O MEXICO

Open Monday to Saturday from 12pm to 2.15pm and from 7pm to 11pm. Menu from €19.50 to €23.50. Card: Around €25. Lunch menu: €9.50 (at €11.50).

Introduction to Mexican cuisine and beverages

Mexican cuisine is simple, rich in color and flavor. Tortillas, of peasant origin, are a type of pancake made from corn or wheat flour, which can be filled to taste. These tortillas can be used to make Quesadillas, Tacos (crispy V-shaped corn tortillas) or Enchiladas (rolled tortillas stuffed with a filling of your choice, then topped with a sauce and melted cheese).

The very basis of Mexican cuisine is founded on ingredients such as onions, red and green peppers and spices. However, Mexican cuisine is not spicy (contrary to popular belief). For example, chillies are rarely used in northern Mexico, although a hot sauce is prepared by pureeing chillies with tomatoes, onions, avocado, garlic and other herbs, which is eaten with chips. Speaking of sauces, there's a very special cocoa-based sauce called "Mole poblano". It tastes bitter, salty, sweet and a little spicy, with raisins and sesame seeds. There are also salads, such as Ceviches, made with raw fish or shrimp, marinated in lemon or orange juice with onions, peppers and tomatoes.

For refreshment, Mexican beers (Corona, Sol) appear lighter than European beers, but tequila or Mezcal are still fairly strong spirits, renowned for their taste. Tequila is the true "national" spirit, obtained from the fermentation of the special Agave Azul Tequilana. This tasty, fragrant spirit is often enjoyed in cocktails (such as Margarita, Tequila Sunrise, Mariguana) or as a digestive. Tradition has it that when tasting Tequila, first pour a little salt on the back of your hand, then let it go before swallowing the Tequila and sucking the lime. Quite an art.

Mezcal, on the other hand, is a spirit made in southern Mexico, in the Oaraca region (the region's famous "Pollo con pinas" dish). Mezcal is present in a bottle where a parasitic Agave worm remains, proof of its authenticity. Wine: Mexico has no great winemaking tradition, but its wines from California and L'Hidalgo are of good quality.