Aguachile
Traditionally originated in the northwest coast of Mexico. This dish traditionally consists of seafood cured in citrus juice and herbs.
Atoles
Atoles are made of dry chiles, fresh garlic and spices. A la Talla Salsa made with chile guajillo and pineapple.
Barszcz (Polish) or Borscht
is a sour soup made with meat stock, vegetables, and spices. Oro co-owner Kate Romero immigrated from Poland to MN when she was 12 and often brings traditional Polish recipes and pairings to the menu.
Botanas
Small plates served as appetizers or snacks at any given point of the day.
Chile de Arbol
birds beak chile, between 15000 to 30000 scoville units, red in color.
Chapulin
Grasshoppers commonly eaten as snack in Mexico and Central America. You'll find a photograph of a chapulin in our logo.
Chayote
A fruit from the gourd family first cultivated in Mesoamerica, also known as vegetable pear, choko, or mango squash, packed with antioxidants and fiber.
Chochoyote
Round, masa dumplings with a small dimple in the middle. They can be both fried in oil or cooked in broth.
Curtido
Lightly fermented cabbage relish. Typical in Central American cuisine, it is usually made with cabbage, onions, carrots, oregano, and lime juice; it resembles sauerkraut, kimchi, or tart coleslaw.
Guayaba or Guava
are two names for the fruit that grows on the guayabo tree. While 'guava' is the more common name for the fruit in the US, the word guayaba is closer to its name in the original languages of Latin and South America.
Hoja Santa
Translates to 'sacred leaf'. Hoja santa is a herb from the pepper family used in Mexican cuisine, most commonly in the southeastern states. It has a mild licorice and black pepper flavor, with a minty aroma.
Huarache
Flat, soft, oblong-shaped masa dish that is then topped with a variety of ingredients. It has a very unique shape that resembles a Mexican sandal of the same name.
Huauzontle or Aztec Broccoli
is a member of the Amaranth family. It has a long, fibrous stem, and round, miniature, soft leaves. Its flavor is similar to broccoli with a bitter, peppery taste.
Huitlacoche or Corn smut
is a plant disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Mycosarcoma maydis. One of several cereal crop pathogens called smuts, the fungus forms galls on all above-ground parts of corn species, such as maize and teosinte. The infected corn is edible; in Mexico, it is considered a delicacy, often eaten as a filling in quesadillas or other tortilla-based dishes, as well as in soups.
Masa Corta
dough.
Mofongo
A Puerto Rican dish made with plantains mashed with garlic and pork or other meat and served in it's own broth.
Mole
meaning 'sauce' in the Nahuatl language, is a traditional sauce and marinade originally used in Mexican cuisine. All mole preparations begin with one or more types of chile pepper. Other ingredients can include black pepper, achiote, squash, cumin, cloves, anise, tomato, tomatillo, garlic, sesame seed, dried fruit, herbs like hoja santa, and many other ingredients. Oaxacan moles can include over 30 ingredients!
Mole Nixta
Oro's signature mole recipe. 5 years in the making. Over 100 ingredients have been used to create the mole we have with us today. Our Mole Madre is added into each new batch (akin to how sourdough starter works) and imparts a completely unique and increasingly complex flavor that develops over time.
Nixtamal
A pre-Columbian,vegan dessert with gelatinous-like texture made from ground maize and sugar, traditional in Oaxaca, Mexico. It can be flavored with coconut, pineapple, milk, mango and other seasonal fruits.
Nixtamalization
A traditional maize preparation process in which dried kernels are cooked in, and steeped in an alkaline solution, usually water and food-grade lime (calcium hydroxide). Over the last 10,000 years, indigenous people throughout the Americas used this process (typically using wood or plant ash as lime) to increase the bioavailability of nutrients.In the plant, after cooking, the pericarps are drained and hulled and stone ground to produce masa (dough) that forms the base of our tortillas and masa menu items.
Nopales cactus
There are about 114 known species in Mexico, where it is a common ingredient in numerous Mexican dishes.
Oro Negro
Seasoned pork bone broth thickened with black beans.
Pasilla chile
or chile negro is the dried form of the Chilaca chile pepper, a long and narrow member of the species Capsicum Annuum. Named for its dark, wrinkled skin, it is a mild-to-medium-hot chile.
Pescadilla
A fish quesadilla.
Pipian
Red chiles and tomato-based sauce, thickened with sesame seeds and an array of herbs.
Requeson
A soft, whole-milk cheese. Resembles ricotta cheese.
Salsa Humito
Nixta's flagship salsa made with Pasilla Mixe, a chile native to Oaxaca with a natural and deep smoke flavor.
Salsa Macha
A spicy salsa made with heirloom chiles, sesame seeds, peanuts and oil.
Sikil P'ak
Mayan dip from the Yucatan/Riviera Maya region. It is made with pumpkin seeds, garlic, chile, and orange peel.
Tacha
A Piloncillo (mexican brown rock sugar), cinnamon, star anise, and clove syrup.
Tetela
A masa stuffed patty, shaped like a triangle.
Venas
Salsa made with tomatoes and the veins from different types of chiles.