Guadalajara: Mexico's Forgotten Food Capital: 2000s Archive : gourmet.com

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Tortas ahogadas (drowned sandwiches) are found all across Guadalajara, but the best ones come from the makeshift Príncipe Heredero cart, pictured. The sandwiches are filled with pork and beans, then drowned in piquant salsa, hence their name. A good, crusty birote (bread) should soak up the juices yet keep its crunchy texture.

A man orders tortas ahogadas at El Príncipe Heredero. First-time torta eaters are advised to order their sandwiches only “half-drowned,” which means the spicy salsa on top has been diluted with some plain salsa.

A man enjoys his torta ahogada, making sure to catch the dripping juices.

If you opt to stand, like the man at left, while eating a torta at El Príncipe Heredero, keep the sandwich away from your body and expect your shoes to get dirty.

A table leans against a paint-spattered wall at El Príncipe Heredero.

Lime and onions garnish a dish at El Príncipe Heredero.

In the 1960s, five sisters started the legendary restaurant Las Hermanas Coraje (“The Angry Sisters”). Now with three locations in the city, the mini-chain brings diners from near and far for rustic dishes, such as the lengua (beef tongue in tomato sauce) pictured above.

Carne asada (grilled beef) cooks over an open flame at Las Hermanas Coraje.

A variety of toppings is on display in Las Hermanas Coraje’s open kitchen.

Handmade tortillas are cooked fresh all day long at Las Hermanas Coraje.

Masa, a mixture of water and soaked corn, forms the basis for the tortilla dough. After the dough is mixed, it is shaped in a tortilla press (above right).

Inside the bustling kitchen at Karne Garibaldi (which won a Guinness record for “fastest meal served” in 1996), the waiters, left, get ready to stack seven or eight plates of food on their arms. Before customers even order, tortilla chips, refried beans, grilled onions, salsa, lime, radishes, and cilantro are ready for them at the table.

keywords: travel; mexico; restaurants; culinary culture; sandwiches

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