Cantinas, pulquerías and botanas

What it is

A traditional cantina has a long bar, tiled floors, and tables where groups settle in for the afternoon. The botana might start with peanuts, pork crackling or a cup of prawn broth, and move on to tostadas, small tacos, stewed meats, soups or a plate of rice with something on top. Beer, tequila, mezcal and rum are the usual drinks. Dominoes and dice are played, and musicians often walk between tables offering songs for a fee.

Pulque and the pulquería

Pulque is made from the sap of the maguey plant, a kind of agave. It is milky, slightly sour and lightly alcoholic, and it has been drunk in central Mexico since long before the Spanish arrived. It does not keep, so it is sold fresh. Pulquerías serve it plain or as curados, blended with fruit, oats, nuts or celery. The pulquería nearly vanished in the twentieth century as beer took over, and has been revived in Mexico City by younger drinkers.

How it works

Cantinas are busiest from early afternoon to early evening, which is the Mexican lunch hour and after. You sit, order a drink, and the waiter either brings the botana of the day or tells you the choices. At some houses the food is free only after a set number of drinks. For much of the twentieth century cantinas admitted men only. That has changed, and families now eat lunch in many of them.

How to do it

1. Go between two and five in the afternoon.
2. Order a drink and ask what the botana is today.
3. Let the food come with each round. Do not order it all at once.
4. In a pulquería, ask for a small glass of plain pulque and one curado to compare.
5. Tip the waiter. Service is the cantina's pride.

Good manners

• The botana comes with drinking. Do not expect it with a single soft drink.
• If musicians play at your table, you are expected to pay per song.
• Agree the price of a song before they start.

What is eaten

ChicharrónCrispy fried pork belly or skin, enjoyed as a snack or dish in many countriesTostadaCrisp fried or toasted tortilla topped with beans, meat, cheese, and vegetablesGuacamoleAvocado mashed with lime, salt, and herbs, served as a dip or spreadCarnitasPork slow-cooked in lard until tender, then crisped and shreddedQueso flameadoMelted cheese and spicy chorizo, often flambéed and served bubbling hotPulqueFermented drink made from the sap of the maguey (agave) plant in central Mexico

Also part of it, and being written: Torta, Tlacoyo.

Sources and further reading

• Cantina on Wikipedia
• Mexico City: official visitors guide
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Traditional Mexican cuisine