Acapulco tourists are advised to eat dishes that Mexicans regularly dine on
One of the staffers with Acapulco’s tourist board says Canadians visiting Acapulco should be certain to chow down on some typical Mexican dishes before wrapping up their vacations.
And UNESCO would undoubtedly wholeheartedly approve of Ana Guille Camarena’s suggestion.
Camarena is an enthusiastic backer of the culinary scene in Acapulco and other parts of Mexico as well, with her husband running the Nueva Zelanda Restaurant in Ixtapa, an eatery that dates back to 1985, and which one patron reports offers an “extensive Mexican dinner menu.”
But Camarena says tourists exploring Mexico can find great food, no matter what part of the country they’re in.
“I think every place in Mexico has something very special and authentic,” she says. “The coast, such as Acapulco and Ixtapa, offers very good and fresh seafood, and also very traditional dishes such as pozole, birria and mole.”
Mexican food has built an international following, with even UNESCO weighing in on it in 2010, declaring both French and Mexican cuisines an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.” They were the first cuisines to receive that tribute from the United Nations body. Mexican cuisine was recognized for a variety of factors, including culinary techniques, ritual practices and ancestral community customs.
Mexicans often say that what is promoted as Mexican food in Canada and some other countries has actually strayed from what Mexicans would claim as their own, but Camarena says that doesn’t mean quality Mexican food can’t be found outside of Mexico.
“Taco Bell does their best but that is not authentic Mexican food, so the recommendation is to try a really Mexican place,” she continues. “Outside of Mexico you can find really great Mexican food, made by Mexican chefs.”
But obviously it’s easier to find authentic Mexican food within Mexico, says Camarena, who notes that Acapuclo naturally has an abundance of Mexican restaurants.
Carmena also notes that Acapulco’s diverse dining scene includes eateries serving the likes of Asian, Brazilian, Argentinian, Japanese, Spanish and Greek dishes.
Camarena hosted foreign journalists during Mexico’s annual tourism show of Tianguis, held in Acapulco this spring, afterwards accompanying them to the interior city of Taxco, with their visit to that city coinciding with its hosting a taco festival, a showcase for an iconic Mexican dish. Camarena praised the tacos served at the festival as being “really good. I did not try them all, but the ones from Morelos,Taxco and Guerrero were very good.”
Meanwhile, Camarena says it would be a true shame if someone visited her homeland without trying its cuisine.
“Food is something very special in the world, and when you travel you must try the original traditional food the city offers,” she says. “It is cultural, it is educational and it is an easy way to know the culture of the destination.”
