Have you ever tried making a Mexican recipe but you couldn’t make heads or tails of the ingredients?  We’re here to explain what each tricky Mexican ingredient is, whether it’s the spicy serrano to the challenging chayote. 

Achiote: Achiote is a small shrub that bears bright red seeds.  The seeds are crushed and used to give flavor to many dishes, especially in cuisine from the Yucatan area of Mexico. 

Chayote: Chayote is a light green gourd that somewhat resembles a large, bumpy pear.  It is generally cooked like a summer squash; you'll most often find it baked or sautéed.

Chorizo: Chorizo is a type of spicy red sausage that is made with ground chili powder or chili peppers.

Cilantro: Cilantro is an herb that is widely used in Mexican cooking.  It is most often used as a garnish and not cooked into foods, as it easily loses its flavor.  You can find cilantro in guacamole and salsa, and you'll see it garnishing many hot dishes.

Epazote: Epazote is an herb that gives flavor to Mexican foods such as tamales, sopes, quesadillas, black beans, mole, chilaquiles, and many others.

Masa: Masa is a type of cornmeal dough that is primarily used for making tortillas and tamales.

Papalo: Papalo is more commonly known as “Bolivian coriander.”  While it originated in Bolivia, it is also grown in Mexico and various South American countries.  This herb is similar to arugula or cilantro and is generally used to flavor salsas. 

Plantain: Plantains are related to bananas, but are greener and larger in appearance.  They contain less sugar and more starch than bananas, and are actually vegetables and not fruits.  Plantains are most often baked or fried; fried plantain chips are snacked on in many Central and South American countries.

Serrano Pepper: Serrano peppers are a type of Mexican chili pepper.  They start a bright green color, but later ripen to become either orange, red, yellow, or brown.  They are about 3 times spicier than jalapeno peppers, but only half as spicy as cayenne peppers.

Tomatillo: Tomatillos are known as green tomatoes due to their tomato-like appearance.  They are covered, however, in a onion-like husk. You can find tomatillos in chilis, salsas, and soups.