Spartan Daily

Taco Bell and the sea of taquerias flooding every street corner in San Jose are testament to the innate deliciousness of Mexican food, but the dime a dozen taqueria does not do justice to the institution of Mexican cuisine.

Intricate and sophisticated, Mexican food varies by region and has developed over thousands of years through the mixing of indigenous cultures, colonists, and immigration.

Mexico is large and comprises of 32 federal entities, each having its own unique landscape, climate and culture. Mexican food has its basic dishes, but it also varies across the nation. Throughout the United States, everyone eats macaroni and cheese, but lobster rolls are as iconic to Maine as lefse and lutefisk are to Minnesota and as sopaipillas are to New Mexico.

Mexico’s regional cuisine is equal in complexity and greatness to the more haughty cuisines of France and Italy, but it’s gradually gaining its due status.

Rick Bayless, celebrity chef and top authority of Mexican food said it’s difficult to divorce fast food with Mexican food because of socio-economics.

“The area where the Mexican culture was incredibly developed is central Mexico,” he stated in an interview. “However, it’s hard for us to know that because in the years 1521-1570, 80% of the country was devastated from smallpox. Now in the USA, our understanding of Mexican food is from a part of Mexico that was the frontier. It’s from areas that had Indian groups that were nomadic tribes. Historically, that’s where our understanding has come from.”

Bayless also states the perception of Mexican food is changing and heading the same direction as Italian food. “Think of what Italian food was like 20 years ago. Then it was only thought of as spaghetti and meatballs.”

For a taste of the real Mexico Bayless knows and works to promote in his famed Chicago restaurant Frontera Grill, explore the many San Jose restaurants that provide traditional dishes. Each focuses on a specific region, except one gem that offers hard-to-find classics this side of the border.

El Tule near Oakridge Mall specializes in Oaxacan food, Bayless’ favorite region. Oaxaca is a lush and fruitful southern state with an ancient history. The rich traditions of the Zapotecs and Mixtecs blended with the new world food of the Spanish conquisdors created this region’s famous complex cuisine. “You could cook something different every day of the year that is uniquely Oaxacan and never repeat a dish,” said El Tule owner Esmerelda Martinez.

Burritos are nowhere to be found in Oaxaca. The sophisticated and seductive cooking leans more towards dishes like mole, an intricate velvety sauce made out 30-plus ingredients such as chiles, nuts, spices and herbs blended for a multi-layered taste. Chocolate is often a main ingredient, but the best moles are ones that aren’t too sweet.

Oaxaca is also called “The Land of Seven Moles,” and El Tule calls theirs Mole Oaxaqueno, which is comprised of five kinds of chiles, Oaxacan chocolate, almonds, Mexican cinnamon (it’s stronger), and “a secret spice.” The shiny rich black sauce is bittersweet and an acquired taste, but very delicious nonetheless. All of Mexico has its own unique mole recipes, but the sauce is more popular in the south.

El Tule also offers a number of Oaxacan dishes, with a special section of the menu dedicated solely to the region. They serve brick-toasted chapulines, or grasshoppers, seasoned with chili powder, garlic, salt, and lime. In Mexico, it is a street food or a sporting event snack. The molotes are a must try – deep-fried corn dough stuffed with potatoes and chorizo covered in black beans and guacamole, queso fresco (Mexican cheese) and sour cream. A tlayuda is a huge baked tortilla covered with a black bean puree topped with lettuce, avocado, meat, Oaxaca cheese (Mozzarella-like texture, but tangier), and salsa. Tlayudas are just as renowned in Oaxacan cuisine as mole.

Mole is also popular in neighboring state Puebla in east-central Mexico. Mole poblano is often identified with Puebla, and a variation of it is also Mexico’s national dish. Tu Mero Mole, located in the Cambrian neighborhood of San Jose, serves mole poblano: dry chile peppers, almonds, walnuts, pine-nuts, peanuts, raisins, sesame seeds, tomatoes, fresh garlic, and chocolate over chicken and served with rice and beans.

Tu Mero Mole specializes in “Classic regional dishes of Mexico,” featuring dishes from different states.

