Food & Beer Culture

Anyone eating out in Monterrey will sooner or later come across Cabrito. For Cabrito al pastor, the gutted kid goat is splayed open on a metal spit and cooked for hours over charcoal or mesquite wood. The meat turns tender, the skin crisp, and the fire shapes the flavor.

Why does a pale lager suit this so well? The meat is rich and smoky, and a lean, cold beer washes the flavor away afterward. The low bitterness doesn't get in the way, and the carbonation cuts through the fat. The same goes for Machacado con huevo, dried, shredded beef with egg, a classic of the north.

On weekends, families gather for Carne asada in the yard or garden. Beef is grilled, served with tortillas, beans, and salsa, and the beers sit in a cooler of ice. The culture here revolves less around pubs than around eating together outdoors.

One ritual is the Caguama, the large bottle holding around 940 milliliters. It's shared: the host pours it into small glasses, and everyone drinks just a little. According to business press reports, the Caguama traces back to Cuauhtémoc.

Sweets come from the south of the state: Glorias de Linares, small candies made from goat's milk. The Festival de la Cerveza Monterrey takes place in Parque Fundidora, a park built on the grounds of a former steelworks. Here, beers serve as examples of flavor. With food, moderation and pauses matter.