Authentic Mexican Cuisine – Beyond Nachos and

It’s a shame really that so many people’s experience with Mexican food is limited to tacos, nachos and burritos. While these foods are quite tasty in their own right, they don’t even begin to hint at the wide variety of wonderful cuisine you can find throughout Mexico.

Traditionally, the native peoples of Mexico lived on diets based around corn. Rice arrived with the conquistadores, and the two grains continue to form the foundation of many Mexican dishes today. Foods native to Mexico include chocolate, chili peppers, sweet potatoes, nopales, tomatoes, vanilla and avocados. In addition to rice, the conquistadores brought garlic, onions, wine, and additional protein sources in the form of pork, chicken, and beef.

Chili peppers play an important role in Mexican cuisine. Many peppers are used in more than one form – jalapenos, for example, can be used fresh, roasted or pickled. When Jalapeno peppers are smoked, they become known as chipotle peppers and their taste is very different. Poblano peppers, on the other hand, are mild and are often served stuffed with a mixture of meat and rice.

The seeds of most chili peppers are removed before the peppers are added to the dish, as they are bitter to taste. In addition, the heat the chilis bring to a dish can be varied, depending on whether the internal membranes holding the seeds in place are removed and how the chili is cooked. The best antidote to the sometimes potent heat provided by chili peppers is consuming dairy products, whether by drinking milk or eating sour cream or cheese.

The fat most commonly used in authentic Mexican cuisine is lard. The conquistadores brought olive oil with them to Mexico, but its use was never widely adopted. While most Mexicans keep their use of lard to a minimum, lard is necessary for authentic flavor in certain foods, such as tortillas.

Another difference between authentic Mexican cuisine and the Americanized version we see here in the United States is that fewer dishes in Mexico are fried. The basic ingredients vary as well. For example, in America, enchiladas are usually filled with ground meat and topped with yellow cheese, such as a Cheddar or Colby cheese. In Mexico, enchiladas are usually filled with shredded meat and a white cheese is used as a topping. Our Americanized version is also much more heavily sauced than is Mexican counterpart.

Authentic Mexican cuisine also relies much more on fresh vegetables than the Americanized versions we’re familiar with. In fact, until the conquistadores introduced animal meats, many of the native peoples ate strictly vegetarian diets.

Another important part of Mexican cuisine is seafood. Mexico has access to a wide variety of fresh seafood all along its coastlines, and these foods are often incorporated into their cuisine. For example, one popular Mexican dish is Camarones al Mojo de Ajo – shrimp cooked in a garlic sauce and served with rice.

Finally, Mexican beverages, such as aguas frescas, are becoming more popular in America. These “fresh waters” are made by blending sugar and water with a variety of ingredients – tamarind pods in the case of aqua de tamarindo, or rice, almonds and cinnamon in the case of aqua de horchata.