Mexican regional map

Oaxaca: moles, tlayudas, tasajo, quesillo, chapulines, hoja santa, chocolate, chiles, masa, and deep Indigenous Zapotec/Mixtec influence. "Mole" is a family of sauces, not one chocolate sauce.

Puebla / central highlands: mole poblano, chiles en nogada, cemitas, antojitos, convent cooking, dried chiles, nuts/seeds, spices, and layered sauces.

Yucatán / Campeche: achiote, sour orange, recados, habanero, turkey/pork/seafood, banana leaves, cochinita pibil, sikil pak, panuchos, salbutes, Maya influence. Lime + orange can approximate bitter orange, but it is still an approximation.

Veracruz / Gulf: seafood, tomatoes, olives, capers, chiles, Afro-Caribbean and Spanish influences, huachinango a la veracruzana, rice, plantains, and coastal logic.

North / Sonora / Nuevo León / Chihuahua: flour tortillas, beef, grilled meats, carne asada, dried meats, wheat, cheese, beans, chiles. Cumin may be more comfortable here than in some central/southern contexts, but still don't make it the default for all Mexico.

Baja / Pacific coast / Sinaloa-Nayarit: fish tacos, seafood, aguachile, ceviche, smoked marlin, shrimp, fresh chiles, lime, and coastal freshness.

Michoacán / Jalisco / west: carnitas, birria, pozole, corundas, uchepos, avocado, pork, chiles, and regional stews.

Mexico City / central market food: tacos, tortas, tlacoyos, quesadillas, guisados, soups, street-food layering, and migration from all over Mexico.