Burritos should not be the face of Mexican food; it should be the taco or mole. Nevertheless, do not negate burritos – they hail from the northern Mexican state of Sonora, according to chef and co-owner Maria Flores. Sonora’s proximity to the United States sheds light on its prevalence here.

Tu Mero Mole also serves food from the Yucatan, the eastern peninsula state where Cancun is located. The costal state is rich in Mayan and colonial history with some Caribbean influence. The most popular and iconic Yucatan dish is cochinita (baby pig) pibil, which Tu Mero Mole calls Cochinta Yucateca. The tender slow roasted pork is marinated in citrus and spices then steamed in banana leaves, producing a complex earthy and spicy aroma.

To try food from the gulf-lining state of Veracruz, order the red snapper tacos and Camarones ala Veracruzana, giant shrimp swimming in a classic salsa with Spanish-roots consisting of meditation spices, olives, and capers. Veracruzana is one example of the cuisine’s foreign influence.

Tu Mero Mole also offers Enchiladas Suizas, stemming from the Swiss immigrants who established diaries and creameries in and near Mexico City.

Mexico City also had many Arabic and Lebanese immigrants, whose influence is evident in the al pastor (pork) meat style, an adaptation of shawarma grilled meat. The downtown restaurant Metro Balderas, named after an underground station in Mexico City, serves the best al pastor tacos in San Jose.

You can find many Mexico City specialties at Metro Balderas. Pambazos are sandwiches made of a type of fluffy white bread of the same name dipped in a flavorful bright red guajillo pepper sauce, filled with chorizo, potatoes and cheese.

Almabre means wire, but it also refers to a shish kabob-style meat mixed with sautéed vegetables such as bell peppers and mushrooms served with spicy salsa and fresh hand-made tortillas.

Huaraches are a fried masa base served with a variety of toppings, such as meat, cheese, spices, salsas, and herbs, such as cilantro. The name also means “sandal,” which is similar to the fact that in Italian, ciabatta means “shoe;” both names derive from the shape of the breads.

Metro Balderas owner Omar Cortez suggests the pig feet tostadas, but another equally obscure (to Americans) Mexican meat dish would be a big bowl of goat stew or birria. Try goat meat – especially if you’re a fan of lamb. The tangy meat slow cooked offers a tender and flavorful taste.

Birria is a spicy stew made usually with goat or lamb that hails from the state of Jalisco, but is found throughout. La Birriería is a hole in the wall in east San Jose decorated with goat figurines and a goat mural, both just as random as a goat’s behavior

Birria comes in a deep red-brownish broth with chunks of meat and served with tortillas and the holy trinity of onions, cilantro, and lime. To eat, you wrap the meat in a tortilla add the fixings and dip into the broth till it’s soaking and the aromas change your mind about goats being more cute than delicious. Similar to mole, multiple types of dried chiles are used to create a complex taste.

Five minutes away on Story Road is the Michocan restaurant Mendoza Taqueria. Three items for a quick taste of Michocan are uchepos, morisqueta and enchiladas de güilotes.

The street-cart favorite uchepos are soft sweet-corn tamales wrapped inside green corn husks. Its sweet and sticky scent can be overpowering so adding crema (lighter-style sour cream) is advised. If still too sweet, counteract the sweetness and mix it with the morisqueta, a hearty pork rib stew served over rice and beans with tortillas. The meaty and tomato based sauce creates a balanced savory sweet when paired with the uchepos.

For real enchiladas, not wet burritos with an inch of yellow and white cheese, order the enchiladas de güilotes, a Michocan classic. Not rolled, these hand-made corn tortillas simmer in a red chile sauce and are filled with cotija cheese then folded in half and topped with shredded cabbage two fried quails.

A wholly different experience than a carne asada burrito or Nachos Bell Grande, these regional restaurants in San Jose offer a new perspective of a neighboring country’s cuisine. It’s hard to screw up Mexican food, but if you try the unique dishes that Mexicans really eat – from mole to grasshoppers to goat stew -you’ll never look at a Taco Bell menu the same again.

Esmerelda Martinez Interview 

 Maria Flores Interview

Omar Cortez Interview