Saul Fernandez

Foods of the World

Mexican Cuisine
Mexico is rich in tradition and history. The evolution of Mexican cuisine is

fascinating as it started very simple, became more complex with the introduction of new

ingredients to the lands from other countries, and evolved as the inhabitants evolved with

new technology and beliefs.

Mexico is a country situated right below the united states and above South America.

There is coastline on the west touching the Pacific Ocean as well as coastline to the east

touching the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. There is 3 major parts to the interior of

Mexico: the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain

range and the great central highland plateau. This attributes to the wide range of natural

environments seen throughout Mexico, although the temperatures throughout Mexico are

generally mild.

Because of the terrain and temperatures, grains such as corn, wheat, rice, sorghum and

beans grow very well throughout Mexico. A large variety of fruit is grown in Mexico due to

its fertile soil, which is ideal for fruit trees, and a climate that allows the production and

harvest of fruit almost year round. Popular fruit grown in Mexico include apples, tomatoes,

bananas, lemons, limes, and avocados. Mexico also exports a large amount of coffee, sugar

cane and cocoa.

It is believed that the basis for Mexican food is derived from the Mayan Indians. The

Mayan’s were traditionally nomadic hunters and gatherers. Commonly, Mayan’ ate mainly

food crops such as: maize (corn), beans, chili peppers, and squash. Their diet was very light

on meat because at the time, the only source of meat was from animals hunted with bow and

arrows. It wasn’t until the Aztec’s, and eventually the Spaniards, that domesticated animals

would be used for meat. The Aztec empire introduced new chili peppers, honey, salt and

chocolate to the Mayan cooking style in the 1300’s.

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Foods of the World

Spain invaded Mexico in 1521 and with it came an abundance of new resources

introduced to the land. New livestock such as cows and pigs were brought along with dairy

products, and many different herbs and spices. Although this was a very difficult time for the

natives of Mexico, those who continued living under Spanish rule kept many of their

previous traditions. Though their religion had changed from a polytheistic religion to

Catholicism, they only incorporated the new foods and customs to their own traditional

dishes and not just changed to the Spaniards way of cooking.

Religion has always played a big role in culture and this is no less true for food. As of

2010, approximately 83% of Mexicans are roman catholic. Because of this, there are many

traditions that are closely related to catholic holidays and events. One of these is how during

the Lenten season, no meat is eaten on Friday’s or the holy days. There are also specific

food’s which are made during celebrations such as “Atole” which is a hot corn based drink

made during the Christmas season. Another example is mole, which is the national dish of

Mexico, is almost always prepared for any big celebration in any family. One of the biggest

traditions is for families to spend an entire day together making tamales. Because they take so

much time to make them, usually tamales are made only a few times a year in very large

batches which is perfect for the holidays. Rosca de Reyes is a sweet bread shaped like a

wreath and decorated with candied figs, lemon cherries and mango. It is only made, and eaten

on January 6th which is Dia de Reyes, the day the three wise men visited baby Jesus. Inside

there are little baby Jesus dolls baked into the bread and tradition states that when cutting

yourself a slice, if you find the baby Jesus you get to throw the next party for Candelaria

February 2nd.

In Mexico, family plays a very big role. During many of these celebrations families

get together to not only eat but also make all the food. It is seen as a 'family event', preparing
Saul Fernandez
Foods of the World

and eating the food together is considered to be a way to keep social and personal

relationships healthy and connected.

Another major factor to the type of food made in the country is poverty. According to

data from the CIA, in 2013 48% of Mexicans were living below the poverty line. The poverty

threshold, poverty limit or poverty line is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a

particular country. The impact this has on food is that it has had to be made relatively cheap

and filling. This has also led to such a big increase in street food vendors which can make

simple food for cheap and sell it at a good price. These cheap alternatives to meals are

becoming more and more appealing to struggling families. In a way it is incredible how

people have been able to transform simple and relatively cheap ingredients into something

that really tastes delicious and is loved by the masses. It may not be the most elegant food but

it serves a greater cause in feeding a great number of people for relatively small amount of

money. In this sense, Mexican cuisine has really become more of a comfort food than

anything else.

