DON HUMPHREY'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT MENU DEFINITIONS

ADOBO: A paste of garlic, vinegar, herbs and chilies, used as a marinade.

ABONDIGAS AL CHIPOLTE: Ground beef and pork meatballs cooked in a tomato and chipotle chili sauce.

ADEREZO: Salad dressing.

AGUJAS: Ribs

AJO: Garlic

ALETA: Small wings or fins.

ANGUILLA: Eel

ANTOJITOS: Literally means "little whimsies." Refers to snack foods such as quesadillas, tacos, sopes, tostadas, etc.

ARROZ A LA MEXICANA: White rice fried in oil and simmered in a tomato, onion and garlic broth to which peas and carrots are added.

ARROZ CON LECHE: Rice pudding.

ATOLE: A thin porridge made from ground corn boiled with water, milk and sugar. Cinnamon or pureed fruits are sometimes added. If it is made with chocolate, the name becomes champurrado. It is usually served hot for breakfast.

AVES: Poultry

BARBACOA: Lamb or kid, marinated in chile sauce, wrapped in maguey leaves and baked in the ground.

BERENJENA: Egg plant

BIRRIA: A famous soupy stew from Jalisco made usually with goat which has been marinated and steam-baked in a chili tomato broth.

BOLILLOS: Rolls

BUNUELOS: Tortilla-size tortillas, fried and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

CAJETA: A caramel-like sweet made from sugar and goat’s milk.

CALABASA and CALABASITA: Squash

CALDO: Soup

CALDO TLALPENO: Chicken broth with shredded chicken, rice, chick peas, carrots and chipotle chile, garnished with avocado and cilantro.

CALLOS: Scallops

CAMARON: Shrimp

CARNE: Meat

CARNITASI: A specialty of Michoacan: Pork which is fried first and then cooked in a large copper pot with herbs. Eaten with salsa and tortillas.

CEBOLLA: Onion

CERVEZA: BEER

CHAMPIONES: Mushrooms

CEVICHE: A seafood cocktail of raw fish marinated in lime juice and combined with onion, chilies, cilantro, tomatoes, and often olives. Served with crackers or tortilla chips.

CHICHARRON: Fried pork rind. Eaten with guacamole and also cooked in salsa verde.

CHILAQUILES:Usually a breakfast dish served alone or with eggs and refried beans. Made from fried tortilla wedges, a green or red chili sauce, shredded cooked chicken, cream and cheese.

CHILES EN NOGADA: A famous dish from Puebla representing the three colors of the Mexican flag. Poblano chilies (green) stuffed with meat, fruits and spices, covered with a walnut sauce (white) and pomegranate seeds (red).

CHILES RELLENOS: Poblano chiles stuffed with ground meat and spices, or cheese or occasionally beans, usually fried in a batter and served with a tomato sauce. Generally mildly hot.

CHORIZO: Mexican style sausage. Spicy and big of taste.

COCHINITA PIBIL: A Yucatecan dish of marinated pork steamed in banana leaves.

COCINADO: Cooked

CONCHA: Shell "Ostion en su concha decema" translates to" A dozen oysters in their shell"

CORDORNIZ: Quail

CUITLACOCHE//{HUITLACOCHE): A Mexican delicacy. A fungus (non-toxic) which grows on certain ears of corn and which has an earthy, mushroom taste. Usually served as a filling for quesadillas.

DESHUESADA: Deboned

DOCENA: Dozen

DURAZNOS: Peaches

ENFRIJOLADA: A lightly fried tortilla dipped in pureed beans and then folded into a triangle and topped with cream and crumbled cheese.

ENTOMADAS:A kind of enchilada found mostly in Oaxaca and the north of Mexico. They are lightly fried tortillas filled with chicken, covered with a tomato-chili sauce and baked just long enough to heat through. Usually sprinkled with crumbled cheese, thin raw onion rings and sliced radishes.

ESCABECHE: Pickled, usually used refering to pickled fish but not always.

ESCOCES: Scotch whiskey

ESCAMOLESE: Another Mexican delicacy. They are the tiny eggs of a black ant. Usually cooked in butter and garlic.

