GASTRONOMY

Tlaxcala?s cuisine is known for its exquisite flavors and for maintaining ancient culinary traditions by using traditional ingredients, such as amaranth and corn. Corn, the most popular staple in the Americas, is one of the most versatile food products due to its variety of colors (blue, red, white and yellow). Each variety has varying nutritional value, the blue corn ranking the highest. These and other food products serve as a base for delicious local dishes, including sopa de tortilla (tortilla soup), caldo de habas (fava bean stew) and crema de huitlacoche (huitlacoche cream soup). As for main dishes, you can try mixiote de carnero (spiced mutton), barbacoa de hoyo (slow-cooked mutton), mole de guajolote (turkey mole), pipian verde or rojo (a green or red mole variety), pollo Tollocan and Calpulalpan (local chicken dishes), and tortitas de camaron or amaranto (shrimp or amaranth cakes). For dessert, you can top it off with dulce de pepita (a pumpkin seed sweet), panque de maiz (cornmeal pancake), requeson de piloncillo (cheese-filled cones), alegrias (amaranth bars), buñuelos (fried bread with cinnamon and sugar) and mueganos (pastries). Wash it down with an atole de amaranto (a cornmeal amaranth drink), pulque (a fermented alcoholic beverage), or a regional wine.