it s crazy. it s crowded. it s noisy, and i love it. mexico city i m proud to call you my second home. every time i see second home. every time i see this view, my heart skips a in this exact spot. it all started here in tenochtitlan, capital of the mighty aztec empire, until the spanish invaded 500 years ago and changed its name to mexico city. the amount of churches you can see from up here there s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. seven in one block. that s called the spanish conquest. [sizzling] over time, new spices and ingredients started to appear, carried across continents by traders and travelers from faraway lands. i don t know the secret to happiness. all i know is, every time i eat mexican food, i m happy. - yeah. - [laughs] i m eva longoria, born and bred in texas, with mexican-american roots, which makes me a texican. i m exploring mexico to see how the people, their lands, and their past have shaped a culinary tradition as diverse as its 32tates. mexico city is going throu
into gourmet tacos to die for. - my mother was from north mexico, and my father was from mexico city. this represents my two parts of life, norteño and chilango. - so you re a chilango. - yeah, i m a chilango. yeah. - so what are we eating today? - a cheese chicharrón. - a cheese chicharrón. - chicharrón de queso. i can t wait to try alexis vegetarian version of northern-style chicharrón, which swaps the usual crispy fried pork skin for crispy fried cheese. i already love it, cause it has cheese. - cheese. - it s topped with a savory delicacy called huitcoch mexico s answer to truffle. what is huitlacoche? - huitlacoche is the - oh, look at you! you have a corn tattoo! - yeah. - wow. - wow. - that is, uh that s mexican. - he s the king of huitlacoche. - yeah. - and so the huitlacoche is where? - it grows it s a fungus that grows around the maize. - on the corn.