CULINARY THUMBNAIL

Here are the most notable characteristics of this state's cuisine:

1. temperate central valley producing fruits and vegetables
2. in semi-arid section ranching provides fresh meat
3. extensive vineyard system supporting fine wineries

TRADITIONAL DISHES TO LOOK FOR

• Picadillo -- beef or pig in tomato sauce
• Costillas con Papas Fritas -- beef ribs with fried potatoes
• Carnitas de Cerdo -- little chunks of roasted pig especially favored here

FRUITS

• Durazno -- peaches
• Guayaba -- guava

SWEETS

• Cajetas -- often a gelatin, traditionally congealed in a round box four or five inches across, made of thin wood slivers; there are cajetas de leche (based on milk), cajetas de membrillo (quince), cajetas de guayaba (guava), and many others

Information on this page based on material presented in Gastronomía: Atlas cultural de México, 1988, an extensive and well illustrated work by various authors, published by the Secretaría del Educación Pública, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia in Mexico City.