Downtown Food Walking Tour 3 Hours Mérida

Plaza Grande, the heart of Mérida

Every Mérida walking food tour on this route begins at Plaza Grande, the city's main square, also called the Zócalo. Mérida was founded by the Spanish in 1542 on the site of the Maya city of T'hó, and the square is lined with the buildings of that first colonial century, including the Cathedral of San Ildefonso, one of the oldest cathedrals on the American mainland, and the arcaded Palacio de Gobierno.

Your guide meets you beside the colourful 'Mérida' letters at the edge of the square. Under the laurel trees you get a short introduction to the city and to Yucatecan cooking, which mixes Maya ingredients such as achiote, corn and habanero with Spanish, Caribbean and Middle Eastern influences. From here the group sets off on foot into the downtown streets.

Gorditas and poc chuc

The first stop pairs gorditas, thick corn cakes split and stuffed with savoury fillings, with traditional refreshing drinks of the region, a good way to start in the warm Mérida climate. Your guide explains how corn dough, or masa, is the base of almost everything you will taste on the tour.

Next comes poc chuc, one of the signature dishes of Yucatán: thin slices of pork marinated in the juice of sour oranges, then grilled over charcoal and served with pickled red onion, tomato and tortillas. The citrus marinade, a technique that goes back to the Maya, keeps the meat tender and gives it a bright, smoky flavour. Many travellers searching for the best food in Mérida say this is the dish they remember most.

A downtown Mérida food market

The heart of the tour is a visit to one of the main food markets in the centre of town, where stalls of chiles, herbs, tropical fruit and fresh tortillas sit beside small counters serving breakfast and lunch to market workers. This is where you eat with the locals, sitting at the same benches and tasting dishes made the way they have been for generations.

Here you try salbutes, soft fried tortillas that puff up in the oil and are topped with shredded meat, lettuce, tomato, avocado and pickled onion, and Yucatecan tamales, often wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks. You also taste seasonal local fruit. The market is busy and colourful, so keep your camera ready and follow your guide closely through the aisles.

Tacos al pastor and carnitas

The tour ends with two of Mexico's best-loved taco styles. Tacos al pastor are made from marinated pork stacked on a vertical spit and shaved onto small tortillas, often with a slice of pineapple; the method arrived with Lebanese immigrants in the twentieth century and was adapted with Mexican chiles and achiote.

Carnitas, originally from the state of Michoacán, are pieces of pork slowly cooked until tender and crisp at the edges, eaten with salsa, lime and onion. By the last stop you will have had a full meal spread across the walk, so come hungry. Your guide is happy to recommend other places to eat in Mérida for the rest of your stay and to explain which salsas are mild and which are fiery.