Favorite Dishes from Mexico Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cactus

Nopales (or nopalitos, same thing) come from the prickly pear cactus plant and are delicious, with a slightly tart flavor. In preparing nopales there is the issue of the spines, which should be removed (carefully!) with a vegetable peeler or small sharp knife. Gloves should be worn for this procedure if you're a novice.

The most common method of preparing nopales is to boil until they're just barely tender, and then chop them coarsely. Nopales can also be grilled, and when tossed with diced tomato, onion and cilantro, they make an easy and nutritious vegetable dish.

Answer: Meatballs

Albondigas can be prepared using ground beef, turkey or pork. I've even heard of shrimp albondigas. The meat is combined with uncooked rice, raw egg, seasoning and mint leaves. The mint leaves are a must. The meatballs are then simmered in chicken or beef broth, along with onions, garlic and a variety of vegetables and seasonings.

The methods of preparation and ingredients for all the dishes in this quiz vary widely from region to region, and from cook to cook!

Answer: tomatoes, onions, chiles, cilantro

As always with Mexican cooking, the ingredients may vary, but the essential diced tomatoes, onions, and chiles will almost always be used. Avocado, cucumber, tomatillos, radishes, lemon or lime juice or cilantro may be added. Another version of pico de gallo uses fruit such as melon, oranges, or jicama, with pico de gallo seasoning added to the fruit. The possibilities are endless.

Answer: Grilled Beef

I love carne asada. Beef steak in a marinade, cooked outside on the grill, it smells so good! Skirt steak or flank steak is often used. It can be bought "prepared", (already seasoned) or the preparation can be done at home. Carne asada has become very popular in the United States. If you see a sign that says "Carniceria", it's a meat market, and you can surely buy prepared meat there for a barbecue.

Answer: Atole

The ingredients in atole are usually masa (corn meal dough), water, piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans. The mixture is blended and heated, and served hot. Atole will vary in texture, from a gruel consistency to a thin liquid. And as always, there are many variations.

Although atole is traditional on the Mexican Day of the Dead, it can actually be served at any time of year. One of my favorite meals ever in Mexico was atole and chicken tamales, bought from a street vendor. If you add chocolate to atole it is then called champurrado. Agua is water in Spanish, aguardiente is brandy, and aguacate is avocado.

Answer: Rice

It's very popular in Mexico. A common version of horchata is made from long-grain rice, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. The rice should be soaked overnight, then drained, blended (in a blender) with milk and then added to the other ingredients. After blending thoroughly the mixture should be strained several times until completely smooth.

It's often served poured over ice cubes. There are European versions of the drink made with barley or tigernuts.

Answer: True

Very few parts of the cow are not used in some way. Any of the tacos listed might include, in addition to the meat, some chopped onion, chopped cilantro, chopped tomato, lettuce, cabbage or avocado. It's all rolled in a soft warm corn tortilla, or more often two small ones. A Mexican taqueria will feature a posted menu offering tacos with dozens of different fillings.

Answer: Avocados

It's delicious and simple to make. Ripe avocados, tomatoes, onions and seasoning are included in most versions. Lemon or lime juice should be added to keep the avocado from browning. Other common ingredients include fresh chillies, garlic, cumin and cilantro.

In Mexico, guacamole is prepared in a molcajete, a sort of mortar and pestle made of basalt volcanic rock. There's one in every household, and they're used to grind spices, prepare salsa and many other dishes.

Answer: Flan

Basic flan is made with milk, cream, sugar, eggs, nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon and citrus zests. The sugar is cooked until brown to produce the caramel, the other ingredients are mixed together, then it's baked in the oven in a water bath. There are many items that can be added, such as coffee, cream cheese or coconut, to make it fancier. Flan is a favorite dessert in most of the countries of the world, in one form or another.
Churros, capirotada and pastel are all Mexican desserts.

Answer: Menudo

There are lots of ways to prepare menudo. In some versions, a calf foot is included. The calf foot and the tripe are boiled till the meat is just tender. Many spices can be used for seasoning: garlic, onions, salt, peppercorns, and oregano. Mexican cooks add other exotic herbs and spices. Then red chiles may be added, and hominy is optional as well. Depending on the cook and the region, there is plenty of variety. Menudo is served with traditional garnishes, such as chopped onion, oregano, cilantro, radishes, lime or lemon.

It's been said that the most delicious food in the world stems from hunger, poverty and simple ingredients. Many Mexicans in the past had to make do with poorer cuts of meat, vegetables taken from their fields, spices and plants growing wild in the countryside, and they made them into fantastic dishes. I hope you get a chance to explore Mexican food, you won't be disappointed.