredients, such as chili peppers and meat, and preserved foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
Much of the food consumed in these states uses red sauces due to the prominence of dried chiles in that area and the prolific chili industry of Zacatecas and Durango.
This desert spirit of the region is also carried over to beverages. Mezcal, which follows the same principle as tequila but uses different agaves for distillation, is produced in some municipalities of Zacatecas.
The ultimate party dish
In Mexico’s north-central states, one of the most popular foods for any large celebration is asado de boda, a pork dish in red sauce with a consistency similar to mole.
“The ingredients are guajillo chiles, abuelita chocolate, peanuts, pistachio nut almonds, orange, plantain, garlic, crackers, and sesame,” Sol Hernandez lists off. “All of that is roasted, and the chile is cooked with cinnamon and ground to add to the already cooked meat.”
Hernandez is originally from Durango and now lives in Denton. She prepares this dish to sell orders to her fellow paisanos or to people who like to try her food.
Due to its complexity, it is a difficult dish to find in D-FW restaurants. So, if you see it on a menu, don’t hesitate to try it.
These enchiladas are different
We all have an image of classic enchiladas: a rolled taco covered in sauce and served with vegetables or cheese to enhance its flavor.
But enchiladas potosinas are different.
“There’s confusion between our enchiladas and our taquitos rojos,” said David Santillán, owner of Rincon Potosino in Balch Springs, of the region’s preparation.
In San Luis Potosí, enchiladas potosinas are shaped like corn empanadas and filled with cheese. The process involves coloring masa with guajillo chile before adding salt. After flattening the masa, the cook adds cheese and seal it. They are cooked either on a griddle or deep-fried.
To the untrained eye, enchiladas would be another type of rolled taco bathed in sauce, but in San Luis Potosí they are known as taquitos rojos.
Mezcal, the spirit of the gods
Mezcal is one of the most traditional drinks in Mexico. Although its preparation follows the same principle as tequila, the difference lies in the type of agave used to distill it.
“Tequila can only be made from blue agave,” explained Eduardo Rodriguez, producer of Leyenda Robles Mezcal. “Mezcal has more variety.”
Mezcal can be made from up to 45 different types of agave, which defines its flavor, from the mild espadín variety to the wild and intense jabalí.
Mezcal can be ancestral, ground by hand with a heavy wooden wheel that crushes the burnt piñas to remove the liquid that will go to distillation; artisanal, where a mule moves a mechanism to grind it using a volcanic stone; or industrialized, produced on a large scale.
“There are very few batches because sometimes only two bottles are taken out per day and it is drop by drop, in the first two kinds,” explained Miguel Alvarez, importer and distributor of mezcal in Texas.
You can drink mezcal alone or in a cocktail. And it’s a spirit now prevalent in bars and liquor stores across North Texas.
The north central region is the sixth region of Mexico that the D-FW Sabores series has explored as part of a quest to find authentic Mexican food in North Texas.
For a look at the restaurants serving these dishes and more, check out this story.
This story is part of D-FW Sabores, a series dedicated to finding authentic Mexican cuisine across North Texas, dish by dish, region by region.