What is Sonoran?

Question

I've been reading some of the recent posts where Phoenix hounds have been discussing Mexican places, calling some Sonoran, some not. There was even one post that seemed to equate Sonoran with Tex-Mex. Down here in Yuma, we have some restaurants that seem to be Sonoran, but we also have a lot of Baja and Jalisco influences. What makes a restaurant Sonoran? What are the signature dishes? How do they do green chili? How do they do tacos? Are any caldos or sopas characteristic? Salsas? Enchiladas? Yellow or white cheese? Are there clues that let you decide that a place definitely is/isn't Sonoran? Help!

Answer

Hi e.d., Here's an older post by Canon Fowler about Sonoran food. This gentlemen has very strong opinions and a lot to say on the subject.

Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/93513#513151

Answer

Here's a link to a thread on the General board a while back. Sonoran gets some discussion there.

Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/288883#1561183

Answer

I am of Sonoran heritage, but I grew up on cooking that was constantly being evolved and sadly devolved.
To understand the difference is to understand the region. Sonora is a desert region of Mexico. It's also cattle country, versus the rest of Mexico who's meat of choice is pork or goat. With cattle the grain of choice is wheat versus corn for the rest of Mexico. Those two factors weigh heavily on the influences of Sonoran Cooking. Because of the abundance of wheat--the tortillas are made of wheat. Breads, quick breads, sweet rolls are more previlant in Sonoran cooking. Because of the beef; little of the cooking need be complex, sauses are milder, less ingredients used. The best examples of Sonoran cooking compare to the best examples of Neopolitan cooking: there are few great foods grown, but they are in abundance and the quality of these few ingredients are generally higher than elsewhere in Mexico. But Sonoran cooking requires excellent cooks. For the most part, flour tortillas are lousy, unless made by an excellent tortilla maker. Just like pizzas are unremarkable unless made by someone like Lombardi, Pero or Difara. Great Sonoran cooking can be just earthy refried beans and tortillas--but beans and tortillas that'll send you threw the roof. And no salsa is necessary. And yes, it is often border food, but at it's most ideal. Using the freshest and best ingredients, cooked to simple perfection.
 
But there are dishes uniquely Sonoran: the flat enchiladas, which are a thick corn masa disk deep fried then soaked in a simple red chile mole and topped with a relish of green olives, onion, then grated cheese of choice.
 
Menudo, of course.
 
Caldo con Queso.
 
Cazuelo: a Machaca stew.
 
Torta: not a sandwich, but a Sonoran version of egg foo young. 
 
More later when I've more time to write.

Answer

Hi, A note: in the last 10-15yrs Sonoran food has changed some with the migration of southern Mexicans into the region bringing their style of cooking. But traditional Sonoran cooking is unique and a true cuisine in its own right. The two staples are beef and wheat which are abundant to the state. Sonoran food can best be described as earthy, simple and hearty. You won't find many complex sauces or lots of ingredients in dishes and the food is not as hot/spicy as people might think as salsas are usually a condiment and not necessarily found in the dish itself. I find southern Italian cooking and to a point Argentine cooking somewhat similar in spirit to Sonoran food.
I have read people mention tacos, burritos and such, but in my experience ( both my parents, grandparents, and beyond are Sonoran) those items are street food. In all honesty I have never had such food items in a typical Sonoran home for dinner - maybe that's just me. Beef has been on our plate almost everyday whether it was ground beef sauted with potatoes, onions, veggies and tomatoes, steak accompanied by some kind of potato, super thin steak breaded and lightly fried (Milanesa), some kind of hearty stew/soup, albondigas (meatballs). Chicken is either in a dish such as soup, or roasted, or perhaps simply pan fried. Seafood believe it or not is a part of Sonoran cooking (there is a coastline after all) but it is not an everyday thing. It will usually consist of a mild white fish pan fried, shrimp with some garlic, and of course ceviche. Corn, potatos, squash (calabasitas), peas, onions, garlic, tomatos are perhaps the basic "greens" you will find in cooking. Wheat goes on for days and Sonorans don't just eat tortiallas (where flour tortiallas are king) but there is also an array of breads that accompany dinner. Dairy is also important with many cheeses, mostly white mild cheeses like the famous Chihuahua cheese that is also made in the mountains of Sonora, the use of crema or sour cream; all that cheese is put to tasty use in quesadillas (Imuris is famous for their quesadillas). Mayonaise is used quite often as well.
Lets not forget the carne asada - most Sonorans can't wait to have an outdoor BBQ with mesquit in the coals for flavor. 
Everyone has different experiences when it comes to any cuisine but overall Sonoran cooking is flavorful with minimal ingredients, it's hearty, and something to remember.

