I’ve been to Mexico City countless times over the past fifteen years and landing here always feels magical – the city greets you with a sea of infinite twinkling lights, making it look like the world’s largest Christmas tree. This time, I’m here to explore and document the city’s monumental culinary landscape. The scale of the city is simply inescapable from above, and feelings of angst set in as we land – how does one summarise a food-obsessed city whose 21 million people have over 560,000 street food traders to choose from on a daily basis?
Mexico City is the largest urban area in North America and, with a GDP of $411 billion, is also one of the most productive urban areas in the world. This immense output, I think, is partly due to the extremely well-fed workforce that inhabits the metropolis. Spend five minutes walking the sunlit pavements of pretty much any area in the city and you’ll see, smell and taste some of the most invigorating, delicious (and cheapest) foods known to man.
We’re not just talking tacos, either. Here you’ll find gorditas, tlacoyos, tostadas, quesadillas, tortas, tamales, flautas and all kinds of obscure corn-based specialities made using hyper-regional cooking techniques that aren’t seen together anywhere else in the country. This city is filled with a myriad of zealous Latino craftsmen who have spent their entire lives perfecting their particular metier of Mexican fare. On every street corner there’s at least one or two (and often three, four or five) of these traders huddled up with luminous hand-painted signage, aggrandised with names such as Super Tortas (Super Sandwiches), Ricas Tacos (Rich Tacos) or Tacos El Gordo (Fat Tacos). The choices are frankly baffling and the usual recommendation of ‘eat where the locals eat’ doesn’t apply in this city, as there are throngs of hungry chilangos (Mexico City natives) perched on the edge of virtually every stall.