page_title: Mexican street food
section_title: Definition
hierarchical_section_title: Mexican street food / Definition
caption_attribution_description: English: Taco stand in the Tacubaya neighborhood of Mexico City
context_page_description: Mexican street food, called antojitos, is prepared by street vendors and at small traditional markets in Mexico. Street foods include tacos, tamales, gorditas, quesadillas, empalmes, tostadas, chalupa, elote, tlayudas, cemita, pambazo, empanada, nachos, chilaquiles, fajita and tortas, as well as fresh fruit, vegetables, beverages and soups such as menudo, pozole and pancita. Most are available in the morning and the evening, as mid-afternoon is the time for the main formal meal of the day.
  Mexico has one of the most extensive street food cultures in Latin America, and Forbes named Mexico City as one of the foremost cities on the world in which to eat on the street.
context_section_description: In Mexican Spanish, the fast foods prepared on the streets and in market stalls are called antojitos (literally "little cravings") because they are typically foods not eaten at a formal meal, especially not the main meal of the day, comida, which is served in the mid-afternoon. However, there are exceptions. Street foods are easiest to find in the early morning and then the evening and late into the night. They are less available, especially outside of Mexico City, in the mid-afternoon. The majority of this food is based on corn products. The best street food is often found in and around markets and at public transportation stops. It is also found in street markets called "mercado sobre ruedas" or in Mexico City and near areas tianguis. One notable tianguis with food is the one in the midcentury neighborhood Colonia Nápoles which occurs on Sunday. Other areas in Mexico City noted for their street food are San Pedro de los Pinos market, Mercado San Juan Arcos de Belen, Calle López in the historic center and the Mercado de Antojitos ("street food market") in Coyoacán. Tourists in Mexico tend to shy away from street food over health and sanitation concerns. As a result, they miss out on much of the best of Mexican cuisine. One Indicator suggesting safe food is a crowded stall. Locals tend to know what is good, and busy indicates that the food is not sitting around. It is also better if the cook is not handling the money.
  In Latin America, Mexico has one of the most extensive street food cultures, with about 43% of the population believing that it is not harmful and about 58% eating on the street at least once a week. Mexican food was named by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of mankind, and Forbes named Mexico City one of the top ten cities for street food in the world. Street and market food has had significant impact on haute cuisine in Mexico, with upscale restaurants serving many of the same foods as in the streets, sometimes modified and sometimes not. It has also had influence abroad, especially in the United States, where Houston chef Hugo Ortega and Chicago chef Rick Bayless both published books dedicated to Mexico's street food. Chefs come to Mexico to investigate the local cuisines as Mexican food in general becomes more appreciated. This includes street foods. In the United States, Mexican-style street food can be found in small counter-service restaurants and the variety being demanded goes beyond Tex-Mex into the regional foods of Mexico. With over 100 years of Mexican-style street food history, Los Angeles is known for its street food lunch trucks, serving tacos, tortas, quesadillas and more. Tacos are to Los Angeles as sausage is to Chicago and cheesesteaks are to Philadelphia. These tacos can follow the traditional recipes of Mexico or be very creative. It is home to a series of trucks called Kogi, which became famous for its unusual blending of Korean and Mexican food. The University of California, Los Angeles held a conference on Mexican street food, where it was distinguished from typical fast food by culture considerations.
caption: A taco stand in Tacubaya, Mexico City
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