Answer

e.d.

That is probably a call for a culinary/gastro anthropologist, but I'll share some "observations."

For me, it means lighter sauces. More tomatoes are used, and these are often cut into chunks, rather than being puréed into the sauce. Cheeses are often lighter, as well - less pungent, and are most often not American "cheddar." I find more flour tortillas, etc., used, in lieu of corn, though corn is not excluded. Beans are usually in whole form, and lard is often not used in the refrying, should they be refried. Chicken and pork are more prevalent, though beef is not excluded.

In opposition, Tex-Mex is more often a beef-based sauce with tomatoes puréed well into it. Beef is more often the protein of choice, though not to the exclusion of others. Corn tortillas, etc., are more often used, though flour is not unheard of. In very general terms, Tex-Mex is *usually* more hearty, while Sonoran is *usually* lighter.

Now, Bajan features more seafood, but is probably a lot closer to Sonoran, than to any form of Tex-Mex.

Jaliscan is a bit more of a mix. I found strong elements of all of the above states/types, while there. To me, it was a best of all worlds. Also, there were more moles available, but we were in Guadalajara, so we were doing "metropolitan" dining there.

Some dishes do not exist (or did not) in some of these areas - they were unique to a particular locale. Same for the menus, when one crosses the border to the US. Things that have a strong Sonoran bent, might only exist in Phoenix, Tucson or Yuma, while one would be hard pressed to find them just a few dozen miles south of San Luis.

It is rather like asking for a definition of a tamal, and including the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. If you are lucky, you'll get a dozen different dishes, all great, all called a tamal, but unique to the state/country of origin.

I was fortunate to have a great little Guatemalan restaurant in New Orleans. While they were Guatemalan by origin, they specialized in the cuisine of all of the Gulf of Mexico and were as authentic to each, as was possible. We'd do a 1 ea. of their dozen tamales, and enjoy each for what they were, Cuban, Guatemalan, Vera Cruz, Yucatan, Honduran, etc.

I have to use a paraphrase from a US Supreme Court Justice, when asked to define pornography, " I know it when I see it." About the same for Sonoran - it ain't Tex-Mex, but very good, none the less.

Hunt

Answer

ok, after reading all of your posts I felt obligated to write something. I know it's been a billion years but from a true Sonorense, I need to clarify.
The MECCA of Sonoran cuisine is a restaurant in Villa de Seris in Hermosillo Sonora called Xochimilco.
Sonoran cuisine IS Heavy in the use of pinto refried beans, grilled steak (NEVER marinated) and flour tortillas.
Flour tortillas are the STANDARD in Sonora! and we have two specific types. Taco size and tortillas Sobaqueras. Flour tortillas in sonora differ from other flour tortillas in the fact that Sonoran flour tortillas are almost translucent, and normally thinner than other flour tortillas. Tortillas sobaqueras are normally three to four times the size of a regular tortilla and are even thinner still.
The stapple food of Sonora, if you had to pick just one, would be the carne asada taco.
Which is ALWAYS served in a flour tortilla.
There's almost always a garnish area nearby where you can load your taco with guacamole, salsa bandera, cabage, lime, etc. (it must be noted that we NEVER put lettuce in out tacos...
if I had to describe the general flavour of Sonoran cuisine would be Limey. We basically put lime on anything.
Menudo, albondigas and gallina pinta are also very Sonoran dishes.
Sonoran tamales are normally corn or pork and regularly bigger than tamales from the rest of the republic.
Also, for some strange reason. Sonora has made the hot dog it's own.
If you were to leave a bar or club at midnight and had the munchies, went for a drive to find something to eat. Chances are 50% of the carts you will see littering the city would be hot dog carts. A mistake would be to think this are ordinary hot dogs...
Also, in Hermosillo and surrounding areas they have this monster that has sprung in recent years called "burrito percheron"
which typically is two tortillas sobaqueras side to side stuffed with minched grilled steak with garlic, tomato chunks and avocado chunks. it is a must.
Chinesse food in Hermosillo is very prominent, but it's very different from what you are used to...
Seafood IS a big part of Sonoran cuisine! (I think I read someone say otherwise.) Caguamanta tacos being a Sonora only dish. We also have our own version of the baja fish tacos, we call them Taco fish.... they are incredibly good.
And of course, I would lose all credibility if I failed to mention the Coyotas, jamoncillos and pipitorias...
Coyotas are Hermosillo's best kept secret.
So to recap.

Sonoran food is known for great beef, preference of Tortillas de Harina (flour), limey in general. (not too spicy), and lots of pinto beans and soups.

