6 Myths About Mexican Food That Mexican Chefs Want Americans To Stop Believing

There’s way more to it than rice and beans, for one.

If you have plans to eat at a Mexican restaurant for dinner in the States, you probably have a few expectations — complimentary baskets of golden tortilla chips and salsa, tacos, burritos, enchiladas and a whole section on the menu devoted to margaritas. Oh, and you expect it to be cheap.

While many Mexican restaurants in the U.S. certainly deliver on all those fronts, it’s a giant misconception to believe a Mexican restaurant must check off all those boxes in order to be good or authentic. Mexican food is a lot more varied than many Americans realize, and numerous top Mexican chefs told HuffPost that there are a few myths — six big ones, in particular — many people believe that simply aren’t true.

1. Mexican food is essentially rice and beans.

Rick Martinez, a Mexican chef living in Mazatlán and the author of “Mi Cocina,” told HuffPost that one misconception many Americans have about Mexican food is that it essentially comes down to five dishes: tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos and quesadillas — often with rice and beans being the core ingredients. “There is so much more diversity in Mexico and its food than people realize,” he said.

José Cepeda, the executive chef at Quixote in The Lafayette Hotel and Club in San Diego, California, added to this, saying, “In the U.S, when [many Americans] think about Mexican food, it’s always tacos and burritos, cheese, chips and salsa with margaritas. I’m not saying it’s wrong, but Mexican food is a lot more than that.”