One of the very first places we visited in Mexico City when Jon and I moved there in 2004 was Coyoacan. Coyoacan (which means place where they have coyotes in Nahuatl) is a colonial neighborhood in the south of modern Mexico City. Coyoacan was originally a vassel state of the Aztec empire that sit on the shores of the Lake Texcoco. When Hernan Cortez conquered Tenochtitlan, the capital city of the empire, he felt in love with the beautiful town and the forest that surrounded it and settled there with his lover La Malinche.
Ever since pre-Hispanic times Coyoacan has been an important center for trade and culture. Coyoacan has been the residence to characters like Diego Rivera, Frida Khalo and Leon Trotsky. Its churches, bookstores, cafes, markets, plazas, gardens, schools, festivals, street performers, architecture, museums and history make Coyoacan one of the most beautiful, vibrant and bohemian neighborhood of Mexico City. No wonder it is considered the cultural heart of the gigantic city.
I love Coyoacan for all those reasons, but what does that have to do with food? Food is everywhere in Coyoacan. Around the main plaza there are several restaurants and cafes that serve all kinds of food. Throughout the year local, regional, national and international fesivals are held in Hidalgo square where you can sample foods from around the country and the world.
My favorite places to eat in Mexico, however, are the markets. Borges wrote that the best way to know Mexico is through its markets. That first time Jon and I visited Coyoacan we ate fried quesadillas at La Conchita market. He loved them. After that we walked to nieves el Tepozteco for ice cream (many people claim they have the best ice creams in the city) and sat next to Los Coyotes fountain to watch people walk by. That became our favorite spot to hang out.
Every once in a while I make fried quesadillas to remember those evenings. Mine don’t taste as good (must be the smog) as the ones in Coyoacan, though, and I don’t make them as often because of the “fried” factor. But they make a tasty snack or even a dinner, like these ones. Quesadillas can be filled with anything you like. Jon’s favorite filling is pollo con queso, chicken and cheese (might be the first words in Spanish he learned) so that’s what I always try to make. My favorite kinds, besides chicken, are mushroom, picadillo (when I used to eat beef) and huitlacoche.
Since this post is too long already I will leave you with the pictures of the process. The only difference between fried quesadillas and the quesadillas you might know is that these are made from tortilla masa (corn) instead of flour tortillas. This means that you should make them from scratch. Get tortilla masa at your local grocery store and follow the directions to make the mix. Another note is that queso Oaxaca, Oaxaca cheese, is the preferred cheese to make quesadillas in central and southern Mexico. This string cheese is similar to mozarella cheese. If you can’t find it you can use your favorite cheese for your quesadillas.
¡Buen provecho!
Update: I completely forgot that I made this recipe for Frugal Fridays. Don’t forget that every Friday we cook dinner for 4 trying to spend $10 or less. Cool concept, right?
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Allen
Dang these look good! Once I shake off 10 more pounds I might feel comfortable making these for a snack — will bookmark for a future indulgence
kellypea
Good thing I had leftover meatballs for breakfast or I’d be climbing through the screen for these.
I like the idea of thinking about a place through its markets. That does make sense — I remember the market in the little town in Spain we lived near — the churros were amazing and not sweet like those here.
Madeleine
Que bueno que tus quesadillas si tienen queso! jaja!
Eterna discusión entre los del centro del país y el resto de la república mexicana! jeje!
Se me antojaron! uno de mis antojitos favoritos!!! rellenas de puro queso, fritas, con lechuga picada, salsa verde y crema! que rico!!! ya se me hizo agua la boca!!!
Saludos!
kat
Those sounds so delicious! I have some masa flour left over from making tamales, maybe this should be next on my list
recipes2share
Ben, what a great trip – these look & sound just fab!
Natashya
Your fried quesadillas look really great. Hubby has taken some trips to Mexico and loved it. (Before me) I was there when very young so don’t remember it. (My mother took me, 4, on a bus trip there and back. From Canada!)
Hubby is anxious to get back and show me Mexico, and yes, I think his favourite phrase is pollo con queso.
Jill@SimpleDailyRecipes.com
I can taste their crunchy corn texture from here….oooh my stomach is growling.
What is the white plastic thing you’re using to shape the quesadillas?
Teresa
My apologies, Ben. I don’t know how I could have made that mistake. It’s right there in my notes. I think it’s just “la bola” that’s getting to me. I’m correcting it right now. I guess a person can only multitask so much before making a mistake like that. I’ve never made a fried quesadilla before but I’m going to try yours. Looks delicious. Thanks for pointing out my error.
Peter
I want some Coyote Quesidillas now! lol
SO what if they are fried..a little indulgence here and there won’t hurt (really).