Best places to check when there....
Go to Xochimilco in Villa de Seris in Hermosillo for the best carne asada.
While you are there, buy a kilo de Coyotas.

for the best carne asada tacos go to Tacos de Armando (Tacos de la Prevo) if you see a compound-like looking school, you are in the right area. be there early at night, they have weird hours.

you can try Seafood at Los Arbolitos, or El Corral in Hermosillo, but if you go to Bahia de Kino, you HAVE to eat al El Pargo Rojo.

for fish tacos, there's El Pescadito restaurant all over town, they tend to close early tho.

for hot dogs... AKA "Dogos" well, just find a cart anywhere and you will be amazed. I do recommend "El Chema" You WILL see signs that read Hot dogs estilo obregon. try them separate from the regular ones.

For burros percherones I normally went to a cart in a residential area of Hermosillo with no name, but I'm sure there are some others that are better. I could recomemend "Mundo Percheron" they are decent. but not the best.

for chinesse Moon Wah if it still exists.

oh! and there's not a single Sonoran restaurant or truck in L.A. I've looked...

Answer

I'm hardly an expert, but I did spend nine years in Tucson, on the border of the Sonoran desert. The things I most remember about the mexican restaurants there were the chimichangas, the flour tortillas, blue or green corn tamales, mole dishes, and in the most authentic places, dirt on the floor and Christmas lights all year round!

Answer

Sonoran style food is like any other, because Sonora is not like any other state in Mexico.

Typical dishes from Sonora ( at least the central and northern part) . have a basic staple: beef and flour tortillas. Sonora used to be Mexico's "Wheat Basket" and sonorans try to avoid corn tortillas. Its is natural that you hear the term "sonoran food" in arizona ( they are bordering states).
Just to make it simple... here is a list of food you can find in any household across the state.
Pinto Beans ( sometimes refried with lard, powder chili, chorizo, queso fresco and jalapeno)
Machaca ( dehydrated beef - pounded) not shredded stewed beef.. yikes
Carne Asada - an almost charred flank stake, seasoned with salt and sometimes beer
Carne con chile - cubed or shredded beef slowed cook in "chile colorado" (served with FLOUR tortillas

Street foods are heavenly. Hot dogs are a must have if you ever visit Hermosillo ( the state capital).
Burros Percherones (oversized carne asada burrito) made with super delicious and big "tortillas sobaqueras" (armpit tortillas)... sound gross but its basically a paper thing flour tortillas with a diameter as big as the maker's arm.
Tacos (of everything!) 

... also we do use corn tortillas but they have more of a frying purpose. (enchiladas, tacos dorados and broken in pieces mixed with eggs)

To drink.... beer, horchata, coca-cola, hibiscus flower iced tea, beer, and more beer. ( really ,sonorans like beer)



---My source?
I was born and raised in Hermosillo, Sonora... my parents are originally from Northern Sonora, so are my grandparents and my great grandparents.... you get the idea

Answer

Sonoran cooking: carne asada, carne seca (machaca), shrimp, tortillas de harina (flour tortillas), tortillas sobaqueras (giant extra-thin flour tortillas) oven dried corn (chicos), pinole de trigo, pan perdido (tamale pie), dried red peppers, green california peppers (chile verde), cheese (queso cocido, quesadillas de Imuris, queso fresco, queso blanco, jocoque, requeson), potatoes, zucchini, onion, garlic, tomato, piloncillo, pan de espaura (baking powder bread), pan de levadura (yeast bread), coyotas, higos, tapiro,..

Dishes:
caldo de queso (cheese & potatoes soup), albondigas (meatballs soup), chicken stew (chicken with potatoes, green chile, olives and raisins), gallina pinta (meat, hominy and pinto beans in a stock), caldo de cazuela (machaca stew with green chile and potatoes), frijoles de la olla (pinto beans in its stock with pico de gallo) bandera sauce (green peeled diced chile with onions and tomato sauce for carne asada), grilled green onions, sonoran enchiladas, capirotada, collage de calabacitas, atole de tapiro, mermelada de higo, conservas de membrillo, citricos, melcochas, pipitorias, etc etc

Answer

Mi raices estan enterradas alli.

