The Whole Enchilada Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tamales

Tamales can be found all over Mesoamerica, as well as the Philippines and Guam due to Spanish influence, and date back to the days of the Aztecs; Aztec women would cook tamales for weddings, for example. They are made from masa (corn dough) and stuffed with sweet or savoury fillings; these can include chicken with salsa verde, black beans and cheese, pork with mole, or fruit.

They are wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks and steamed; the leaf can be used as a plate. A corunda is a triangular tamale.

Answer: Mole

Not to be confused with the little guy that lives in a hole, mole is a sauce with many variants across Mexico. Ingredients moles have in common are dried chillies, corn, fruit, nuts and spices such as cinnamon or black pepper. The ingredients are roasted and ground, and cooked over a long period to let the flavours really develop. One recipe I have for turkey mole contains chocolate, which adds a richness to the sauce.

Some moles from Oaxaca can have up to 30 ingredients!

Answer: Aguas frescas

'Aguas frescas' literally means 'fresh waters' and are non-alcoholic drinks made from fruits, cereals or seeds. As well as more conventional fruits like melon, grape, lemon, pineapple and peach, aguas frescas can also contain tamarind, dragon fruit, papaya, hibiscus, and even cactus! They can be found served out of large containers at markets and are very refreshing on a hot day. Multiple regional variants exist, and the drinks themselves date back to Aztec times, though sugar was added as a sweetener following colonisation by the Spanish.

Answer: Tlayudas

Tlayudas are a type of antojito, or street food, popular in Oaxaca. The open-faced variant is the tortilla equivalent of a pizza. A large tortilla, about 40 cm in diameter, is grilled on both sides over a griddle or in a comal (a type of griddle pan), and then spread with bean paste or asiento (unrefined pork lard).

It is often topped with Oaxaca cheese, tomato, avocado, crunchy vegetables such as lettuce, and sometimes meat. However, there are no fixed rules about toppings.

Answer: Pozole

If you play the Authors' Kitchen minigame, you'll have heard of pozole. It's made with hominy, corn kernels that are nixtamalised (soaked in an alkaline solution, washed and hulled), which is cooked in broth over several hours and acts as a base. It often contains meat, such as pork or chicken, although vegetarian versions use beans instead. Vegetables such as lettuce, onion or radish can be added to add crunch, and it is traditionally served with a squeeze of lime juice.

There are three main types: blanco (white), rojo (red) and verde (green).

Answer: Champurrado

Champurrado is hot chocolate, Mexican style. It is an atole, a type of hot drink made with masa harina or corn flour. It also includes chocolate, piloncillo (a type of raw sugar), and milk or water, and has a thick, velvety texture. Alcoholic variants exist, and spices such as cinnamon, aniseed or vanilla can be used to flavour the drink; egg or ground nuts are sometimes used as thickeners.

It is traditionally served with a churro, a type of doughnut, for breakfast.

Answer: Chilaquiles rojos

Chilaquiles are another Mexican dish that appears in the Authors' Kitchen minigame, and are a handy way to use up leftover tortillas. They are cut into triangles and fried, and topped with red salsa. Shredded chicken (or cecina, a type of jerky, in the state of San Luis Potosí) is sometimes added; other toppings include crema, queso fresco, refried beans, sliced onions and fried or scrambled eggs. Tex-Mex variants can include pulled pork or avocado.

Answer: Tepache

Tepache is one of the lesser-known drinks in this quiz. It is a fermented drink made from pineapple peel and rind, sweetened with piloncillo or brown sugar, and served cold. It can be mixed with beer or flavoured with cinnamon, and decorated with fruit or a sprinkling of ground chilli.

Although it is fermented over several days, its alcohol content is low. The original Nahuatl version was made from corn.

Answer: Birria

Birria sounds like a type of drink, but it's actually a type of barbacoa (an indigenous method of cooking meat in a pit) from Jalisco. The meat is usually goat or beef, although lamb can be used as well, and it is marinated in an adobo-type sauce with ancho chillies, then slowly cooked until it is tender.

It can be served as a stew, served with tortillas and topped with cilantro, salsa and chopped onions, or as a taco filling. It is often served on festive occasions.

Answer: Horchata de arroz

Horchata is a type of sweet plant-based drink, and horchata de arroz is the rice version. As well as soaked rice, it also contains vanilla, cinnamon and sugar, and is strained, resulting in a milky drink. It is often sold in taquerias and Mexican ice cream shops in the USA, and is the most common type of horchata.

In Alvardo, Veracruz, it is flavoured with cempasúchil, the Aztec marigold. Horchata de chufa, a Spanish variant, is made with tiger nuts.