Tlayuda appears as a signature dish in 2 Mexico cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Tlayuda · Mexico City
A 35cm crisp-charred corn tortilla smeared with asiento and black bean paste, layered with Oaxacan stringy cheese, lettuce, avocado, and grilled tasajo or cecina.
Tlayuda is a Zapotec dish from the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca, where the giant thin tortilla was originally a travel ration for traders. Mexico City adopted the tlayuda through Oaxacan migration in the 1980s and 90s; specialist Oaxacan restaurants opened in Roma Sur, Condesa and the Centro Historico. The toppings break into three traditional meats: cecina enchilada (chilli-cured pork), tasajo (cured beef), and chorizo. La Ventana del Ticuchi (chef Enrique Olvera, 2019) introduced the vegetarian quelites tlayuda. Best places to eat: Mercado Medellin Oaxacan stalls, Guzina Oaxaqueña in Polanco.
Where to eat in Mexico City:
- Mercado Medellin
Tlayuda · Oaxaca
Tlayuda is Oaxaca's giant comal-charred tortilla, smeared with asiento and bean paste, topped with quesillo, tasajo or cecina and salsa, the canonical night dish.
Tlayuda is the giant 30-cm-plus tortilla unique to Oaxaca, born in the Valles Centrales as a long-keeping flatbread for travelling Zapotec traders. The modern Centro version smears asiento (pork-lard residue) and a bean paste on the comal-toasted tortilla, then adds quesillo, tasajo or cecina, salsa and shredded cabbage. Tlayudas Libres on Calle de Los Libres is the late-night standard since the early 1990s.
Where to eat in Oaxaca:
- Tlayudas Libres
- Tlayudas Las Animas
- Itanoni
- Tierra del Sol
- Ancestral Cocina Tradicional
- Levadura de Olla
- Almu