9 ways to enjoy hot chiles in Mexico

I was standing in the park in front of La Ciudadela Market in Mexico City the first time I ate finger-sized slivers of fresh coconut squeezed with lime and dusted with chile. I hadn’t asked for the snack– it was given to me by a vendor with some surplus inventory as she was winding down her sales for the day– I wouldn’t have even thought of it.

It was a serious culinary a-ha moment: Chile is not simply for savory foods.

Since then, I’ve been keeping a running photographic record of all the Mexican food I’ve seen (and eaten) that’s “enchilada’d.” From candied pineapple and mango dipped in chile powder to potato chips doused with hot sauce and margaritas served in chile-sugar rimmed glasses, I’ve documented many–but still not all– of the ways chiles star in Mexican dishes.