ABC to Tapatio Culinary Delights

When you think of Mexico you think of Food

Guadalajara is the capital of Mexican folklore and its world ambassador of culture. And as such, dishes from around the country can be found on Tapatio tables. But Jalisco has its own culinary traditions. If you have never had a late breakfast of tortas ahogadas (literally: a drowned sandwich) then you have not experienced what many Mexicans think is Jalisco's supreme gift to the cornicopia of street stall foods. Guadalajara's famous birote (French-style) oblong rolls are sliced open and filled with roast pork, cut into small cubes, then the sandwich is covered with ladles of a red sauce made from tomatoes, chile de arbol and salt. This dish and another, menudo, are claimed to be surefire hangover cures.

Sundays most restaurants offer menudo, both white and red (laced with chile ancho). It is a tripe soup served with chopped tripe and topped with chopped onions and cilantro, a squeeze of lime and minced chile if you so desire. It is best devoured with a basketful of fresh hand-made tortillas. Posole, another local favorite, is a broth made from pigshead and brimming with hominy. It also comes in red and white varieties and served with diced onion, cabbage or lettuce. It is generally accompanied with tostada--those thin fried tortillas.

Another street-side Tapatio snack is the sope, a small thick tortilla, cooked on the comal and topped with thick guisados (stews) of beef, chicken, pork or vegetables and topped with lettuce tomatoes, grated cheese and thick cream.

If you have never tried birria de chivo (goat) then you haven't experienced the earthy taste that typifies Mexican cooking. Take a calandria (horse and carraige) from downtown and head over to the Nueve Esquinas area, where from Noon on you can dine on the most renown birria in the land. The dish is shredded stewed and roasted goat meat served in its own broth mixed with tomatoes and spices and a salsa on the side made from the vegetables that went in the broth.

Head over to Plaza Las Americas across from the Basilica in Zapopan,  famed as the milpa (cornfield) of Mexico for some meat- or vegetable- filled tamales and atole de maiz, a thick sweet drink made from ground corn.

If you've got a sweet tooth head over to Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos for some ate (aspic) or cajeta de membrillo (a creamy spread). In Guadaljara a great spot for an evening treat is La Bombilla, an eatery where the only dish is churros (long thin donuts made from an egg rich batter) dipped in cinnamon and sugar and served  with hot chocolate, made the old fashioned way with white atole in three varieties of thickness.