Cooking with corn tortillas!
Who are you and where are you?
Elsa Romo, Mexico City
Tell me about your relationship with gluten..
A month ago I went to the doctor for a general check up and my blood tests showed that some of my vitamin levels were low, particularly my vitamin D and iron. My doctor asked how often my tummy bloats up like a balloon after meals and I said that this happens all the time. This is what led to finding out I have celiac disease.
Why should gluten free travellers visit your town?
Travelers must come to Mexico City because it is full of fantastic sites, shops and restaurants. The food is also a huge reason to travel to Mexico because the main ingredient in much of our food is corn, and corn is gluten free! You will go crazy with all the colours and flavours in our dishes. Did you know that Mexican food was declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2011? Yet another great reason to come and try Mexican food!
Tell me something fun about your town..
Mexico City is filled with so many different kinds of people and there is something for everyone. The cultural places are gorgeous and we have so many incredible restaurants, bars and night clubs.
Enchiladas verdes
Tacos!
Where is your favourite place to eat out in your town and why?
My favourite place to go for a meal is definitely El BajÃo Restaurant, a traditional Mexican restaurant with high quality food and lots of branches around Mexico City. The owner is a lovely woman called Carmentitita, a clever Chef who cooks every single dish with the highest quality of Mexican ingredients. If you find yourself at El BajÃo Restaurant you must try the banana pasty filled with black beans! It’s so yummy!
We have lots of naturally gluten free food here in Mexico as we use corn tortillas for so many dishes! Some of the dishes you can expect to find in many Mexican restaurants are quesadillas filled with Oaxaca cheese, mushrooms, flor de calabaza, beans and cuitlacoche. Another is chilaquiles, made with corn tortillas dipped in green or red chilli sauce and topped with chicken, cream and cheese.
Vibrant colours!
Calacas (Mexican skulls)
For dessert I recommend arroz con leche, a kind of rice pudding make with condensed milk. In summer we have nieves for dessert, a kind of ice cream made from vanilla, chocolate or different fruits. Mexico also has lots of fantastic markets where you can buy fresh fruit.
For buying gluten free products, Superama is a very popular supermarket here in Mexico. There are so many that it is not difficult to find one near to you. Here you can find gluten free products as well as lots of great fruits, vegetables and wine.
Another fantastic place to find super gluten free food and ingredients to cook and bake with is The Green Corner.  Here you can find lots of organic, gluten free products. It’s a little more expensive than other places but a nice place to visit. They also have small restaurants at a couple of their locations.
If like me you love baking, Belle Cuisine, Euro Bakery and Central Gourmet are three more places where you can find specialist ingredients like xanthan gum and agar agar for gluten free baking.
Do you live in Mexico or have you travelled there? What is your favourite gluten free dish?
Bellas Artes
Nieve
Milly
Feb 23rd, 2013This has been so helpful!!! I will be working in mexico city till the end of March and I was sooooo worried about what I would be able to eat!!! Thank you so much for this article!
vegan miam
Feb 24th, 2013Loved D.F. and Mexico City. The Green Corner is a great start for gluten-free and VEGAN diets!
Cyndy briggs
Aug 7th, 2014I live in Mexico. Corn is used for many of the ethnic dishes. You must be careful because a modifier such as a wheat flour is often added to the corn dough to make the dough more pliable such as for empanadas. Corn meal alone easily cracks and will not have a smooth appearance if it is thicker that a corn tortilla. Be careful!!
Erin Smith
Jul 23rd, 2015I am traveling to Mexico City next month. I am wondering if you can connect me with Elsa via email? Thank you!
Gimmarco Vela
Dec 21st, 2015Hi, I have two restaurants in Mexico one in Polanco and the other in Cabo. I have celiac relatives that work in the restaurant and we have several gluten free recipes including, pasta, home made bread and pizza all prepared separately to avoid any type of contamination. Even the menus have gluten free symbols to help celiacs select the appropriate recipes.