Nopales, Chicarrónes, & Other Unusual Foods Found in Cancun

Cancun is like the starter kit of Mexico vacations.  In fact, if Cancun were a college course, it would be called Mexico 101.  While you can definitely get a taste of “real Mexico” in Cancun, it’s hotel zone is pretty easy for most English-speaking visitors to deal with.  Public transportation is easy to use & all malls, nightclubs, and nearly all of the hotels are on one main street (Blvd. Kukulkan).  Most front desk staff, waiters, and concierges are multilingual, restaurant menus are in Spanish & English, and there are numerous American chain-restaurants here in Cancun, too.  Since Cancun is quite “Americanized,” I found my assignment of finding unusual food items in the local supermarkets, to be a rather difficult challenge.

There are several supermarket chains here, but I frequent Wal-Mart, simply because they have everything I need and even carry quite a few U.S. brands as well.  In all of the stores, you will find most of the same things you see in grocery stores in the US or Canada, only with far fewer choices than you are probably used to.

During my quest for odd food items, three unusual items initially jumped out at me.  The first were Nopales.  Nopales are flat pads of cactus.

You find them in the produce section where you can often see employees removing the spine (sharp, pointy ends) and chopping the nopales into cubes.  This low-carb, high fiber food is native to Mexico.  I don’t recall seeing this food in restaurants but I’ve eaten it in the home of a friend.  It’s crisp, but didn’t really have much flavor, in my opinion.  Of course, that could have been attributed to the way it was prepared, I suppose.  All of the health benefits found in nopales make it worth trying, even if you also find it to be a bit bland.

The second item I found was Chicarrónes (fried pork rinds).  I know pork rinds are not at all uncommon, but in the US, I’ve only ever seen bags of them alongside potato chips, on the snack aisle of the supermarket.  Here in Mexico, however, you can buy strips of actual fried pork fat, with hairs still on the skin and everything.  A far cry from the preservative-laden, pseudo version you find in the bags.  Unfortunately, I didn’t come across the hairy strips of fried fat on my outing, but there were several different brands of chicarrónes on the snack food aisle.  The illustrations of pigs on the labels are so cute that you almost forget the bag is filled with deep-fried fat.

The final item I found is not unusual in the least.  The manner in which it is served is what I’ve always found strange.  It was simply fresh fruit sprinkled with chili powder (pineapple, mango, and jicama are commonly served this way).  I’ve also seen people add lime juice and salt to the chili powder.  Personally, I prefer fruit-flavored fruit and, if I crave something spicy, sour, and/or salty, modifying the flavor of a sweet, juicy pineapple would not be my first choice to satisfy that craving.  I know, I know….”When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”.  Well, I’ve tried the chili, lime, & salt covered fruit and, let’s just say I’ve never had a desire to have fruit that way again.

I also found many flavors of some old favorites, like potato chips and Dorito’s, to be a bit unusual.  Diablo or Flamin’ Hot Dorito’s which have a picture of the devil and flames, respectively, are way too spicy for me (I’m ashamed to say I have a low tolerance for spicy food, even though I live in the land of spicy food).

And, in Mexico, even candy comes covered in hot spices!  (My poor taste buds can’t even imagine spicy CANDY.)

As I was leaving the store, this gorgeous fruit caught my eye.  It’s called Pitaya (or Dragonfruit).  Native to Mexico, Pitaya is the fruit of cactus.  I’m told that, once peeled, it is similar to kiwi, in texture, and is sweet.  I haven’t tried this beauty yet, but I will be sure to pick one up on my next trip to the store.

When shopping in Cancun’s supermarkets, you aren’t likely to encounter anything more unusual than the food items I’ve mentioned.  However, if you eat at some taco stands in downtown Cancun, be aware that you might find tacos made with tongue (lengua), eyes (ojo), intestines (tripa), and head (The term on the menus is “cabeza”, which literally means head.  I’ve never been brave enough to ask, but I am pretty sure they means “brains”.), alongside more practical choices like chicken & beef.  Don’t worry though.  If you aren’t adventurous enough to try tacos made with tongue, there are 100s of restaurants in Cancun that serve more conventional dishes.