The Santa Fe Glossary of Food Terms
City Different, Food Different

While it's easy to find a restaurant that serves the familiar, many visitors to Santa Fe are tempted by the local cuisine. But what to try? Or better yet, what is it? The food guide below will give you a head start with local cuisine.

adobo sauce - a red chile marinade

arroz - rice

atole - blue corn meal

bebidas - beverages

biscochitos - cookies, traditionally anise-favored

burrito - a tortilla filled with meat or beans, then folded

caldo - soup

carne adovada - pork in a red chile sauce.

cerveza - beer

chalupa - a fried tortilla "boat" filled with meat, cheese and garnish

chicharrones - fried fat, Cracklins

chile con queso - cheese with chile

chiles rellenos - a chile stuffed with cheese or meat

chile - a pepper or the sauce made from chile peppers.

chorizo -spicy pork sausage

cilantro - coriander

empanada - a turnover

enchilada - a tortilla with beans or meat with chile

ensalada - salad

frijoles - beans, usually pintos

guacamole - mashed and spiced avocado

huevos rancheros - eggs over a tortila. Served with chile.

margarita - beverage made from tequilla, orange liqueur and sour mix

menudo - tripe stew

natillas - custard

piñones - pine nuts

posole - hominy, may be with chili and pork

postres - desserts

quesadilla - cheese grilled in a tortilla

refritos - refried beans

sopaipilla - puffy, deep-fried bread

taco - a filled, folded tortilla. Tortilla may be hard (fried) or soft.

tamale - cornmeal dough stuffed, rolled in a corn husk and then steamed

taquito - a rolled, fried taco

tortilla - flat, round bread. Either cornmeal or wheat flour

tostada - a flat taco