Sometimes the word for a food depends on the country a person is from. For example, in England eggplants are called "aubergines", dessert is called "pudding" and a "biscuit" is a cookie. The same occurs in different Spanish speaking countries. If you have an extensive dictionary which classifies words according to region, focus on words identified as LA (Latin American) or MX (Mexican) or SP (Spain).

You may recognize foods such as enchiladas, burritos and nachos, since Mexican food is quite popular in the United States. Don't make the mistake of assuming all Latin American countries eat food similar to Mexican food. Each country has its own regional cuisine. If you can, stop in at a variety of Hispanic restaurants and compare the menus. You will find that South American, Caribbean and Central American foods are very different.