Mexico is a country where street food plays an important role. You can go from finding the best taco places in a tiny hole in the wall to beautifully decorated jelly carts, from freshly fried chips to mobile wood fired ovens. Here are some of the most commonly found snacks in Mexico.
Fruits and Vegetables
That could mean freshly cut mangoes, watermelons, pineapples or whichever fruit is in season – even crunchy veggies like cucumbers, carrots and jícama. You’ll find a great assortment of ingredients ready to be covered in freshly squeezed lime juice, a pinch of salt, and some powdered chili.
The bright and colorful fruit carts are found on every other corner around cities, ready to satisfy the healthiest of cravings.
Candies and Gummies covered in Salty Chili Powder
It is a well-known fact that Mexicans are really into all types of chillies. From mild prune-like and smoky chillies, to the ones that make you sweat as if you’d hit the gym for hours. So it’s not a surprise that most snacks are doused in a certain type of spicy powder. That includes worm gummies, caramels, and watermelon lollipops that you can find in small trolleys pushed around the streets. These sweets are weighed and put into a small bag that make the perfect on-the-go snack.
Elotes & Esquites
Corn is practically ubiquitous in Mexico and it also comes in the form of one of the most beloved snacks. There are two main variations of this treat: when it’s boiled, the kernels become tender and easy to bite. The cob is usually covered with mayonnaise, cheese, and chilli powder. When grilled, flavor tends to be smokier and it’s covered with lime, salt, and chilli.
A variation of the snack is the Esquites. Served in a cup, the snack is a little less messy to eat, as the kernels are cut off the cob and then boiled and seasoned with special herbs such as epazote. It is later topped with lime juice, mayonnaise, grated cheese, and chili.
Sweet Potato & Plantains
There’s a really high-pitched noise that roams the streets of Mexican cities after the sun sets. This is the unmistakable sign that the sweet potato cart is around. The orange tuberous roots are cooked along with whole plantains inside a mobile wood fired oven. When the pressure builds up, it lets out steam through a small chimney, which produces the iconic sound.
The warm snack is served on a plate and covered with either condensed milk or strawberry marmalade.
Tostilocos or Dorilocos
A fairly new addition to the street snack menu, and maybe the most baroque one of them all: take a tortilla chip bag and open transversely. Add lime, juice, and salsa, then top with as many things as possible. Chopped cucumbers, sweet corn kernels, carrots, and gummies. You’ll definitely need a fork to dig into the king of messy snacks!