The 7 Regions of Mexican Cuisine

With seven distinct culinary regions in Mexico, the cooking styles, ingredients, and flavors unique to each other combine to make up the country’s unparalleled gastronomy. As a carefully curated line of Mexican and Latin American ingredients, Sobremesa by Shamrock Foods makes it easy for operators to understand flavor trend origins and how to authentically apply them to their own inspired menu.

From Baja California to the Gulf of Mexico, this region features dishes centered around grilled meat, such as arrachera (fajitas), carne asada, and chivo (goat), with refried pinto beans and Spanish rice as popular sides. Thanks to the area’s wheat production and ranching industry, the area is also the origin of at least 40 types of flour tortillas and an incredible variety of cheeses, such as Asadero, Panela, Cotija, and Oaxaca.

Recognized for its seafood-rich culinary tradition, the North Pacific Coast often features octopus, swordfish, tuna, shrimp, and black sea bass on the menu. Popular dishes are pozole, carne en su jugo (meat cooked in its juices), birria (meat and chile stew), and ceviche. This region also produces an abundance of chiles, vegetables, and grains, and thanks to its plentiful agave plants, tequila is a large export.   

This central part of the country is threaded with Spanish influence. Rice and pork (think carnitas!) are go-to foods. Enchiladas mineras, as well as morisqueta (a rice and sausage dish), are also popular, and cajeta – or caramelized goat’s milk – sweetens things up.  And, Michoacán is the world’s leading producer of avocados!  

Taco stands and torta shops line the streets of Central Mexico’s bustling capital Mexico City. Dishes most well-known from this hopping food scene include barbacoa, chiles rellenos and chalupas. Puebla, southeast of Mexico City, is famous for Mole Poblano. Another celebrated dish is Chile Nogales with walnut sauce stuffed with turkey and garnished with Pomegranate seeds, served during  Mexican Independence Day. Also popular in this urban hub and surrounding areas of Puebla and Veracruz are cemitas, mole poblano, and Cecina (marinated dried beef).  

Dishes unique to Indigenous roots of the area include ingredients like insects, armadillos, rabbits, and chocolate. More common foods include pork, chicken, and corn. Oaxaca, in particular, is recognized for its wide array of mole sauces such as negro, Amarillo, Verde, and chichilo, each created with unique combinations of chiles and herbs.    

Caribbean and African flavors abound in this region, where plantains, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and yucca beautifully accompany seafood dishes. With multiple shellfish varieties unique to this area, arroz a la tumbada made with white rice and a mix of fish and shellfish is popular. And certainly, contrasting but both widely used in the region are vanilla, which is native to the region, and Tabasco hot sauce.  

The history of cuisine in this area stretches back to Mesoamerica. Isolated for a long time, its dishes are very unique and heavily influenced by European settlers searching for fresh water. Pibil-style cooking, the process of slow-cooking food in an underground pit, is common practice, and a noteworthy dish is cochinita pibil, which is pork in citrus juices. Tropical fruits like tamarind, bitter oranges, mamey, and plums are regularly incorporated, and with the use of achiote or annatto seeds, many dishes have a red hue.   

Speak to your Shamrock Foods sales representative using our Sobremesa by Shamrock Foods portfolio to bring these flavors to life on your menu