Don’t know what that word means that you keep seeing on menus? Wondering what the difference between a sopa and a sope is? Read on for a glossary of common Mexican foods you’ll encounter in Puerto Vallarta.

Adobada: marinated.

Agua fresca: a cold drink made from the extracts of fruits, flowers, or seeds mixed with water and sugar. The two most common are agua de jamaica, a tart red drink made from the hibiscus flower, and agua de horchata, a sweet milky drink made from rice, cinnamon, and vanilla.

A la diabla: served with a particular spicy red sauce, usually seafood.

Al carbon: any type of meat grilled over charcoal.

Antojito: literally, “little whim.” An appetizer.

Arrachera: a marinated flank steak, often served with beans, guacamole, rice, or salad.

Burrito: a large, soft flour tortilla filled with meat, beans, or rice.

Carne asada: thin pieces of grilled skirt steak or flank steak, often eaten in tacos.

Carnitas: marinated pork which is braised or roasted, then shredded and served on tacos or burritos.

Ceviche: raw seafood “cooked” by marinating in lime juice, and then mixed with tomato, onion, coriander, avocado, salt, and spices. Tuna, mackerel, shrimp, octopus, and squid are common varieties. Often served on tostadas.

Chicharron: deep fried pork rinds. Can be eaten on tacos, or alone as a snack, often with hot sauce.

Chilaquiles: small, fried pieces of tortilla topped with red or green salsa, cheese, sour cream, and sometimes chicken. Commonly eaten for breakfast.

Chiles rellenos: mild green peppers, usually poblanos, stuffed with cheese, battered, and fried.

Churro: a fried dough pastry covered in sugar, often filled with or served with chocolate.

Deshebrada: shredded, usually referring to meat.

Enchilada: meat or vegetables wrapped in a corn tortilla, then covered in sauce and cheese.

Fajita: skirt steak, or the tacos made from it.

Gorditas: small, round, thick tortillas cooked on a griddle, slit on the sides, and stuffed with meat or vegetable fillings.

Mariscos: shellfish.

Mole: a spicy, complex, thick sauce served over chicken. Contains many ingredients, including chocolate.

Pescado: fish.

Pierna: shredded leg of pork, often part of tortas.

Pozole: a soup with hominy, spices, and chicken or pork. Served with onions, radishes, and limes, added to your preference. Especially popular around Christmas.

Quesadillas: basically, tacos with cheese. Tortillas are folded with cheese inside and heated on a griddle until the cheese melts. Can be served like this (quesadillas sencillas), or meat and vegetables can be added.

Salsa verde: a green sauce made from tomatillos, onion, chilis, and cilantro. Can be mild or extremely spicy.

Sopa: soup.

Sope: small, round, thick fried corn dough, pinched into a slight bowl shape and filled with refried beans, cheese, sauce, and maybe meat.

Tacos al pastor: marinated pork grilled on a vertical spit with pineapple, then thinly sliced and put on tacos.

Tacos de canasta: literally, “basket tacos.” Simple tacos wrapped in cloth to keep them warm and sold out of a basket. Mostly available in the morning.

Tacos dorados: literally, “golden tacos.” Tacos deep-fried until crispy and golden. When rolled into a cylinder before frying, they’re often called flautas.

Tamales: corn meal mixed with meat and vegetables, put into a wet corn husk, and then steamed. Popular around Christmas.

Tampiqueña: thin grilled beef, usually served as a steak.

Torta: a sandwich. There are countless varieties.

Tostada: a crispy, round, fried tortilla topped with tomato, lettuce, meat or seafood, and salsa.