Food

The cuisine of Veracruz is the regional cooking centered on the Mexican state that stretches over most of the country’s coast on the Gulf of Mexico. Its cooking is characterized by three main influences, indigenous, Spanish and Afro-Cuban, due to its history, which included the arrival of the Spanish and that of slaves from Africa and the Caribbean. Theses influences have contributed many ingredients to the cooking including native vanilla, corn and seafood, along with rice and spices and tubers, yucca and peanuts. How much the three mix depending on the area of the state, with some areas more heavily favoring one or another. The state has worked to promote its cuisine both in Mexico and abroad as part of its tourism industry.

Important dishes
The most famous Veracruz dish is Huachinango a la Veracruzana (Snapper Veracruz style). It is a baked whole fish covered in a tomato based sauce
flavored with mostly European ingredients such as
olives, garlic, capers and more. The most widely
served dish in the state is arroz a la tumbada,
which can be found in almost all restaurants that
serve seafood in Veracruz. Mole Xiqueño is a mole sauce named after its city of origin, Xico. Its two main ingredients are the mulate and ancho chili peppers, Like other moles it is generally consumed for special events and holidays although the paste to make this sauce is now commercialized by a
number of small businesses.

VERACRUZ COFFEE

The state of Veracruz is the second largest producer of coffee, in Mexico after Chiapas, with about 153,000 hectares under cultivation. Most producers are small, with 90,000 in the state, with about 300,000 directly involved in its production It is grown in 94 municipalities, especially in the mountain areas of Xalapa, Coatepec and Orizaba, where it is sold not only for drinking but also used to flavor candies and baked goods. However, the best known place in the state to drink coffee is La Gran Parroquia, located in the city of Veracruz. It is best known for its strong, espresso-like coffee which is mixed with hot milk, called café con leche.

CANDIES

In Veracruz we can find many typical candies like the marzipans with shapes of fruits and vegetables, jamoncillos(milk candy) and from other regions of Veracruz there are the coconut candies, tamarindo candies,and deserts like chayote candy with raw pineapple, the indian granaditas, la cordobesa and many others.