An Introduction to Mexican Breakfasts
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and chilaquiles is my favorite breakfast. The
only thing better than chilaquiles in green sauce is chilaquiles
in red sauce. That is true unless my favorite street food vendor, Petra, is around. She makes dorados that are
a god's gift to mankind. If you are unfamiliar with chilaquiles or dorados and
you have an interest in Mexican and Oaxacan foods, this page is meant for you.
The pictures of the meals shown come from family owned restaurants and meals sold by street
vendors, both of which are where the lower and middle class eat. Find yourself a place where the
locals are eating and you will be fine.
Beverages are at the bottom of the page.
Chilaquiles
Chilaquiles are fried or dried tortilla chips covered in a slightly spicy green or red sauce topped
with cheese and a little onion. Chilaquiles are accompanied with eggs, mexican sausage or tasajo and sometimes beans.
Usually the dish is served with hot sauce and cream on side dishes. This is a good meal to get if you like a large breakfast.
The first image below is of chilaquiles en salsa verde con frijoles y huevos revueltos or chilaquiles in
green sauce served with black beans and scrambled eggs. Click here
for a larger image. The second image is of chilaquiles en salsa roja con chorizo or chilaquiles in red sauce
with Mexican sausage topped with cream, cheese and onion. Click here
for a larger image. Meals like this cost around 60 pesos or U.S. $3 (Nov. 2017).
Chicharrón en Salsa Roja
Chicharrón en Salsa Roja is pork rind fried in lard, it tastes better than it sounds. Served with beans,
tortillas and salsa. Many Mexicans believe that chicharrón en salsa roja helps cure hangovers. Click
here for a larger image of chicharrón en salsa roja.
Dorados
Dorados, also known as flautas, are rolled up tortillas filled with meat or
cheese or potatoes. They are usually fried but sometimes are roasted over a grill. They are topped with beans or mayonnaise, lettuce or
cabbage and of course, salsa. My favorite food street vendor, Petra, fries her chicken dorados or dorados de pollo
in chicken fat and sometimes lard, I wish I had some to eat right now. Click here
for a larger image of dorados.
Enchiladas
Enchiladas are thin tortillas with a little sauce inside the tortilla and covered with slightly spicy
green or red sauce. This orderer included two eggs. One nice thing about Mexican cooking, the varieties of the same dish seem endless; these
tortillas were fried with lard giving them a really nice flavor and because the cook decided I was foreigner, no chiles were added into
the tomato sauce which was not so good. Click here for a larger image.
Enchiladas Suiza
Enchiladas Suiza are thin tortillas filled with cheese and topped with either a red or green sauce and
sometimes a bit of cream. Click here for a larger image of
enchiladas suiza.
Enmoladas
Enmoladas are made of shredded chicken breast wrapped in a thin tortilla and covered with a mole sauce and
topped with cheese, onion and cilantro. The mole sauce in this picture is spicy with a strong chocolate flavor. This meal would cost 60 pesos
or U.S.$3 (Feb. 2018). Click here for a larger image of
enmoladas.
From past experience I know that mole sauce has special powers and will find its way onto white clothing so beware!
Entomatadas
Entomatadas are lightly fried tortillas folded in half, topped with slightly spicy green or red sauce
topped with cheese and a little onion. Entomatadas are usually accompanied with beans and some type of egg or meat.
The dish is served with a hot sauce and cream. The photo is of entomatadas en salsa roja con chorizo or entomatadas in
slightly spicy tomato sauce with Mexican sausage topped with cheese and onion. Click here
for a larger image of entomatadas.
Hot Cakes
Hot Cakes is Spanish for pancakes. If you have a finicky eater or just need something "safe", this is it.
Huevos a la Mexicana
Huevos a la Mexicana or eggs Mexican style are scrambled eggs prepared with eggs, tomato, onion, and chiles
along with beans and tortillas. The meal is served with hot sauce. Some people, even Mexicans, may find this dish too spicy so you might want
to ask for yours without chiles or sin chiles. This meal cost 45 pesos or U.S.$2.50 (Dec. 2017). Click
here for a larger image of huevos a la mexicana.
