Global Gourmet/Mexico

Mexico

Mexican cuisine is known for its intense, varied flavors, colorful decoration, and its variety of spices. Mexican gastronomy, in terms of diversity of appealing tastes and textures, is one of the richest in the world, rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Some people unaccustomed to eating it characterize it as greasy and excessively spicy. When Spanish conquistadores arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (on the ruins of which Mexico City was built), they found that the common people's diet consisted of corn-based dishes with chilies and herbs, usually complemented with beans and squash. Later on, the conquistadores added to their original diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic, and onions that they brought with them from Spain to the indigenous foods of pre-Columbian Mexico (including chocolate, maize, tomato, vanilla, avocado, papaya, pineapple, chili, pepper, beans, squash, sweet potato, peanut and turkey). The totopo (a deep-fried chip of corn tortilla) may have been created as part of this cuisine. Most of today's Mexican cuisine is based on Native American traditions, including the Aztecs and Mayan, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists. When the French occupied Mexico they also contributed some influences as well. Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the original inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees. The north of Mexico is known for its beef production and meat dishes; southeastern Mexico, on the other hand, is known for its spicy vegetable and chicken based dishes.

Tamale

A tamale is a traditional Latin American food made with with maize (corn flour) mixed with water and lard. The mixture (masa) is then filled with meat or any preparation. The essence cane from the masa dough, usually filled with a sweet filling, wrapped in plant leaves and corn husks, and cooked, usually by steaming. Tamales were developed as a ration for war in the ancient Americas 5000 years ago, and are still a common today.

Quesadilla

A quesadilla is a tortilla folded over shredded cheese, which include cooked meat and/or bean filling. It is then fried, deep fried or toasted using a broiler, griddle, or open fire, and sometimes spiced with salsa. Quesadilla can also be referred to a pair of tortillas, with the cheese and other fillings between them. Quesadillas are flat shaped and sometimes cut into strips before being served as an appetizer.

Tortilla

A tortilla is unleavened bread, made from maize (corn) or wheat flour. The traditional tortilla has been made of corn or maize since Pre-Columbian times. It is made by curing maize in lime water, grinding and pre-cooking it, kneading it into a dough called masa nixtamalera, pressing it flat into thin patties, and cooking it on a very hot comal (a type of light sheet-metal griddle). As an easy solution to both the problems of handling food in microgravity and preventing bread crumbs from escaping into delicate instruments, tortillas (of the American flavor) have been used on many NASA Shuttle missions since 1985.

Guacamole

Guacamole is an avocado-based dip originating from the time of the Aztecs and is usually eaten with tortilla chips. Most guacamole recipes start with peeled avocados, which are put into a bowl and mashed. Lime or lemon juice is then added; to flavor and keep the guacamole from discoloring from exposure to air. Other ingredients, are typically chopped, and then mixed in. Sour cream or mayonnaise may be mixed in as filler, but such preparations are often considered inferior to the avocados. Guacamole is popular in the United States as a snack, especially around holidays and other major celebrations.

Nachos

In their simplest form, nachos are usually tortilla chips covered in melted cheese. Common additional toppings are: ground beef or chicken, jalapeño pepper slices, refried beans, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and olives. Nachos were created in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, according to a story reported in several newspapers and confirmed by the Oxford English Dictionary, by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya in 1943.[1] The story goes that the wives of American airmen came to his restaurant after the kitchen had closed. Anaya quickly prepared the dish and later added it to his menu. The term "nachos" came from Anaya's original name for the dish, which was "Nacho's Especiales," or "Nacho's Special Dish." Nacho Anaya's original nachos consisted of fried tortilla chips covered with melted cheese and jalapeño peppers. Since the early 1990s, International Day of the Nacho is annually celebrated on October 21, essentially by eating nachos.

