Corn as a staple
Corn is the most eaten staple among Mexican consumers. It is the base ingredient of tortillas, a type of slim flatbread and, one of the most representative and widely consumed food products in the country, used for the preparation of tacos, quesadillas, and other dishes. In 2021, tortilla sales in Mexico reached a value comparable to that of dairy at more than 61 billion Mexican pesos.
Along with tortillas, meat is the main ingredient in most tacos. One of the most popular tacos, tacos al pastor, uses pork marinated in a special chili sauce. This kind of taco is particularly known for being cooked on a vertical rotisserie, similar to its distant cousins, shawarma and kebab. Poultry, beef, and occasionally even seafood are other common fillings in tacos. Following a high demand for meat, animal slaughtering and processing generates over two and a half times more sales value than the tortilla or the dairy industries.
Other key ingredients
Fresh produce is also vital to Mexico’s food culture, with green chili ranking as the country’s most consumed vegetable per capita. Sauce, in Spanish called salsa, accompanies most dishes. There are many different sauces, but some basic ingredients such as tomato, green tomato, onions, and a variety of chilis are staple in most Mexican kitchens. Other favorites include avocados, beans, and nopales, a local species of cactus. Citruses such as limes and oranges are widely eaten, and tropical fruits like banana, mango, and pineapple, are also common choices.
Popular brands and companies
Food companies in Mexico adapt to these local preferences, with brands such as La Costeña, Herdez, and Doña María offering a wide variety of sauces and canned chilis. The leading food brands in terms of consumer reach, however, specialize in starches: Bimbo, from the multinational company Grupo Bimbo, is known for bakery products, and La Moderna produces pasta. Grupo Bimbo, along with other corporations such as FEMSA and Sigma Alimentos, is one of the leading companies in the food and beverage market, reporting a net income of close to 47 billion Mexican pesos in 2022.
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