The cuisine is world-renowned for being colorful, intense, spicy, greasy, and fiery hot (on par with South Indian, Korean, Southwest Chinese, and Thai food). Mexicans absolutely love chili peppers: you can find at least 10 varieties at any supermarket, it's present in pretty much every single dish, you can even buy candy made with dried chili, and any Mexican who can't stand them is automatically called a pansy. Of course, chilis are native to Mexico (the word "chili" comes from Nahuatl via Spanish), and many if not most world varieties of chili have ultimately Mexican origins, so this is to be expected.
Most of the traditional dishes are a mix of traditional prehispanic and medieval Spanish food. For instance, pozole (perhaps the quintessential Mexican family dish),note is most typically a stew or thick soup with hominy (nixtamalized corn) and meat or beans, topped with fresh vegetables (almost always cabbage or lettuce, usually radish as well, and often some diced raw fresh chili) and frequently mixed with a salsa and eaten with rolled-up corn tortillas and/or tostadas. The hominy—which gives the dish its name—is indigenous, as are beans and chilis (if they are used) and the tortillas/tostadas. But the meat used is usually chicken, beef, or pork—all Old World livestock brought by the Spanish—as are the cabbage/lettuce and radish. Meanwhile the salsas themselves are usually a mixture of New World ingredients (tomatoes for red salsas, tomatillos for green ones, chilis in both) and Old World ones (onion and garlic chief among them).
Other traditional foods are enchiladas, sincronizadas, chilaquiles, chiles rellenos, tamales, and other foods that are local and to each state of the country.
There are some exceptions, though: if you roll around the streets, chances are you'll find some stalls in the sidewalks selling tacos al pastor, which can be best described as "Mexican döner kebab" but frequently made of spiced pork, brought by a wave of Lebanese immigrants. And of course, there's the fair share of weirdo dishes, such as huitlacoche (fungus that grows on corn), chapulines (fried grasshoppers) and escamoles (fried ant larvae). Note that most average Mexicans will also squeam at these.
Hot sauce is put on many different foods, including those that few gringos would put hot sauce on, such as beverages and popcorn. Also, limes are super prevalent in Mexican drinks.
And for the record: Taco Bell is not a Mexican company, though the recent opening of a few nearby has caused us great amusement. Their food is certainly absolutely not Mexican. And the taco bell Chihuahua? It was considered a culinary delicacy by the Mexica, better known as the Aztecs. In general, Tex-Mex food is considered a blasphemous rip-off of Mexican food by many mexicans, thus subsequently shunned in most of the country.note
Useful Tip: Do NOT tell a Mexican guest that you are taking him to a "Mexican Restaurant" unless you are 100% sure it is not actually Tex-Mex. Take him anywhere else: Thai, Korean, even American Food (yes, there is such a thing... vaguely) is better on the off chance that the Mexican restaurant is actually Tex-Mex. (Then again, globalization probably means it's going to be staffed by Chinese cooks anyway...or Mexican ones.) If you do, the consequences will be dire... amused Take Thats, noting how the food is slightly (or hugely) off. Or feigned indignation, that is if any is registered. Honestly, take out a Mexican to dinner and you likely won't get any complaints: Free Food!
The line between traditional Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex also gets hazier as you approach the border in the original territory of Tex-Mex. In places with strong cultural and population ties to Mexico like South & Central Texas, for instance, even self-proclaimed Tex-Mex restaurants are likely to serve traditional dishes alongside a version of Tex-Mex closer to its roots. Enchiladas are a good example of the gradient, transitioning from an "enchilada plate" to an entire enchilada section of the menu with various grilled meats, verde and mole sauces, and toppings like poblano peppers, tomatoes, white cheeses, and guacamole.
Due to its spiciness and perceived hygiene conditions, Mexican cuisine is often portrayed as inducing to extreme bowel movements, but it's one of the best in the world.
People in Mexico City think that quesadillas do not have to have cheese whereas people in northern and southern Mexico and the USA think that quesadillas without cheese is a Violation of Common Sense ("queso" is in the name!).
