This Is What Happened When An Aussie Asked A Mexican About What Mexican Food Is Really Like

Mexican cuisine is definitely the superior cuisine.

For as long as I can remember, Mexican food in Australia has been decidedly, well, not-actually-Mexican.

Flickr: Naperville Millers / Via Flickr: napervillemillers

The food is probably closer to Tex-Mex cuisine. 

So, I've enlisted the help of my friend Moni, who works in the BuzzFeed Mexico office, to enlighten us once and for all on the cuisine.

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In fact, I've realised I actually know nothing about Mexican cuisine!

Here's everything we discussed:

1. First and foremost, what filling should actually go into a taco?

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Here, in Australia, you'll find shredded lettuce, tomato, sour cream, a protein (either meat or beans) and maybe some guacamole.

Moni: This is actually similar to how we usually prepare a chicken taco, but it's not the one Mexico is known for. Okay, so each and every person has their own taste in fillings, but usually you’ll always have salsas (green, red and sometimes habanero) on the table. In Mexico, there’s like a big discussion of which salsa (green vs. red) is the best. Personally, I’m a green salsa girl lol. Lemon, but not the yellow one you're familiar with in Australia. Here, we use green lemons! Also, lots of cilantro [coriander] and onion — and if you are eating a taco al pastor, some pineapple.

2. What would you say is the most popular taco filling?

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Moni: OMG! That’s so difficult to say. Some states have their own popular filling — especially 'cause we have an immense variety of tacos. 

We have tacos al pastor (I think these are the most popular here in Mexico City), pork chop, pork rib, brains, suadero, tongue, barbacoa, cochinita, asada, fish tacos, taco de canasta (the name of this comes from the fact that they're literally sold in a canasta [a basket], but the tacos are filled with beans, potato, adobo and pork rind). So, you have A LOT of options — because they are all amazing.

3. And I have to ask — hard shell or soft shell taco?

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Moni: Definitely soft shell — the hard shells are known here as "American tacos".

4. We love nachos here in Australia — you'll find it on pub menus and it's a staple at most 'Mexican' eateries. Can you confirm or deny if it's at all authentic?

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Moni: Nup! That’s also American, like Tex-Mex. Entries here in Mexico are like sopes, pork rind, rice, creams (corn cream, avocado cream, etc), beans...but nachos are not one of them.

5. Is there anything else that other countries deem 'Mexican food' that you shake your head at? Anything that makes you go: "Absolutely not, completely inauthentic!"

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Moni: I think a lot of the Tex-Mex cuisine, like nachos, chimichangas, hard shell tacos, chilli [con carne], fried jalapeños. And Taco Bell — definitely not Mexican. 

6. What would a fancy three-course meal in Mexico look like?

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Moni: Hmm, I think that would be like a “fondita meal”. You would usually have a soup (tortilla, chicken or noodle soup), then something like mole with rice, hard tacos with chicken, enchiladas. And at the end, the dessert: Arroz con leche, jelly, flan, strawberries with cream, fried banana, etc.

7. You'll have to educate me! What's mole and enchiladas and why do they sound so delicious?

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Moni: Louise...they totally are! So, mole is a traditional sauce and there are a lot of different types. Usually, it's made with chocolate, fruits, nuts, chilli peppers and spices, but it all depends on what type you are preparing. 

For the enchiladas, it's like a corn tortilla filled with chicken and on top you have green sauce/red sauce/mole/tomato and much more, including sour cream, cheese and onion. 

8. Okay, but onto the real deal: What's a typical breakfast in Mexico City?

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Moni: ¡Ufff! I got hungry just reading this question ahahaha. Okay, so we have the usual breakfast items such as eggs, hotcakes and things like that. But we also have ranchero eggs, divorced eggs, chilaquiles, molletes, guajolota (tamal in bread), birria, enchiladas, barbacoa and so much more!

9. And how about lunch?

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Moni: We usually don’t have lunch jajajaja it’s not a thing here in Mexico.

10. Wait, you don't have lunch?! So how are meal times organised in Mexico? When do you eat? How often do you eat?

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Moni: I think this might be a word that's lost in translation... Because the meaning of lunch here is like a small meal made at noon, but not everyone does it (if you didn't have breakfast, then you have lunch!). After breakfast, we eat at around 2–3pm. And then it's dinner, which would be around 7–8pm.

11. What's a Mexican dish or food absolutely everyone has to try immediately?

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Moni: For me, if you come to Mexico, you need to try: tacos, mole, pozole and all type of "garnachitas" (huarache, panucho, quesadilla frita and gorditas). 

12. And finally, Moni had just one burning question for me: What is Vegemite? She had read a lot of opinions on it and was super intrigued...

Peter Murphy @PeterWMurphy1

@tomhanks Dear Mr Hanks, Here's a helpful step-by-step guide for Vegemite toast.

08:44 AM - 15 Mar 2020

Twitter: @PeterWMurphy1

Louise: This is a great question! The short answer is that it's a savoury spread that Australians absolutely love to put on toast.

The long answer is that it's a very intensely flavoured and naturally umami yeast extract made from leftover brewer's yeast. Because of how strong its flavour is (it's on the salty side!), only a tiny amount of it is needed. It's often paired with butter, which makes the spread milder and more palatable. I firmly believe that any negative opinion of Vegemite is just because the ratio of spread to carb (you definitely don't want to eat it by the spoonful, trust me).

Let us know in the comments if there's anything else about Mexican cuisine you'd love to know — or if you have any questions for Louise about Australian food.