Tuba, tejuino and other Vallarta delicacies

As you walk along the streets of Puerto Vallarta you can find a lot of stalls offering a wide variety of snacks and drinks. In this article we will explain what these Vallarta delicacies are and where the best place to taste them is.

Barley Water

This refreshing brown water is sweet and a very good option to recover energy after an afternoon of activities. They make it from the barley seeds. Other ingredients are in the mix, such as brown sugar, water and condensed milk. The best place to taste this water are the stands all over town. You can easily recognized them by their oversized steel containers with the words “AGUA DE CEBADA” written on them.

Tuba Water Vallarta delicacies

This type of water is very different from barley. It has a slightly acidic taste perfect for cooling off in our weather. You prepare it using coconut cream found inside palm trees and apple cider vinegar. The vendors then add pieces of nut and apple when serving the drink in their glass. The best place to taste this delightful drink is the Malecon and the city’s sports complex. There, tuba vendors are easily recognizable. Most of them dress completely in white and carry their orange-brown container on their shoulder.

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Esquites

The esquite is a tasty snack perfect to have when you pass one of the stalls found in the city. The esquite, if you are not aware, are corn kernels fried or boiled in oil and served in cups with salt, lemon, cream, butter, cheese and chili. The word “esquite” also has a great history, since it comes from the word “izquitl” which in Nahuatl means roasted corn. With such a variety of places it is difficult to choose which one is the best  place to taste this dish, but the one I consider the best of all is the one located between Galerias Vallarta and the Oxxo.

Tejuino

This traditional drink is of brown color, a little darker than barley, but with a totally different flavor. The process of making tejuino is quite complicated, since first the tejuino sellers let corn grains ferment, then they are boiled in water, strained and cooled to serve. As the word esquite this drink´s name also comes from a Nahuatl word: “tecuin”, which means “beating heart”. The best area to find this drink is on the Malecón.

Pie from Yelapa Vallarta delicacies

When you visit one of the most beautiful beaches that this city has to offer, which is the popular Yelapa, you have to try the pie famous for its quality and great flavor. When you are on the beach you can see people with a basket full of pies passing by frequently; in that basket they carry a wide variety of flavors such as: banana, chocolate, nut and coconut. My personal opinion is that the walnut is the best one.