Mexico is a food lover’s paradise, from street treats like tacos and tamales to fine dining with sauces like mole that are as exquisitely complex as any in the world. Our writers took time to praise all of these culinary treasures in 2025, as well as many others.
Why eating hot sauce honors Mexico’s gods
If you come to Mexico and skip the spicy salsa, you’re missing the point. In one of the most-read articles of 2025, Andrea explains how chile has been sacred since Mesoamerican times, why capsaicin tricks your brain into thinking your tongue is on fire, and how to handle that first incendiary bite. From molcajete-made sauces to Michelin-star tacos, it’s a playful invitation to taste Mexico’s true heat — one cautious drop at a time.
Taste of Mexico: Jamaica
No, not the country, but Mexico’s agua fresca of choice, made from hibiscus flowers, chia seed, water and other ingredients. Writer María Meléndez traced the history of hibiscus and its domestication several thousand years into the past. No, it’s not native to Mexico. But from the moment it arrived at Acapulco, where it was brought via Manila galleon — part of a global trade route that connected Spain’s colonial powers from the 16th to 18th centuries — it was passionately welcomed into the country’s kitchens.
How Mexico revolutionized world cuisine
Not only does Mexico have some of the world’s finest restaurants (just ask Michelin Guide), and a cuisine that has been declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, it also has some unique native ingredients that, through the centuries, have utterly transformed world cuisine. Did you know, for example, that there were no tomato sauces in Italian cuisine until the country sourced tomatoes from Mexico?
Mexico’s first-ever carbon-neutral coffee farm
Thirty years after vowing never to be a coffee farmer, Julia Ortega now runs Mexico’s first carbon-neutral coffee farm in Puebla’s misty highlands. This profile follows her from reluctant heir to innovative producer, turning “waste” into soap, flour and liqueur while exporting organic specialty beans worldwide. Meet the woman whose stubbornness, science-driven husband and broken machinery helped transform a small family plot into a model of sustainable agriculture.
Julia Ortega: The woman behind Mexico’s first carbon-neutral coffee farm
The seed that went into space
From ancient altars to outer space, amaranth has always punched above its tiny weight. This story traces Mexico’s beloved alegría bars back to an 8,000-year-old superseed packed with more protein than wheat or rice, natural omega fats, and a full suite of vitamins. Learn how this drought‑resistant, gluten-free pseudo-grain went from Puebla’s fields to NASA-approved astronaut food — and why it may be the future of sustainable nutrition.
From Mexico to the world: amaranth, the tiny seed that traveled to space
Tacos al Japonés
In Kyoto’s backstreets, Mexico News Daily’s María Ruíz stumbles on the last thing she expects: some of the best carnitas tacos she’s ever had, made by a Japanese chef named Keita. This charming tale follows his obsession born in Baja, years perfecting tortillas, and a tiny taquería where locals eat tacos with chopsticks. Come for the culture clash, stay for the unlikely friendship forged over salsa and hiragana.
