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When visiting Zacatecas in the fall of 2004, we were intrigued by the menu entries at the Restaurant/Bar El Paraiso on Hidalgo and Plazuela Goitia in downtown Zacatecas.
Asking our waiter about some of them, he very helpfully described the plates and we decided to try two or three of the most appetizing-sounding ones. This is what we had:
Itacate del Minero - which, loosely translated, means "Miner's lunch bucket". (See photo) These consisted of a number of tacos filled with a mixture of shredded meat, beans and eggs in a soft tortilla, wrapped and tied up in a checkered cloth which served as the carrying receptacle for the miners lunches in the past. The cloth, opened up, would conveniently serve as a plate for the tacos and once consumed, the cloth does service as a napkin for cleaning up the drips...
Dobladillos - (See photo, top) - soft tortillas filled variously with black beans, ground spiced beef, cheese and rajas or poblano peppers sauteed with onions. Each taco is folded over twice into neat little packages.
Torrejas - What appeared to be donut-like puffs dribbled with the local specialty, miel de maguey or maguey syrup, and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. A local delicacy that is actually made from slices of french bread dipped in egg and deep fried before being bathed in the miel..
Other regional dishes includes something called Asado de Boda, a dish of pork mixed with red chiles and seasoned with a number of herbs and spices including cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, orange peel and chocolate, commonly served at regional weddings.
Zacatecas also has it's own varieties of enchiladas, carne adobada (meat marinated and cooked in red chiles), hand-made cheeses and gorditas with savory fillings. Mezcal and more recently wines are the beverages of the state. The fruits and other produce of the region figure in many of their sweets such as ates de guayaba y membrillo (fruit jellies made of guavas and quince) and candied yams and squash.
