Norteño
Machaca: dried beef, scrambled eggs.
Carne Asada
Carne Asada involves grilling marinated beef over an open flame, highlighting the region's focus on beef and outdoor cooking.
View page →Northern Mexico is cattle-and-wheat country, so its cooking centers on grilled beef and, unusually for Mexico, flour tortillas rather than corn. Carne asada — thin grilled beef, often skirt steak, served with salsa, lime, and onions — is the regional staple, eaten in tacos or at backyard cookouts. The signature special-occasion dish is cabrito, milk-fed kid goat roasted whole on a spit, a specialty of Monterrey. Dry climate gave rise to machaca, beef dried then shredded and fried with eggs, onion, and chile for breakfast. The north also makes good cheese, like the white asadero and Mennonite cheese, and Asado de boda ("wedding stew"), pork in a dark chile-and-chocolate sauce, is served at celebrations. Wheat flour also shows up in large thin tortillas and burritos.
The Palate
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A luxurious guisado traditionally served at weddings, with a sauce that balances the smoky depth of ancho and guajillo chilies with dark chocolate.
Why start here · This dish is the festive side of Norteño cuisine, showing its ability to elevate simple ingredients into a special-occasion plate.
Juicy skirt steak, char-grilled and served in a wheat flour tortilla, with lime, cilantro, and salsa cruda.
Why start here · These tacos highlight the region's love for grilled meats and the Tex-Mex influence seen in the use of flour tortillas.
A hearty scramble combining dried beef and eggs with serrano chilies, tomatoes, and onions.
Why start here · This dish shows the resourcefulness of Norteño cooks, putting preserved beef to work in a satisfying breakfast.
The Pantry
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Herbs & Spices
Grains & Staples
Sauces & Condiments
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
Kindred Kitchens
Cuisines built on the same signature ingredients
Other regions
Siblings within Mexican — each its own tradition.
