Lesson 4: Traditional Mexican Foods

MSDE Standards: Listening: 1.3a- listen attentively and follow multi-step instructions Speaking: 2.4a- express personal information 2.3- use vocabulary to communicate effectively Reading: 3.3b- read familiar text with fluency Writing: 4.4- use Standard English 4.6- compose text using the steps of the writing process

Objective: Students will 1) identify the common foods that children eat in Mexico by looking at photographs and listening to the experiences of the teacher. 2) write comparison/contrast paragraphs about what they eat and what Mexican children eat.

Materials:  Photographs of different traditional Mexican foods (included below)  Paper plates  Handout (included below) that gives the name and description of traditional Mexican foods  Optional: tortillas, jelly, peanut butter, Nutella to make a “quesadilla”

Motivation: What are their favorite dinner foods?

Procedures: 1) Begin with motivation. 2) Write their favorite dinner foods on the board. 3) Tell them that they are going to write two paragraphs. One describing what foods they eat and the second describing what foods Mexicans commonly eat in their country. 4) Explain that you will be giving them two paper plates. The first one will have the heading: Foods I Eat. The second one will have the heading: Foods Mexicans Eat. 5) Handout a paper plate to each student 6) Students title plate: Foods I Eat. Students write what they eat for dinner/draw picture 7) Transition to traditional Mexican foods. Show students traditional ingredients/foods of Mexico. Real samples are best. a. Corn, rice, beans, chilies, cacao powder, cheese, avocado, tomatoes, tortillas, etc. b. Explain that some foods they eat today were not originally grown in Mexico. Ask students how they think the foods got there. c. Explain that some foods were always grown in Mexico, while others came from other places like Spain. 8) Show the students the tortilla (to use later for quesadillas). a. Have students describe its shape. b. Explain how versatile it is (folded, rolled, or flat). c. Explain how it is used in many dishes. 9) Show photographs of foods and identify each one. Post photos (with labels) on the board. a. common foods- quesadillas, tamales, enchiladas, etc. (use pictures below) 10) Remind students that Mexicans, of course, eat a variety of foods like we do. They also have McDonald’s and Burger King, etc. But most of their diet is traditional foods. 11) (optional) Show video of someone preparing food a. i.e.- YouTube video (file attached as part of unit) b. discuss the steps they used to make a quesadilla, torta, etc. 12) Take the 2nd paper plate with the heading: Foods Mexicans Eat 13) Write different foods under the heading: tacos, quesadillas, tostados, etc. 14) Give each student a second paper plate 15) Have students choose at least 5 Mexican foods and have them write them on their plate. 16) WRITING THE PARAGRAPHS 17) Show them the 1st plate (Foods I Eat) and the 2nd plate (Foods Mexicans Eat) 18) Using the plates, model writing a comparison/contrast paragraph on poster paper using common sentence stems. Write what you eat for dinner, then what Mexicans commonly eat for dinner. 19) Have students take turns reading all/parts of the paragraph. 20) Have students write their own comparison/contrast paragraphs using their own comparison/contrast plates 21) Work on final drafts. 22) Students read their paragraphs to class. 23) Discuss what they have learned about food in Mexico. 24) Optional: make a Nutella or peanut butter/jelly quesadilla a. Spread Nutella on one side of tortilla, fold, cut, and serve

Assessment: Students write two paragraphs. The first one will describe what they eat at home. The second will describe common foods eaten in Mexico. Food Staples in Mexico

Staple foods in Mexico are corn, beans, rice and chilies. Tortillas are made of corn meal and are a frequent part of the meals. Picante (hot and spicy foods) are eaten with bland foods to enhance the flavors. Popular foods quesadillas (tortillas fried with cheese), tortas (hollow rolls stuffed with meat, cheese or beans) and tacos (folded tortillas with meat or refried beans).

http://library.thinkquest.org/J002981/mexico_food.html August 31, 2010

The Basics

Tortillas The staple food of generations of ordinary Mexicans, tortillas can be made of flour (more common in the north) or maize (the traditional method and still the most common in the south). Often served alongside a meal as bread would be, tortillas are also used in many typical dishes- rolled and baked for enchiladas, fried for tacos or grilled for quesadillas.

Frijoles (beans) A good source of protein, beans of different varieties are most commonly boiled and then fried. They can be a main ingredient in a meal or served almost as a garnish.

Chilies I n general, the bigger the chili, the milder the flavor. Large Poblano chiles are stuffed and served as a main course, the small habanero is ferociously hot. To ask if a dish is spicy, say “es picante?”

Guacamole Avocado mashed with onions, chilies and cilantro (coriander). Served as a dip or as a garnish.

Salsa A salsa is actually just a sauce, although it is most commonly associated with the red or green mix of tomatoes, onion, chili, and cilantro served on your table as a relish or a dip.

Enchiladas Tortillas coated in a tomato and chili sauce, stuffed with vegetables, chicken or pork then folded and baked.

Quesadillas Tortillas stuffed with cheese, folded and grilled. A simple dish often served with beans or a little salad.

Mole sauce A wonderful rich sauce made with the unlikely combination of chocolate, chilies and many spices. It can be red or green depending on the ingredients. The sauce is often served over chicken, though turkey is more traditional.

Tacos Tortillas fried until they are crispy and served with various fillings.

Tamales Cornmeal paste wrapped in corn or banana husks and often stuffed wih chicken, pork or turkey and/or vegetables, then steamed.

Tortas Mexican sandwiches, often large rolls with generous fillings.

Tostadas Thin and crisp tortillas served loaded with guacamole, sour cream, chilies, chicken, etc.

Sope A thick tortilla with pinched sides, about the size of a fist. It can have many toppings- refried beans, cheese, lettuce, onions, salsa, meat, and cream. be topped with vegetables, sauce, and/or meat. http://www.differentworld.com/mexico/food.htm August 31, 2010 TORTILLA

http://www.marlerblog.com/uploads/image/738px-NCI_flour_tortillas.jpg

FRIJOLES (BEANS)

http://www.japoneitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/frijoles.jpg

http://www.nuestrogourmet.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/dip-de-frijoles.jpg CHILE

http://mexicofoodandmore.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/chiles.jpg

GUAGAMOLE

http://images.agblog.com/albums/mexico/Guacamole.jpg

http://www.foodreference.com/assets/images/autogen/a_salsa.jpg ENCHILADA

http://www.posiesplace.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/turkey-chipotle-enchiladas.jpg

QUESADILLA

http://www.alekwasframed.com/quesadillas/quesadilla.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/2142019463_43efce22f0.jpg TACOS

http://www.freemania.net/images/taco.png

TAMALE

http://www.tamarastamales.com/images/greencorn.jpg

http://www.remezcla.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/tamales.jpg TORTA

http://www.healthhabits.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/tortas-mexico.jpg

TOSTADOS

http://www.michaeljgarner.com/images/tostados.jpg

http://www.tortillasinc.com/sope.jpg