Calaveritas, or "little skulls," for the Día de los Muertos, or Halloween. Photo by Maria Pagola, of Ask Maria, in VeracruzOnce you've discovered something marvelous, you want the recipe. Here's a list of words you might hear in reply to your question, "What's it made of?"
- acitrón: citron, a kind of thick-skinned citrus fruit
- aguacate: avocado
- ajonjolí: sesame seed
- almendra: almond seed
- almíbar: sugar syrup
- anís: anise
- anona: custard apple, of the genus Annona
- azúcar: sugar
- banana: banana
- cacahuate: peanut
- calabaza: various kinds of pumpkin and squash
- canela: cinnamon
- capulín: capulin, a kind of cherry, Prunus capuli
- cáscara: rind or husk; cáscara de limón = lemon rind
- cereza: cherry
- chicozapote: sapodilla -- of the tropical tree Achras zapota
- chilacayote: a small, round, green squash
- chirimoya: cherimoya -- the custard apple fruit, Annona cherimola
- chocolate: chocolate
- ciruela: plum
- clara de huevo: egg white
- clavo: clove
- coco: coconut
- comino: cumin
- crema: cream
- durazno: peach
- fresa: strawberry
- fruta: fruit
- granada: pomegranate
- granadilla: passion flower fruit
- grosella: berry of the red currant
- guanábana: soursop -- a kind of custard apple, Annona muricata
- guayaba: guava
- harina: flour
- hicaco: icaco, or cocoplum, a 1.5-inch-long fruit, pinkish white to purplish black, of the tree Chrysobalanus icaco
- higo: fig
- huevo: egg
- leche: milk
- jobo: yellow mombin -- a cherrylike tree fruit, Spondias mombin
- limón: sweet lime
- limón amarillo: lemon
- mamey: mamey -- fruit of the tropical tree Calocarpum sapota
- mango: mango -- a large, sweet fruit of the tree Mangifera indica
- manteca: lard
- mantequilla: butter
- manzana: apple
- masa: moist paste of ground, softened corn kernels
- melón: melon
- membrilla: a kind of quince, which is a pearlike fruit
- miel: honey
- mora: name for both blackberry and mulberry
- nance: nance, a cherrylike fruit, Malpighia glabra
- naranja: orange
- nata: cream
- nogal: walnut
- nueces: nuts
- nuez de castilla: walnut
- nuez moscada: nutmeg
- panela: unrefined brown sugar
- papaya: papaya
- pasa: raisin
- pera: pear
- piloncillo: unrefined brown sugar, often in block form
- pimienta de Jamaica: allspice
- piña: pineapple
- piñon: pine nut or kernel
- plátano: banana; in some parts of Mexico, referring only to the large cooking banana
- queso: cheese
- tejocote: a kind of crabapple, of the genus Crataegus
- toronja: grapefruit
- tuna: cactus fruit, of the genus Opuntia
- uva: grape
- vanilla: vanilla
- yema de huevo: egg yolk
- zarza: blackberry