Bionico is a popular Mexican street food item in the form of a fruit cocktail, originating from Guadalajara. Chopped fruits such as papaya, strawberries, cantaloupe, apples, and bananas are topped with a sweet cream mixture, granola, pecans, raisins, and desiccated coconut.
The dish was invented in the early 1990s as a healthy breakfast meal. As its popularity grew, the dessert spread throughout Mexico and even to some parts of the United States. Today, bionico is mostly served by street vendors or it can be bought at numerous juice bars and ice cream shops.
MOST ICONIC Bionico
Carlota de limón is a refreshing Mexican no-bake dessert consisting of alternating layers of crumbled Maria cookies and cream made from lime juice and milk. The cream should be frozen to the point where it almost reaches the consistency of ice cream.
This flavorful dessert is traditionally served during Easter and Christmas seasons.
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Marranito or puerquito is a traditional pan dulce (sweet bread) variety. These pan dulce cookie-like small cakes are shaped into pigs and flavored with ginger. They're made with a combination of flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, butter, salt, sugar, molasses, buttermilk, and eggs.
The marranitos are baked until golden brown, and it's recommended to accompany them with milk or hot chocolate when served.
Cocadas are sweet coconut treats originating from the state of Colima, Mexico. Traditionally, the concoction is made by combining grated coconut, sugar, eggs, and water, although some modern versions incorporate flavorings such as cloves, vanilla, or almond extract.
The dessert is also very popular throughout Latin America, in countries such as Peru and Colombia. Sometimes, cooks like to add food coloring to cocadas in order to symbolize the flag colors of a specific country, making the soft and chewy dessert both patriotic and tasty.
Platáno frito is a simple side dish made by frying ripe plantains in oil until they become golden brown. The dish is usually served for lunch, accompanying numerous main dishes, often along with cooked rice. The plantains can be additionally topped with Mexican crumbly cheese, sour cream, or condensed milk if they are served as a dessert.
Although fried plantains are prepared throughout Mexico, they are very popular in the coastal areas, but also in other Latin American countries such as Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Cuba.
Coyotas are traditional Mexican cookies that were invented in Hermosillo, Sonora in the 19th century. They are made from flour dough and filled with piloncillo – unrefined Mexican sugar. The name coyotas is literally translated to a female coyote, but it is also a Sonoran colloquial term for a female of mixed Indian and Spanish heritage.
Coyotas are said to taste the best when paired with coffee or tea, and can be topped with a scoop of ice cream or dipped in milk like a cookie. Variations abound, so in addition to piloncillo, coyotas can be filled with caramel, dates, guava, figs, peaches, or pineapples.
MOST ICONIC Coyotas
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Jamoncillo is a type of Mexican fudge made with caramelized milk. It has a light brown color and a soft, fudgy texture. The basic version incorporates milk and sugar, but the additions often include nuts and various flavorings. The preparation is simple and involves heating the milk and sugar mixture until it is thick and caramelized.
It can be made with butter, condensed or evaporated milk, while the flavorings often include vanilla and sometimes cinnamon. Jamoncillo needs to set for several hours, and before serving, it is cut into small squares. It is sometimes decorated with nuts.
Aromatic capirotada is the Mexican version of bread pudding, consisting of old bread, chunks of nuts and fruits, cinnamon, brown sugar, sweet syrup, and cheese on top. The combination of these ingredients is traditionally baked in an oven. Fruits might include coconuts, apples, bananas, raisins, and dates, while nuts range from peanuts to pine nuts.
Capirotada was originally a savory dish in pre-colonial Spain, when it was mostly associated with the Jewish people and the Moors. Over time, the dish made its way to the New World, where it became the tasty dessert that we know today. It is closely associated with Lent, being a great way to use up all of the leftovers before fasting.
Chongos Zamoranos is a Mexican dessert prepared with raw milk, egg yolks, and rennet tablets. The dish is ready when the milk curdles and develops a rubbery, sponge-like consistency, and it is then flavored with cinnamon and sugar. This dessert is traditionally prepared in earthenware clay pots (cazuelas), and it is served by topping the curds with sugar syrup that has separated in the pot.
The word chongos in the name of the dessert means curds. Chongos Zamoranos is so popular in Mexico that it can even be bought in cans. It is believed that this dessert was invented in the colonial-era convents in the town of Zamora, hence the name.
MOST ICONIC Chongos Zamoranos
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Camotes Enmielados is a traditional dessert known for its simplicity and delightful taste. The name translates to "candied sweet potatoes". This dish is particularly popular in Mexico and is often served during the Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) celebrations, but it can be enjoyed year-round.
The main ingredient is sweet potatoes, which are slowly cooked or simmered in a syrup typically made from piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar) and cinnamon. The process involves cooking the sweet potatoes until they become tender and absorb the flavors of the syrup, resulting in a sweet, sticky, and flavorful treat.
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