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Mexicans love their pork and pork parts every which way. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And snacks.
If you are into that, it’s honestly quite delicious!
However, if you are traveling to Mexico and you don’t eat pork, it is going to be a challenge to make sure you are avoiding pork and pork products when you order.
Sometimes the pork items on the menu are obvious…other times they are a little sneaky.
We’ve all been there, staring at a menu, wondering what the heck everything is. Even if you speak Spanish, many of the words on Mexican menus might be unfamiliar to you. Indeed, I have been to Mexico probably fifteen times or more and am still discovering new mystery menu items!
Fear not! I have pulled together this guide to help you decipher Mexican menus and identify items that are or could have pork. All lists are alphabetical.
This information is specifically about food in Mexico, but many of the words will be the same in other Spanish-speaking countries and cultures.
Words for Pig / Pork
There are many different ways to say pig in Spanish, and many of them are interchangeable with the word for pork. If you are avoiding pork, stay away from any of these items if you spot them on a menu.
- Cerdo
- Chancho
- Cochino / Cochinito
- Marrano / Marranito
- Puerco / Puerquito
Pig Parts
Not ones to waste any part of the animal, Mexicans use as much of the pig as possible in their cuisine. Indeed, some of the funky parts are specialty items!
Here are some common pig parts you will find on menus, especially for tacos and stews (guisados).
| Buche | Pig stomach |
| Chicharron | Pig skin (fried) |
| Oreja | Pig ear |
| Patas / patitas de puerco | Feet / trotters (patas de res are beef) |
| Trompa | Pork snout |
Pork Products and Dishes
These are common pork products or dishes that you will often find on restaurant menus and at taco stands in Mexico. These items always or almost always contain pork, so steer clear!
Note that this list is not exhaustive, but it covers the most common pork dishes out there.
| Al Arabe | Pork (ironically!), layered with onions, grilled on a vertical rotisserie, thinly sliced, served on a pita bread |
| Al Pastor | Pork marinated in achiote and chillies, grilled on a vertical rotisserie, thinly sliced and served with pineapple |
| Campechano | Combination of meats, typically meat and (pork) sausage, sometimes you can specify which ones you want |
| Carne de cerdo | Pig meat (pork) |
| Carnitas | Pork, braised and slow cooked in a fatty broth (like a confit) |
| Castacán | Crispy pork belly, specialty of the Yucatán |
| Chamorro | Shank, could be pork or beef |
| Chicharrón | Crunchy, deep fried pig skin |
| Chorizo | Spicy pork sausage |
| Cochinita Pibil | Pork, marinated with orange and achiote, slow roasted, served with pickled red onion, specialty of the Yucatán |
| Costillas | Ribs, usually pork (beef ribs are costillas de res) |
| Cuerito | Pork rind, slow-cooked to be soft and gelatinous |
| Jamón | Ham |
| Lechón | Suckling pig or piglet, usually whole roasted |
| Longaniza | Pork sausage |
| Maciza | Pork shoulder, the lean part of carnitas |
| Manteca | Lard |
| Salchicha / Salchichon | Sausage (could be pork or other meats) |
| Suadero | Usually beef (but might include pork sausage), thin cut of meat from the belly and often other cuts slowly stewed in fat and juices in a sombrero shaped pan (choricero), specialty of Mexico City |
| Surtido | Pork, mix of lean and fatty parts of carnitas, can include offal and chicharron |
| Tocino | Bacon |
If you see any of these items on a menu, do not order them if you don’t eat pork!
Dishes typically (but perhaps unexpectedly) made with lard
There are some dishes that seem innocent on the surface, but are actually usually made with lard somewhere during the preparation process.
If you are avoiding pork, I recommend avoiding these products to make your life easier.
If you really want to try any of these classic Mexican dishes, you will have to ask the server or chef if they make it with lard. See Useful Phrases below!
Tortillas de harina (flour tortillas)
Flour tortillas always contain some kind of fat—often lard, sometimes vegetable oil. Play it safe and avoid flour tortillas. Corn tortillas are the norm unless you are in the north of Mexico, so you should be able to work around this one pretty easily.
Tamales
Tamales are delightful little packets of corn meal stuffed with meats, vegetables, or fruits. But don’t be fooled. The corn mixture is usually made with lard, no matter what the tamal is stuffed with.
Pozole
Pozole is a hearty, brothy soup made with hominy (large corn kernels) and meat. The meat is traditionally pork, but pozole can also be made with beef or chicken. It is not uncommon, however, for pozole to be made with lard, no matter which meat is in it.
Frijoles and Frijoles Refritos
If you are trying to just eat vegetarian to avoid pork, beware of frijoles (beans) and especially frijoles refritos (refried beans). Yes—they too are often made with lard, especially frijoles refritos.
Mole
Yes, I hate to break it to you, that delectable, complex sauce that is mole is traditionally made with lard. Sneaky lard, always where you least expect it!
Tlayudas
If you find yourself in Oaxaca, you will surely be tempted to try a tlayuda—a large flat pizza-looking tortilla. Even if you are getting non-pork toppings, know that they usually spread asiento, a type of lard, on the large tortilla before toasting it up. Refried beans (typically made with lard) are also a main ingredient, spread onto the tortilla, which helps everything else stick. You could probably ask the chef to skip those ingredients, but I think at that point it will have lost the things that make it interesting and unique.
Are tortillas de maiz (corn tortillas) made with lard?
It’s going to be hard to appreciate Mexican cuisine without eating corn tortillas.
You’re in luck. Traditional corn tortillas are usually NOT made with lard or fat, just masa harina (corn meal/flour), water and salt. So you should generally be safe.
However, if you need to be super duper sure, you can always ask if their corn tortillas are made with lard.
Also seek out hipster places (like Maizajo or Molino “El Pujol” in Mexico City) that make their corn tortillas the old-fashioned way, by nixtamalizing the corn. They shouldn’t be using lard.
Useful Phrases
Here are a few useful phrases to have handy when you just want to make sure that your food doesn’t contain any kind of pork. I hear that it helps to specify that you are avoiding pork and lard for religious purposes.
When in doubt, just ask!
I have made an attempt to sound out the pronunciation for the non-Spanish speakers out there.
I don’t eat pork or lard.
No como cerdo o manteca.
No KO-mo SER-do oh man-TEH-kah
I don’t eat pork or lard because of my religion.
Por razones religiósas, no puedo comer cerdo o manteca.
Pohr ra-SOHN-es reh-lee-hee-OH-sas no poo-EH-doh ko-MER SER-do oh man-TEH-kah.
Does it have pork?
Tiene puerco?
Tee-EN-eh poo-EHR-ko?
Tiene cerdo?
Tee-EN-eh SER-do?
Does it have lard?
Tiene manteca?
Tee-EN-eh man-TEH-kah?
Does it have bacon?
Tiene tocino?
Tee-EN-eh toh-SEE-no?
Final Thoughts
Avoiding pork in Mexico will be a challenge, but it’s totally do-able if you come armed with the right information. I hope the information in this article helps you navigate the tricky world of porky Mexican menus.
If you want to be really safe, eat in vegetarian or vegan restaurants. Or, if you can find one, kosher restaurants.
Just keep in mind that Mexico is a big country with many different culinary specialties. I haven’t yet been everywhere and tried everything. Let me know if you come across any new pork items that I need to add to this guide!