FIDEOS: Noodles

FLAN: A custard with a topping of carmalized suger.

FRIJOLES DE LA OLLA: Beans traditionally cooked in a clay bean pot with onion and garlic.

FRIJOLES REFRITOS: Cooked beans that are mashed and fried in oil or lard.

GORDITA: Puffed cakes made from tortilla dough and filled with any one of the dozens of taco or quesadilla fillings. The tortilla dough is first made into a disk and quickly baked on a grill. Then it is fried in very hot oil until it puffs up. Finally it is partially sliced opened and a filling is inserted in the opening.

GUSANO DE MAGUEY: Worms of the maguey cactus. Usually fried and served with guacamole.

HONGOS: Mushrooms

HORCHATA: A drink made with rice.

HUAHCHINANGO: Red Snapper

HUACHINANAGO A LA VERACRUZANA: Red snapper baked with tomatoes, capers, olives, chili and spices.

HUEVOS RANCHEROS: Fried eggs placed on top of tortillas and topped with a tomato salsa.

HUEEVOS REVUELTOS:Eggs scrambled with tomato, onion, and green chilies.

MENUDO:Tripe stew, well known as a hangover remedy.

MIXIOTES: Marinated chicken, rabbit, kid or lamb wrapped in maguey leaves and steamed.

MOLE: Comes from a Nahuatl word meaning a sauce or stew containing chilies, plus many other ingredients. Every region has its mole, only a few of which have chocolate. The sauce is served over pieces of chicken or, more authentically, turkey.

MOLE POBLANO: The most famous mole comes from Puebla and was invented in the 17th century by the nuns of the Santa Rosa convent when they had to prepare a special dish for a visiting Spanish viceroy. An authentic mole poblano has about 25 ingredients, one of them being chocolate.

MOLLETES:Toasted bolillo (Mexican rolls) halves topped with refried beans and melted cheese. Served with salsa mexicana.

NOPALES: Prickly pear cactus paddles. Usually diced and boiled and served as a salad with red onion and oregano.

OCADILL: Ground beef (and sometimes ground pork) cooked with tomatoes, onions, olives, raisins and spices.

PIPIAN VERDE: Also called mole verde. A sauce based on ground pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, chilies and herbs. Served with chicken.

POZOLE:A stew made with pork and a kind of corn called cacahuacintle. There is white pozole and red pozole made with red chilies. The stew is garnished with sliced radishes, lime, avocado, shredded lettuce and dried oregano.

QUESO FUNDID: Melted cheese, sometime with chili strips or fried chorizo. Served with tortillas and salsa.

SALSA MEXICANA: Also called pico de gallo: finely chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro and green chili (either jalapeño or serrano) mixed with lime juice.

SALSA VERDE:Tomatillos, onions, garlic, green chili (serrano or jalapeño) are cooked and then pureed in a blender with cilantro. The salsa is then simmered in a scant amount of oil for 15 minutes to bring out the flavor. Served as an accompaniment or as a sauce for many corn-based dishes.

SETAS:Wild mushrooms. There are dozens of varieties in Mexico.

SINCRONIZADAS: Ham & cheese grilled between two flour tortillas.

SOPES:Small shells of crisp baked tortilla dough topped with crumbled fried chorizo, shredded cooked chicken or other toppings and sprinkled with crumbled cheese, salsa, shredded lettuce and sliced radishes.

TACOS AL PASTOR:Tortillas rolled around pork that has been marinated in a chili sauce and cooked on a spit.

TINGA POBLAMA: A classic dish from Puebla made with either pork or chicken which is cook and then shredded and mixed with a sauce of onions, tomatoes and chipotle chilies.

TOSTADAS: Crisp fried tortillas garnished with shredded beef or chicken, refried beans, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, crumbled cheese and cream.

TORTAS Sandwich, usually on a roll.

TUETARO Bone marrow

TOTOPOS: Fried tortilla wedges.

VINO BLANCO White Wine

VINO ROSADO Rose Wine

VINO TINTO Red Wine

VUELVE A LA VIDA: A large seafood cocktail: another hangover remedy.