Many Mexican snack foods share a flavor profile dominated by spice, citrus, and salt.

According to Lesley Tellez, a street food and market tour company owner in Mexico City, Mexicans put lime juice, chili powder, and salt on fresh-cut fruit. "More than just lime and chili, I think it's the combo of acid, salt, and heat that particularly drives Mexicans crazy." But chef Richard Sandovalwho owns an empire of more than 30 Latin restaurants, Mexican snacks aren't all about heat since kids grow up eating chocolate, cakes, and other non-spicy treats.

Here are eight authentic Mexican snacks you should try:

Fresh fruit with tajin

Tajin is a chili powder that is available at most supermarkets. When Mexicans eat fruit, they usually sprinkle some tajin to transform ordinary flavors into a complex sweet and spicy medley. Mexicans usually use tajin when they eat mangoes and watermelons.

Mango nada

On a hot sunny day, Mango nada is the perfect refreshing treat. To make one, blend mango and water into a puree. Then, pour the puree into small molders such as paper cups. Before you pop the cups in the freezer, insert a popsicle stick in the middle of each cup. When frozen, you can enjoy these popsicles with tajin, chamoy which is a sweet spicy sauce and lime juice.

Lay's with Valentina and lime

Spoon recommends adding a popular Mexican hot sauce called "Valentina," and drops of lime juice, to give an interesting twist on your Lay's chips. The combination that is super simple to make, gives much more of a kick than classic chunky salsa dip.

Tosti Locos

This snack is a combination of tortilla chips a variety of foods such as peanuts, cucumber and cueritos (pork rinds), with a combination of seasoning made composed of lime juice, jicama, Valentina sauce, salt, and tajin. When making this snack, start by adding small quantities of each ingredient so the flavor doesn't become completely overwhelming.

Elotes

A traditional Mexican street food, an elotes is a corn on the cob smothered with a layer of butter, mayonnaise, grated cheese and sometimes chili powder. Although not the healthiest, they are very flavorful and cheap.

Arroz con leche

Arroz con leche is a staple snack in Mexico. It literally translates to "rice with milk." In contrast to its translation which doesn't sound too appetizing, arroz con leche actually amazing. This dish tastes like sweet rice pudding but has a soft and creamy texture and a hint of cinnamon.

Bionicos

Bionicos may be commonly dessert at restaurants, but they also make very enjoyable snacks. This snack is a mixture of a variety of fruit together topped with crema made from sour cream and sweet condensed milk.

Fresas con crema

Fresas con crema is also a fruit based snack made from strawberries and condensed milk mixed with sour cream. When preparing this snack, be sure to use strawberries that aren't overripe since the crema already adds a lot of sweetness to the fruit.