Eva may not be a big fan of sweets but Jeremy has this soft spot in his heart for them. Most candy and cakes are actually pretty boring after a few bites, but the thing sweets usually have going for them is that they are so pleasing to the eye. A glass case of napoleons, tarts, mousses and other sundries tempt the mind with the promise of delights that seem more sinful and unreal than possible. But in a foreign country this promise takes on an unknown, exciting new level. What can this possibly taste like!?

Trust us, Mexico has some exciting sweets.

At any corner store or market and you will find the Mexican version of Nestle candy bars or a Hostess Twinkie repackaged as a “Submarino.”

They have candy bars like “Bubu Lubu,” a fruit and marshmallow concoction covered in chocolate. But these aren’t the true Mexican delights.

There are also Pastelarias with Concha (a bread with a sugary top in the shape of a shell), pastries stuffed with custard and our favorite, simple slices of toast topped with butter and sugar.

Of these, our favorite by far has been Pastelaria Ideal in Mexico City, which we wrote about during our first week on the road.

However, it is the street vendors with buckets full of colorful surprises that hold our attention. We have tried assorted nuts and dried fruits like mango covered in chili powder — good for snacks on long drives as long as you have water. There are little colorful wafer tacos with pine nuts, pressed bars of sesame seeds, fruit rolls and the ever popular tamarind paste.

A drive through Telchac Puerto allowed us to discover all varieties of coconut sweets, in what appears to be the land of the coconut.

We reveled in coconut flan, coconut empanadas, coconut tortillitas (mini tortillas of toasted coconut), candied limes stuffed with coconut, coconut cream in pie crust, and a meringue topped cookie with a coconut cream filling. All this and we weren’t tired of coconut yet. We ended the day in Campeche at a street fair with coconut cream and a rather strange dessert made of a ham and cheese sandwich soaked in a sweet cream.

A favorite of Eva’s is the Mexican frozen treat known as a paleta. This is essentially a frozen fruit bar on a stick made either with or without cream — often it appears homemade.

These can be just like frozen bars we have in America featuring flavors such as strawberry or chocolate, but they can be much more exciting also. We have tried corn, rice, rice dipped in chocolate and coconut and, wait for it… pineapple with chili.

Marquesitas are ever present in zocalos and busy streets in the warm evenings. A thin waffle cone-like folded crepe is made in minutes over a portable fire, and filled with either salty cheese or nutella, caramel or condensed milk. Jeremy created a masterpiece when he convinced a vendor to make a Marquesita filled with cream cheese and nutella.

Ah, but who thinks of Mexico and doesn’t think of churros. We have tried a few but only one place sticks out.

Churrería El Moro on Lazaro Cardenas near the Centro Historico in Mexico City truly earns every recommendation we were given and have made. This quaint blue-tiled restaurant is open 24 hours a day and serves only hot chocolate, coffee, and the best damn churros we have tried: crispy, light and cheap. Even better, you get to watch them make the churros in the front window, like frying donuts but better.

Some of these sweets are familiar, some may seem strange and, when covered in chili, maybe a little scary… amusing to think that an innocent candy might possibly strike fear in some tourist, somewhere.

As with all new flavors abroad, it’s fun to compare what each country finds to be an indulgence. Not everyone’s sweet tooth is the same.