Mexican Cuisine
A brief exploration of traditional Mexican cuisines.
Location: Mexico
Staple Ingredients of Mexican Cuisine
Modern Mexican cuisine is a blend of European and indigenous influences. The 16th-century Spanish brought rice, wheat, chicken, pork, beef, dairy, sugar, cilantro, onions, and citrus to the Americas. At the same time, native Mexican foods like tomatoes, chili peppers, corn, beans, and chocolate enriched the diets of Europe. The resulting fusion of ingredients formed the basis of Mexican cuisine today. It has since gained international fame and inspired many regional varieties.[1]
Pre-Columbian Dishes of Mexico
The indigenous farmers of pre-Columbian Mexico typically grew maize, beans, squash, and peppers. These four crops provided all of the nutrients and calories needed to survive. Dogs, ducks, and semi-tame turkeys were their only livestock. Corn tortillas, the staple food, could be cooked quickly, carried long distances, and eaten without utensils. They were often filled with beans, meat, or vegetables. Tamales were another favorite meal, often served at festivals. The corn husks wrapped around steamed corn paste, beans, or meat have been found at pyramid sites almost 2,000 years old.
The rest of a typical diet depended on location. The royal court of Tenochtitlan gathered foods from every corner of the empire. Lacking horses, the Aztecs maintained a complex system of runners. It was their duty to bring fresh, exotic foods to the emperor's table. The nobles of Tenochtitlan ate spiced seafood, turkey stews, venison, enchiladas, and algae cakes from Lake Texcoco, among many other dishes. As plates of tributes passed by, they washed it down with hot chocolate and honey.[1][2]
Modern Mexican Cuisine
The Spanish imported wheat, cheeses, chicken, and pork, all of which came to feature heavily in Mexican meals. Under colonial rule, dense and bustling marketplaces united ingredients from around the world. Cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, and mangoes arrived from Asian ports. Elements of Italian cuisine appeared as well. The elites of New Spain hired French chefs as status symbols and dined in upscale urban restaurants. In the markets, vendors sold street foods to hungry passerby.
Modern Mexican cuisine remains largely true to its roots. A typical breakfast is spread out over two light meals and involves pastries, eggs, and salsa, often served on tortillas. A large, late lunch, or comida, makes up the main meal of the day. The evening concludes with a smaller dinner and sweets. Street vendors are still popular in the cities, selling everything from traditional fare to junk food.[3][4]
Beverages of Mexico
Traditional non-alcoholic drinks of Mexico include hot chocolate and a type of corn drink called atole. Atole, made from toasted corn flour, can be mixed with other ingredients like fruit, chocolate, and cinnamon. It is now most often served as a comfort food.[5] Beer and wine are common, but Mexico's most famous alcoholic drinks are tequila and mezcal, or distilled agave. Coffee, another Spanish import, is also widely consumed, along with tea.[6]
Mexican Sweets and Desserts
Catholic convents in Spain, drawing from Moorish culture, were famous for their sweets and candy-making. The women who set sail for the new world brought this custom with them. They adapted their recipes to local taste and ingredients as an extra source of income. Their efforts led to desserts like flan, dulce de leche, fudge, candied citrus, and marzipan. Today, the many regions of Mexico all possess their own candy-making traditions. Puebla in particular is well-known for its sweets.[7]
Bibliography
Janet Long and Luis Alberto Vargas, Food Culture in Mexico (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005), 12-16.
Jeffrey M. Pilcher, ¡Que Vivan Los Tamales!: Food and the Making of Mexican Identity (Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 2008), 7-24.
Jeffrey M. Pilcher, "Many Chefs in the National Kitchen" in Latin American Popular Culture Since Independence: An Introduction, William H. Beezley and Linda Ann Curcio, eds. (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012), 137-152.
Pilcher, 62-66.
Anita Rodríguez, Coyota in the Kitchen: A Memoir of New and Old Mexico (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2016).
Pilcher, 87-89.
Darra Goldstein, The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015).
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