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Mexican cuisine is very unique and is a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican and
European cooking. Some recipes are centuries old and originate from the Maya and the Aztecs. When the Spanish invaded and conquered the Aztec Empire in the 16th
Century, they used the local ingredients, but brought new ideas and ingredients with them. Native foods like corn, beans, avocados, tomatoes, chilli peppers, and rice were introduced by the Spanish Conquistadors. In 2010, traditional Mexican cuisine was added to the Representative List of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). In modern times, Mexican food is famous, popular and eaten all over the globe.
Traditional dishes
Every region of Mexico has its own distinct type of food and traditional dishes depending on what food is readily available and able to grow on the land in that region. Climate and geography also play a part in the region's food selections.
Areas in Northern Mexico tend to like using beef, while Mexico’s
southern states prefer chicken and vegetables as the main
ingredients. Both regions, however, tend to use the meat as a relish
as opposed to the main ingredient in the meal.
Traditional Ingredients
In traditional Mexican food, chilli peppers are the most popular ingredient. Traditional Mexican desserts even have chilli in them.
The chilli helps create a nice blend of hot and sweet. Many different types of chilli peppers grow and are widely used, such as habanero and jalapeno, which help to flavour and spice food.
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Another very common food item that is eaten by families in Mexico is tortilla. A tortilla is a thin, flat pancake made from maize flour. Tortillas are usually eaten with fillings of chicken, beef, eggs or beans. There are three different colours of corn tortilla: yellow, red and blue. In some parts of the country, more exotic food
options include tacos (a folded or rolled tortilla) filled with
grasshoppers, worms, caterpillars, iguanas, rattlesnakes, or
turtles as the main protein. Mexican cuisine is considered
healthy and a good mix of all food groups as there is a
good mix of vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates.
Beans are an important staple in Mexican food. Beans grow well and in abundance in all regions of Mexico, but there are differing regional flavours. One of the most popular Mexican dishes is beans and rice, or ‘frijoles y arroz’.
The dish is flavoured with the local spices and usually includes a hot pepper or side of salsa along with the fish or meat of the local area. The beans all have different tastes and colours, such as: red, black, purple, yellow or white.
Avocado is an essential food source that is grown and used widely in all parts of Mexico. Most famously for Mexican food, avocado is used in guacamole. Guacamole is a dip made with mashed avocado, onions, coriander and chillies. Avocado is also used in soups and salad dishes that usually include chicken.
There are many cacao trees in Mexico, which is where we get chocolate from. Aztec cuisine introduced chocolate to the area as a drink rather than a food source. In
1519, the Spanish invaders found out that emperor Moctezuma enjoyed a drink
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made with chocolate and sweetened with honey: we now refer to this drink as a
milkshake! In the Pueblo area of Mexico, chocolate is used to make mole
sauce, which is a smooth, thick and sweet sauce made with
chocolate, herbs and spices. This sauce is poured over turkey
and chicken.
Perhaps the most interesting Mexican food traditions is ‘Stone soup’. In a classic fairy tale, a lone traveller teaches a village about sharing by getting everyone to contribute an ingredient to his stone soup until the humble dish becomes a delicious dinner for the whole community. While the story is simply a fable and did not actually happen, a real version of stone soup exists in Oaxaca, a southwestern state of Mexico.
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