They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Over four days in Sonora, Mexico, I lost my heart three square meals a day.

At first, attempting to curb my normal enthusiasm for new cuisine, I tried to resist the allure of the local gastronomy, approaching each bite with a coolness normally reserved for a first date. But with each passing morsel, I felt my guard slip further. So by the end of our first day together, I was unable to contain my love of all tastes Sonoran.

Sure, I’d flirted with Mexican cuisine before: a burrito here and there, a taco or two, the odd quesadilla, and arguably the most un-Mexican of Mexican dishes - nachos. But for the most part, Mexican food remained a mystery: a cuisine well known, but largely unrealized.

It wasn’t until I landed in Sonora, and lifted the veil of that first tortilla, that I began to understand what Mexican food was really about. Yes, there are beans, there is cheese, and there are more forms of corn than you could poke a Taquito at. But there is much, much more.

Upon introduction, at the El Agave Café, I gush over the green and red salsa, which with the creamy guacamole, comes as a precursor to nearly every meal. Served with a smooth bottle of Pacifica (beer), this is followed by a fiery tortilla soup (a red chili and cheese broth), smoking-hot enchiladas (flatbread rolled around a filling and covered with a hot pepper sauce) and a sweet coconut flan. Not a bad first date.

Later that day, on a walk through the town of Alamos, I am introduced to the local markets. Here, churros, coyotas (cookies filled with brown sugar) and sweet pastries - some served from the back of a pick-up truck - vie for the business of cashed-up, sugar-hungry children. I opt for the potato chips, doused in fresh lime juice and chili sauce.

Over the next 48 hours, I am seduced by everything from a light green chili soup to tostadas (a Mexican open-faced ‘sandwich’), from chile relleno (stuffed peppers) to chimichangas (a deep fried burrito). But my favourite dish, the one for which I fall hardest, is the tamales (a corn-based dough, steamed in banana leaves).

And then, with a heavy heart, and full stomach, my journey through Sonora is suddenly over.

But as I overlook the Gulf of California from the village of San Carlos, with tasty tamarind margarita in hand, I realize that this is a love affair that will linger on.

For more information on Sonora, and Mexico, visit: www.visitmexico.com.