Tacos in Querétaro
Querétaro, in central Mexico, eats pit-cooked lamb barbacoa, carnitas and gorditas de migajas, and the Sierra Gorda in its northeast keeps older traditions such as tacos viajeros and painted Otomí tortillas.
Overview
Querétaro is a manufacturing state whose colonial capital and wine-and-cheese country draw many visitors. Larousse's gastronomic dictionary notes that its food shares dishes with neighboring states while keeping many of its own. Among representative dishes it lists barbacoa, carnitas, cabrito al horno, lomo queretano and pollo almendrado; among tacos, carnitas tacos, tacos de nata (made with cream) and tacos de revoltillo; and among corn dishes, gorditas de migajas, made with the crisp bits left from rendering lard, gorditas de cuajada and enfrijoladas.
Barbacoa
Querétaro's barbacoa follows the central Mexican method: lamb wrapped in maguey leaves and slow-cooked in an underground pit, much as in neighboring Hidalgo. Mexico News Daily calls Barbacoa Santiago, opened in 1982 on the Mexico City to Querétaro highway, the mecca of the dish, and also mentions the Feria de la Barbacoa y el Pulque held in Boyé. Larousse lists barbacoa first among the state's representative meat dishes.
Sierra Gorda
The Sierra Gorda in the northeast stretches from semi-desert to forested mountains and is home to Otomí and Pame communities alongside mestizo towns such as Jalpan de Serra and Arroyo Seco. Larousse lists its representative dishes as acoyo, bolín, beef chicharrón, chivo tapado, gorditas de horno, roasted red ants, tacos viajeros and peanut tamales. Huasteca influence brings zacahuil and enchiladas huastecas, and Otomí cooks prepare painted tortillas for special occasions.
Wine and cheese country
The towns of Tequisquiapan, Ezequiel Montes and Bernal form a wine and cheese route. Mexico News Daily reports that Tequisquiapan has held a wine and cheese festival since 1976, and that local dairies make sheep, cow and goat cheeses. The same report describes enchiladas queretanas, flavored with guajillo chiles cooked in milk, and sopa queretana, said to have been created to feed the deputies who drafted the 1917 Constitution in the city.
Sweets and drinks
Larousse lists arequipas, cajeta, squash in syrup and pan de pulque among Querétaro's sweets and breads. Drinks range from amargo, mejengue and orange sangría to beet water, horchata, and the atoles and ponche served on cold days and at festivals.
Signature tacos
Reviews
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See also
References
- "Querétaro". Larousse Cocina (Diccionario enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "State by Plate: The wines of Querétaro". Mexico News Daily. Retrieved 2026-10-10.