CULINARY THUMBNAIL

Here are two characteristics of this state's cuisine:

1. state is famous for its milk and milk products
2. situated in the Bajío, the fertile, temperate valley between two mountain ranges, and is thus one of Mexico's prime agricultural areas, with resulting fine produce

TRADITIONAL DISHES TO LOOK FOR

Enchiladas mineras, or miner's enchiladas, a dish from when Guanajuato was a colony specializing in mining silver for Spain; this is a cheaply made vegetarian dish prepared by women for their miner husbands; enchiladas are corn tortillas rolled around a filling such as beans, covered with sauce and crumbled feta cheese, and accompanied by chilies, rice, potatoes and carrots; copyright-free image from Guanajuato courtesy of Martha Silva and made available through Wikimedia Commons.

• Nopalitos-- slivers of cactus pads prepared most fancily with potato, egg, tomato, chili pepper, oregano and shrimp
• Ancas de Rana Lampreadas --   frog legs prepared with wine and sour gravy
• Fiambre Estilo San Miguel de Allende -- cold meat dish special for San Miguel

SWEETS

• Charamusca -- melted, twisted brown or white sugar, usually with peanuts or coconut
• Jamoncillo -- finely ground nuts or seeds, especially pumpkin, pine-nuts, or peanuts, prepared with milk and sugar

TRADITIONAL NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

• Agua de betabel -- beet juice

TRADITIONAL ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

• Licor de Fresa -- strawberry liquor

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.