Taco

A traditional Mexican dish comprising a rolled or folded, pliable tortilla (of maize, if the tortilla is of wheat flour then that is a burrito not a taco) filled with meat (generally grilled beef, picadillo, chicken or pork), chili based salsa, guacamole, and garnishes such as pico de gallo or cilantro. It may also contain various other fillings such as meats or vegetables that are chopped and fairly dry. The word “taco” can mean at least 22 different things depending on the country you’re in. A taco is normally served flat on a tortilla that has been warmed up on a comal; since the tortilla is still soft, it can be folded over or pinched together into a U-shape for convenient consumption. In the variant known as the taco dorado, the pre-stuffed tortilla is rolled into a cylinder and deep-fried until crisp, which in Mexico you will not find as a taco but as a Flauta (Flute in English, because of the shape). One speciality found at many taco stands across Mexico (and a particular favorite in Mexico City) and Texas is the taco al pastor. As the name pastor suggests, they were originally made with lamb or mutton. Now, the main ingredient is spiced pork, which is cut in slivers, from a rack of meat standing on a vertical spit in front of an open flame; the method is similar to that used to prepare Döner kebabs and gyros in the Mediterranean. The cooked meat is then placed on a maize tortilla and garnished with chopped cilantro, onion, and a wedge of pineapple, with a dash of salsa as a finishing touch. Since tacos al pastor tend to be among the cheapest tacos, they are the mainstay of many a visit to the taquería. In the Mexican state of Baja California and the U.S. state of California, along the Pacific coast, the fish taco is quite popular, and is served in many seaside taquerias. These tacos contain chunks of either grilled or battered and deep-fried fish, a white sauce and shredded cabbage. Maize tortillas are usually employed.

Taco

A traditional Mexican dish comprising a rolled or folded, pliable tortilla (of maize, if the tortilla is of wheat flour then that is a burrito not a taco) filled with meat (generally grilled beef, picadillo, chicken or pork), chili based salsa, guacamole, and garnishes such as pico de gallo or cilantro. It may also contain various other fillings such as meats or vegetables that are chopped and fairly dry. The word “taco” can mean at least 22 different things depending on the country you’re in. A taco is normally served flat on a tortilla that has been warmed up on a comal; since the tortilla is still soft, it can be folded over or pinched together into a U-shape for convenient consumption. In the variant known as the taco dorado, the pre-stuffed tortilla is rolled into a cylinder and deep-fried until crisp, which in Mexico you will not find as a taco but as a Flauta (Flute in English, because of the shape). One speciality found at many taco stands across Mexico (and a particular favorite in Mexico City) and Texas is the taco al pastor. As the name pastor suggests, they were originally made with lamb or mutton. Now, the main ingredient is spiced pork, which is cut in slivers, from a rack of meat standing on a vertical spit in front of an open flame; the method is similar to that used to prepare Döner kebabs and gyros in the Mediterranean. The cooked meat is then placed on a maize tortilla and garnished with chopped cilantro, onion, and a wedge of pineapple, with a dash of salsa as a finishing touch. Since tacos al pastor tend to be among the cheapest tacos, they are the mainstay of many a visit to the taquería. In the Mexican state of Baja California and the U.S. state of California, along the Pacific coast, the fish taco is quite popular, and is served in many seaside taquerias. These tacos contain chunks of either grilled or battered and deep-fried fish, a white sauce and shredded cabbage. Maize tortillas are usually employed.

Burrito

A Mexican dish that comes from Juarez, Mexico. The name "burrito" comes from the Spanish diminutive of burro. A burrito usually consists of a meat such as beef, chicken, or pork as well as other ingredients such as various chopped vegetables, rice, beans, cheese and salsa. The ingredients are then wrapped in a large flour tortilla that has been lightly grilled (or sometimes steamed) to soften the tortilla and make it more pliable. Less com Burritos are the traditional food of Ciudad Juarez, a city in Northern Mexico, where you can buy them at restaurants and thousands of corner stands. In this border town there are eateries that have established their reputation after decades serving burritos. They are eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Burritos are commonly called tacos de harina (flour tacos) in Eastern Mexico and burritas (feminine, with 'a') in northern-style restaurants outside of Northern Mexico proper. A long and thin fried burrito similar to a chimichanga is prepared in Sonora, Mexico and vicinity and is called a chivichanga.mon ingredients include lobster, chile relleno, and nopales (prickly pear cactus).