Memilita
Memilita is a kind of corn bread slightly sweetened, rather flavorless and tough to chew. It
is a bread you will want to dip into coffee or hot chocolate to soften the bread. Usually memilitas
are only found around the market, sold in plastic bags of 3 for 10 pesos or U.S. 50 cents (Nov. 2017). Click
here for a larger image.
Pan Dulce
Pan Dulce or sweet breads are sold in the markets and bakeries and there are seemingly countless varieties
of sweet breads to be had. Click here for a larger image of sweetbreads.
Quesadillas
Quesadillas are fried tortillas folded in half, stuffed with potatoes or meat and are usually topped with cheese.
Salsa is served on the side. This photo of quesadillas con papas was bought from street a vendor for 25 pesos or U.S.
$1.50 (Dec. 2017). Click here for a larger image of quesadillas.
Salsa de Huevo Roja
Salsa de Huevo Roja are eggs cooked in spicy red sauce usually with beans, cheese and tortillas on the side.
Many Mexicans believe that salsa de huevo roja helps cure hangovers. Click
here for a larger image of salsa de huevo roja.
Sopes
Sopes are palm sized thick corn tortillas topped with beans, meat, vegetables, cheese and salsa. They are served
at all times of the day and are also used as appetizers. Click here for a larger image of
sopes.
Aguas de Frutas
Aguas de frutas is water with fruit, sugar and ice added. Aguas de frutas,
often just referred to as aguas are available to seeming countless varieties, everything from tamarind, orange, cucumber (its actually good), to the
ever present jamaica. Every restaurant will have one or two flavors for you to choose from. If you are thirsty or with a group, you can
order a pitcher of an agua de (name of fruit), which is something I frequently do, a pitcher or
jarra de agua de (fruit name) will cost you around 40 pesos or U.S. $2 (Jan 2020).
Aguas de (frutas) are frequently sold on street corners for 10 pesos or U.S. .50 cents.
Atole
Atole is a hot drink made of ground corn flour, sugar, cinnamon and often
other flavorings. Sometimes atole is made with rice, oatmeal, wheat or sesame. The blend has a consistency
of a thin porridge or oatmeal. I have never seen it sold
in restaurants, atole is usually sold on street corners or by street vendors. Atole is a common drink
that can be found year round, depending on the size of the cup it will cost 10 to 20 pesos or U.S. .50 cents
to a $1 (January 2020).
Coffee
Café is coffee, sometimes it comes with sugar already included.
Most restaurants will not give you free refills of coffee but some that cater to foreigners do. If you
see waitress refilling coffee cups, then you get a free refill. If not, and you order another cup of coffee, you
will probably be charged for two coffees. A cup of coffee usually goes for around 20 pesos or U.S. $1 (Jan. 2020).
Most of the chain convenient stores, such as "Oxxo" sell strong American style coffee. If you are going through caffeine withdraw,
the Mexican version of "Coca-Cola Lite" is loaded with caffeine.
Café de olla is coffee brewed in a clay pot with cinnamon and
sugar added, usually this coffee is a bit weak. The following photo shows a pot of coffee
being kept warm on a traditional grill. On the right side of the grill hand made tortillas are getting warmed up.
Nescafé is instant coffee. You will get a cup of hot water
that you can add the instant nescafé into; along with sugar. This
disgusting beverage can also be found in a decaffeinated form.
Hot Chocolate
Chocolate comes in two forms; mixed with water "chocolate de agua" or mixed with milk
"chocolate de leche". Chocolate de leche is the best if you can handle the milk. In Oaxaca and in
other Mexican states the hot chocolate is traditionally served in bowl (instead of a coffee cup) and is often accompanied with a sweet bread.
Jugos
Jugos is juice in English. Most restaurants sell fresh orange juice or jugo de naranja
and sometimes carrot juice or jugo de zanahoria.
