On our list of favorite Mexican comfort foods, the tamal would likely come in near the top. Simple, yet extremely versatile, tamales share pre-Hispanic roots with the tortilla. A corn masa very similar to the kind created during the nixtamalization process to make tortillas is used as the base for delicious tamales. Recently, we found a first-rate version of this ancient food from a new street vendor located just blocks from the Monumento a la Revolución.

Editor’s note: We asked writer JJ Goode where he heads first for food when he lands in Mexico City. He has written about food and travel for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Gourmet, Bon Appétit and many other publications. He is also the co-author of Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand, with Andy Ricker; A Girl and Her Pig, with April Bloomfield; Truly Mexican andTacos, Tortas, and Tamales, with Roberto Santibañez; and Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking, with Masaharu Morimoto.

Carnitas, a pork dish that originated in the state of Michoacán, can be found in restaurants, markets and street stalls all over Mexico City – it’s a fixture of the chilango diet. The other day, we received an invitation to visit a carnitas place that our host said would blow our minds – and that’s definitely the kind of offer we never refuse.