Food To Try In Puebla
What’s So Special About Pueblan Food
If you talk to any Mexicans about Puebla they’re sure to mention the food of the area.
We’d heard the same remarks before our visit to Puebla so we were excited to try some local dishes.
Now we’re not big foodies at all and while travelling we try to eat on a budget and very simply and that may mean missing out on local dishes in some destinations but we were in for a surprise in Puebla.
You don’t have to go for a big fancy meal to try some of the local delicacies in Puebla at all.
We ate in simple taco joints and local eateries and really enjoyed the food on offer.
Here’s what we loved…..
Cemitas
On the face of it, a Cemita is very much like a Torta ( filled bread roll ) that you get in other parts of Mexico but a Cemita is traditional in Puebla and sometimes called a Cemita Poblana.
We found the bread was different and was crustier ( more like French Baguette bread ) than a Torta, but this can depend on where you buy it from.
Our filling of choice is breaded chicken but there are other fillings available such as beef and pork etc.
The filling will also usually contain lettuce, tomato, avocado, mayonnaise, cheese if you want it and the hot chiles that we opted not to have unless we forgot to ask.
They’re very filling and ideal for lunchtime or anytime come to think of it.
Delicious Cemita
Mole Poblano
Mole is available all over Mexico and is considered a national dish but its origins are in the Puebla area.
Mole is a dark sauce that can have over twenty ingredients from chillies to chocolate and tastes very different dependant on where you try it.
We’ve tried buying it in a supermarket and it was horrible but there are so many recipes and tastes that you can never rule it out.
Mole sauce can accompany different dishes like chicken or enchiladas.
In Puebla, we tried Enchiladas Mole Poblano which was delicious and had just the right amount of sweetness to spiciness.
It’s quite a rich taste so a little goes a long way.
Enchiladas Mole Poblano
Tacos Arabes
By far our favourite food of Puebla was Tacos Arabe.
So all across Mexico, you will find taco joints selling tacos with a choice of fillings and the tell-tale sign of a taco place is the spit roasting meat on show.
Tacos Arabe is specific to Puebla and is believed to have its origins in the Lebanese community who came here years past.
They created a pork-filled taco which is actually more like a pita bread so it’s much larger than the normal small tacos.
The pork is marinated and provides a wonderful filling for the taco.
The usual accompaniments are available, the all-important limes, salsa, onion and cilantro.
We loved the taco Arabes so much we pretty much ate some every day during our visit to Puebla.
Tacos Arabe
Dulces ( Sweets or Candies )
Puebla is famous for its Dulces and there is even a street named Calle de Los Dulces which is lined with shops selling all kinds of wonderful sweet treats.
We walked along the street and were tempted by the shop owners giving free samples of the candies.
It’s a good way to try some of the sweets before you buy as some have an acquired taste.
I found a wonderful coconut sweet that had been stuffed inside a lime skin so you had the lime and coconut mix, yum.
There are countless types of sweets available and some are very traditional in Puebla so a second or even third visit is a must.
A Typical Puebla Dulce Shop
La Tortita de Santa Clara
Another sweet treat is this traditional biscuit that is found in Puebla and especially in the shops along Calle de Los Dulces.
It is said to be a product of a combination of indigenous and Spanish cultures which was first produced in the convent of Santa Clara.
The light pastry base is filled with a pumpkin paste and tastes divine for those of us with a sweet tooth.
La Tortita de Santa Clara
Where To Eat
There are so many places to eat that the best way we found was to just walk around and see what took our fancy.
The restaurants around the main square tend to be on the expensive side but a little way out of the centre you’ll find very affordable places with a nice local authentic Mexican feel.
Calle de Los Dulces is where you’ll find all the sweet shops to satisfy any sweet tooth.
One recommendation we do have is Las Ranas where you’ll be able to buy good Tacos Arabe.
They have two eateries very close to one another on 2nd Avenue that get quite busy in the early evening with lots of Mexican families enjoying eating together.
Las Ranas Eatery
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