Answer

Sonoran and Tex-Mex are two different styles, TOTALLY. PERIOD. I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Sonoran is NOT Tex-Mex. I live in Texas now, and I GUARANTEE that the two are DIFFERENT. VERY different. If you ask for a beef taco, a red burros, and a cheese crisp at a Sonoran style Mexican restaurant. you WILL get those three items MADE CORRECTLY. Here is a comparison of the two styles - - - - - - - 

1A.- SONORAN STYLE BEEF TACO - consists of a deep-fried corn shell that is usually filled with shredd beef, NOT hamburger. This meat is highly season with salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, and maybe some red chili pepper (powder?). It is topped with beautifully shredded lettuce and cheese, (shredded using the SMALL holes in the shredder) and then topped with tomatoes, with hot SAUCE, NOT salsa. 
1B. - TEX-MEX STYLE BEEF TACO - consists of a pre-made Taco Bell style shell, with hamburger that is usually not seasoned, maybe except for a little salt and pepper, with lettuce and tomatoes (if you are lucky) with some shredded cheese (shredded with the large setting of the shredder.

2A - SONORAN STYLE RED BURRO. - consists of a freshly made, thin, large,flour tortilla, that is filled with CHUNKS [NOT shredds] of red chili meat (chunks of roast beef and natural gravy that have been slowly cooked with red chili paste of some sort, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, and Mexican oregano) 
2B - TEX-MEX STYLE RED BURRO - consists of a waxy store-made-textured small to medium-sized flour tortilla with VERY lightly seasoned hamburger meat inside, (sometimes with other odd ingredients inside it, like rice, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. which do NOT belong there). The "RED" part comes in a bland tasting canned beanless chili and melted Velveeta cheese on TOP of the "burrito".
3A. SONORAN STYLE CHEESE CRISP - A fresh, very large, thin, flour tortilla, left open, topped with cheddar and/or Mexican style cheeses covering the entire tortilla, and then baked in the oven (unfolded) just until the cheese melts. Sometimes, green chilis are added.
3B. TEX-MEX STYLE CHEESE CRISP - NO COMPRENDO !!! 99% of TEX-MEX restaurants do NOT even know what a cheese crisp is !!!!!!!!!!!!

I WISH somebody would open a SONORAN style Mexican restaurant in my part of Texas (BIG COUNTRY AREA).

HOSEA

Answer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z_qLYcUARM&feature=related

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I lived in Tucson for 10 years, and most of their Mexican restaurants claimed to feature Sonoran style rather than Tex-Mex. The other posters have pointed out the differences much better than I could, but I did want to mention that Chimichangas in a Sonoran restaurant are usually much better than those in a Tex-Mex place (if they are offered there at all).

Answer

Sonoran style is delicious for its being buried in SAUCES (especially cheese sauses) as served at El Farolito in Placentia, CA.

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i'm from Sonora, not sure what sonoran style is though, here we call it cook and food :), as i heard and eat from my grandma, woman/mothers/she used to cook corn tortilla or floor dough tortilla, depending on the available ingredients at the season, yeap favorite frijol bean was and is pinto, or much more apreciated locally at my town named frijol tepari (TE-nnesse PA-rent bo-RI-ng) used for more elaborated plates. we loved and love meat, but at the countryside the cattle has different cuts, so they used it more as entire zones of the body, so it's a bit hard to get to the desired texture-flavor, local plants like mezquite was used as combustible to cook like grill meat, again the flavor is a bit smoked on those, love those memories too. corn, don't ask me about it we had plenty of varieties, i remember like 2 simple varieties maiz blanco for tortillas, no yellow tortillas no green tortillas they were almost white, maiz dulce for Ezquite (different from the more popular, but same name) and pinole for cold beberages. they used big rock moles to grind the crops, again different zones of the grinder gave different
kinds of ingredients so taste and textures were unique, oh my god, cheese those came from la sierra deeper region in the colder mountains just from milk of cows with more grease in the milk, aged on natural dry freezers hanging in the air from cotton like bags fabrics, after a initial dry set to age on the same dry cold shelve but fliped from time to time till ready to eat. How would i put this? it were about ingredients and the way of life of the region too, is not a style people, is local cuisine, even Sonoran people doesn't know really what their grandparents used to eat. i feel a bit of pity for them, new food is great, yes, they think Chiltepin and machaca is all about Sonora, i'm sorry go around the people, ask for Gallina pinta, pozole de trigo, puchero, menudo, barbacoa de hollo/enterrada, tamales de elote, tamales de carne, tesjuino, frijoles from the pot, grilled anaheim chili and fresh chesse, caldillo de queso, coricos, obleas, coyotas, tortillas(regular, sobaqueras, gorditas/de manteca, lurias, maiz), jamoncillo, chicharrones... there are plenty of real local dishes you could try, and yes we have seafood too, i don't know that much about it, again ask the right people and you will have a taste of those things.

Answer

Sonoran Mexican is my LEAST favorite regional latin-american cuisine. They call the other cultures of Mexico "pepper eaters" as a epithet. They are wrong.

While the ingredients are similar, Sonoran food is excessively bland for my taste.

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