Some of the most commonly used ingredients in any Mexican dish are: Avocadoes,

beans cheese, chili peppers (ex. chipotle, poblano, jalapenos), Mexican chocolate (bitter),

crème (sour cream), limes, oregano, tomatoes, cilantro, nopal, and corn tortillas. Coming

from a small border town and having a big Mexican family, I can honestly say that all of

these ingredients were used in every day cooking. Avocadoes were always a treat to have at

any meal be it as a side for meat, in guacamole for chips, or for tacos, there was always a

place for avocadoes on our plates. Chilis also played a huge role in cooking. Again, whether

it be as part of the dish being prepared, as salsa on the side or just straight up a jalapeno to eat

alongside your food. For myself, limes, which in Mexico are called “limónes”, were always

used to make homemade lemonade. To this day, my mom’s homemade lemonade is still my

favorite drink, and all you need to make it is water, sugar and limes.
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Foods of the World

Now we can’t talk about Mexican comfort food without talking about the “bread and

butter”, beans rice and corn tortillas. This trio are the most common sides to any meal in

Mexico. This is because of how abundant and cheap the ingredients are. Spanish rice which

has a distinct orange color to it is known throughout the world for its flavor. Maize (corn) is

the most planted crop in Mexico and used in almost every dish. Before industrialization of

tortillas, it was a family tradition for someone in the family to be up early in the morning to

make tortillas from scratch to be eaten that day.

There are 5 Mexican foods that have always stood out for me throughout my life and

they are: mole, enchiladas, tamales, flan, and arroz con leche. These are all dishes that have

been passed down through my family’s generations and of course depending on the region

you are in, there are slight variations.

Mole is a sauce that contains a mixture of nuts, seed, vegetables, chiles and even some

unsweetened chocolate. The chocolate is an important ingredient for the dish because of the

variation in flavor it brings. Mole, even though it is a sauce, is considered to be the national

dish of Mexico. There are many variations of the dish because of how many different

ingredients are used to make it.

An enchilada is simply a corn tortilla that is rolled around meat and cheese and topped

with different ingredients. In some places, enchiladas are topped with chili sauce, cheese,

salsa, sour cream or nothing at all. The amount of fillings and toppings you can choose from

make enchiladas an extremely versatile dish that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious.

Tamales are one of the staple foods of the land since the days of the warring tribes.

Back then, because of the need of easily transportable food that could last long, women

started filling masa (corn dough) with meat or cheese and then steaming it inside a corn husk.

This made it so that the food was thoroughly cooked but also prepackaged in the corn husk.

Also, it was a very filling food because of the masa, you could feed more people with less
Saul Fernandez
Foods of the World

meat by having more masa on the tamales. There are many variations but the most basic

tamale today is usually a filling of beef wrapped inside corn masa and then wrapped inside a

corn husk. You can warm them up on a grill, stove, oven, microwave or even just eat them

cold! Tamales have always been a holiday tradition for families to get together and spend the

day making tamales, then enjoying them together in the days that follow. More recently more

and more people have making a living out of making tamales so people can have tamales year

round.

Flan is a type of sweet dessert made of a smooth, thick custard covered with caramel.

This dish was originally from the roman times as a savory dish, but when passed on to the

Spanish who changed it a little bit and eventually made its way to the new world and Mexico

to what it is now. To this day there is no other dessert in the world that I would prefer,

especially when made by my grandmother.

Arroz con leche is the mexican version of rice pudding. There is a different variation

of this dish in many countries but what distinguishes Mexican arroz con leche from the rest is

the use of vanilla. The vanilla gives the dessert a delicious taste and fragrance to it. It can be

eaten hot or cold and is very easy to make.

It is interesting to see how Mexican food has been taken in the US. Because of many

immigrants looking for honest work in states, there has been a rise in Mexican American

communities throughout the US. And just like with many other cultures, the traditions of

making food certain ways comes with the people and because Mexican food is very much a

comfort food, families were able to make traditional Mexican food restaurants that do very

well. This has also brought the rise of Tex-Mex food chains which are not good

representations of the food served in Texas or Mexico.

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Foods of the World

Mexican cuisine has really become a comfort food for many, both in Mexico and

around the world. Its unique history and geographic location have vastly helped it grow and

become what we know today.

Resources:
 http://www.divinedinnerparty.com/history-of-traditional-mexican-food.html
 http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Mexico.html
 http://www.world-food-and-wine.com/mexican-food-history
 http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/top-10-foods-try-mexico
 http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-
Africa/Mexico.html#ixzz4PrSjLuTg
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_percentage_of_population_living_in_
poverty
 Jim Peyton’s New Cooking from Old Mexico, by Jim Peyton Red Crane Books, 1999
 Que vivian los tamales, by Jeffry M. Pilcher, University of New Mexico Press, 1999