Ivy
Hey Ben, my son gave me a list of four of five different food which he wants me to make and one of them was quesadillas. I can’t find his note just now as I tied up my desk
and when it’s tidy I can’t find anything. I wanted to ask you about them as they sounded as Mexican but when I find the note I shall e-mail you. I hope these are easy to make.
Peter G
Oohh! I love these…a little fried snack here or there is fine but these are irresistible amigo…
Mikky
oh my, looks so good… i love quesadillas, but never tried the fried version… it would be really interesting to try one…
Dell
these look delicious I’ve only ever had them with flour tortilla’s. am hungry now & its almost midnight!
Teresa
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try them. (I’d better do it soon. I start training for my half marathon soon and am gonna start eating healthier … I am. I mean it. I really am!
Bellini Valli
Masa is just not available here…sad to say. My brother can get it back East…too bad he is 3,000 km away:D
Jen of a2eatwrite
Wow… these look sooooooo good! Our CSA was selling huitlacoche earlier in the summer. It wasn’t part of our farm share, but at least it was available.
Rosa
What a wonderful dish! Those Fried Quesadillas look extremely good and ever so tempting!
Cheers,
Rosa
Deborah
I think I’m officially in heaven! I’m a quesadilla lover to start off with, but this takes it to a whole new level!! YUM!
We Are Never Full
whoa ben. WHOA BEN. this is a serious snack/meal. SO GOOD… so bad ffor you. soooo delicious and crispy!
Nate
What does huitlacoche taste like?
Arika
These look amazing. It’s too bad street food can neevr be recreated perfectly at home. I think it has more to do with the atmosphere than the food itself. It’s a good thing in my case though as if I could I would probably be walking arond my house constantly with Char Siu Bao and a size 16 rear rather than waiting for Chinatown visits =)
Arika
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Núria
MMmmmm Ben, your quesadillas look fantastic… so cruncy outside and juicy inside… I would love to be a tourist in Coyoacan and see the same streets Frida Khalo walked by.
I think that you get to know ALL cultures by its food and markets ;D
lalaine
Hi Daddy!
This fried quesadilla will be my first lesson from you! I am going to try my hand on it tonight.
your adopted daughter,
lalaine
Jamie
Hi Ben! Thanks for adopting me for Kristen’s event! I love love love mexican food so I can’t wait to try some of your recipes! i will keep you tuned in!
Kristen
Oh Ben… these sound heavenly! I’ve been on a fried tortilla kick for some reason lately. I think next time, I’ll make these and call it dinner!
JennDZ_The LeftoverQueen
Isn’t it wonderful how a certain food can take us back to a time and place? Ah, the power of food!
These quesadillas look amazing Ben!
Jude
I’m like a kid in a candy store in any market. It must be the best way to get introduced to a new place, regardless of country.
courtney
Fried quesidellias! Hook me up.
[eatingclub] vancouver || js
Oh my goodness, these things look to die for! I see all the wonderful food you prepare and I get all antsy. I must have these, I must have these, I must have these.
Bren@Flanboyant Eats
I’M SCREAMING.. MY ENTIRE COMMENT WAS JUST DELETED. EMAIL ME.
Elle
Oh, Ben…what i would give for one of those right now! I adore quesadillas. I’ve never fried them, but they must get so crispy!
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Ivy
Hey Ben, I have an award and a meme for you.
Teresa
Ben, wonderful piece on Coyoacan. Very well written. And you certainly can’t go wrong with quesadillas. My daughter lived off of quesadillas her whole first year of college when she was away. Now she expects me to make her dinner every night. Can you imagine?
Ben, could you please go to my chocolate blog: http://chocolateloreandmore.blogspot.com/ . I have something for you. Hugs.
Lindsay
Ben this looks absolutely delicious! I’ve never had or even heard of fried quesadillas before– you’re always introducing me to exciting new foods. I’ll have to give these a tries, though I’ve never made tortillas from scratch before so it could be interesting. You’ll have to look for it on Apron Adventures…
Hélène
I want to go to Mexico so bad. The food seems to be so good. I like to come visit your site because I discover food I never tasted before like these fried quesadillas. I’m hungry, right now, and this looks so delicous.
nina
Quesidillas are good already…and then you go and fry them! Is frying bad for you????He-he! Why does something so good have to be so bad!!!!
I have to make these soon, because Mexico is out of the question!!!
Lore
Gorgeously delicious fried treats come to mama
)
Seriously these instantly turned on the mouthwatering process
freelance writer
I am always dieting and rarely cooking, but your travel articles surrounding your food topics are very nice. And your site has a very pleasing color combination. It has a warm feel to it.
Thanks.
Kelli
Rachel
You made the humble quesadilla sound so good that I think I will make some tonight for supper. Bravo.