CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Platillos auténticos mexicanos -- authentic Mexican dishes -- is what you'll find inside Guajillo's on the Island because they have the “Mex without the Tex.”
Owner Fernando Rosas tells 3NEWS most “Mexican” food served in South Texas is far from authentic or traditional. His dishes are prepared using recipes and culinary methods ingrained in Mexico’s heritage.
"My food is authentic because we cook as my ancestors do it 500 years ago," he said.
Traditional Mexican food has a vibrant history and is tied to the heart of Mexican culture, and one of the best ways to understand Mexican heritage is to understand its food.
"Everything that you have here has its own meaning from everywhere in the region of the republic of Mexico, so, you know, “cochinita (pibil)” is from Mérida, Yucatán,” said Guajillo’s chef and Rosas’ son Edgar Mata. “And then we have the mole, which originated in Puebla, México, so it's just important to be able to taste all these different flavors, because across the full republic all the flavors vary and how the recipes are made."
Mata also said their food is so authentic that their corn tortillas don’t have additives, keeping them gluten-free.
He also showed us dishes such as their posole rojo, which is served with lettuce, radish, limes, and a tostada on the side, as well as a nopales (prickly-pear) salad, which is made with tomato, onion, cilantro and queso fresco.
"Everything is water- and pepper-based, down to our beans, down to all of our sauces that we use in our food,” he said. “No fats, no greases, no lard."
Authentic Mexican food is more than just something you eat -- it's something you experience, and at Guajillo's on the Island, you experience the history, culture, traditions and love of Mexico.
"It's part of the culture it's part of traditions and we are Mexicans we try to give to all the people all the traditions from Mexico," Rosas said. "It's the Mex without the Tex."