When people think of traditional Mexican food, they think of spice; hot peppers and cumin are usually the first flavors, which come to mind in connection with the cuisine of Mexico. Some of the spices which are now an important part of Mexican cooking are in fact relatively recent arrivals, having come to the new world with the Spanish conquistadores and other colonists. Others have been a part of Mexico’s culinary tradition for millennia, long before any Europeans set foot in the Americas.
Chilies are the Mexican spices with the longest history, having been used by the Aztecs for many centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Like tomatoes and potatoes, peppers are new world natives and remain one of the most important ingredients in Mexican recipes just as they always have been.
A familiar type of pepper to Americans is the jalapeno; these small to medium sized hot peppers are a common ingredient in salsas, where they lend their characteristic kick to these sauces. They are also commonly pickled on their own or as part of an escabeche (which is somewhat similar to a Mexican take on Italian giardinera). The Serrano pepper, a smaller and usually slightly hotter pepper is also seen fairly often in US markets. It is hard to imagine Mexican cuisine or Mexican food without the presence of these peppers, as well as others, which are often dried, and ground, as are anchos and pasilla peppers. You will also find peppers smoked to provide a milder, smoky heat as with the smoked jalapenos known as chipotle peppers.
Some of the Mexican culinary herbs, which are native to the country, include epazote, culantro, and Mexican oregano, all of which are very important to various Mexican recipes. Used very often in Mexican and Caribbean cooking, culantro is largely unknown in the US and hard to find other than in Mexican groceries. Its flavor, however, is similar enough to cilantro that this herb may be substituted if you cannot find the real thing in your area.
Despite its name, