Little Dishes and Appetizers

“Appetizer” is not a strictly accurate term for any traditional Mexican dish. What we have are snacks, ranging from bite-size to meal-size and really meant to be eaten hot from the streetside vending cart. When you put them in the context of a home-cooked meal they are thought of quite differently.

There are different names for different kinds of snacks. The category of antojitos (whims) includes the sort of masa specialties you will find in the Corn Dishes chapter, such as Empanadas de Amarillo or Clayudas. The name botanas usually refers to little nibbles corresponding to cocktail snacks; Botana de Cacahuates and Bocaditos de Papa are good examples. Oaxacans put some other unusual twists on the street snack idea—the pungently seasoned paste called Chintextle, the great garlicky fricassee known as Chileajo, or pickled vegetables or fruits eaten with hunks of robust bread.