Test Your Mexican Cuisine IQ!

By Monica Nuñez

Burrito, taco, tamale, quesadilla, churro—you may have indulged in one or several of these Mexican foods. And if you overindulged, those trips to the bathroom won't let you forget them. But there are also some lesser-known foods that are equally delicious—and, if you eat too much, potentially just as likely to give you what my dad would call "correle porque te alcanza," or what you know as the runs or your great-grandfather may know as the trots. Match the following Mexican foods with their description. Buen provecho!

1. Molotes – Fried maize pancakes. Found in Oaxaca, Mexico, during Guelaguetza (an annual cultural celebration), Easter, and Christmas, molotes are considered a special holiday street food. They are made with fresh masa (cornmeal dough) filled with a chorizo (a pork sausage highly seasoned, especially with chili powder and garlic) and potato mixture. They are then topped with black bean puree and queso fresco (fresh cheese), and garnished with sliced radishes.
2. Chilaquiles – Tortillas fried in thick chili or green tomato. Chilaquiles are made with corn tortillas cut into quarters. The fried tortilla quarters are topped with either a green or red salsa. And scrambled eggs and pulled chicken are sometimes added to the mix. They are also topped with cheese and/or sour cream, and are commonly served with refried beans. (Recipes can vary slightly by region.) You might be interested—and very happy—to know that chilaquiles are considered a cure for the common hangover. It's the spiciness in the food that supposedly helps you recover.
3. Buñuelos – Thinly rolled fried pieces of dough with a sweet topping. Like chilaquile recipes, buñuelo recipes also vary by region; they also vary by country. (The Colombian buñuelo is round, while the Mexican buñuelo is flat.) In Mexico, buñuelos are typically made with thinly rolled pieces of anise-flavored dough. They are topped with a cinnamon and sugar mixture. The buñuelo is a typical Christmastime food, served during posadas (a 9-day celebration with origins in Spain beginning December 16 and ending December 24).
4. Sopes – Baked cornmeal dough topped with refried beans, onion, and hot sauce. Sopes are a typical Mexican antojito (appetizer). The cornmeal dough is shaped into small bowls for the garnishes and toppings. Sopes are baked on a comal (griddle). Besides refried beans, onion, and hot sauce, toppings also include vegetables, meat, cheese, and cilantro.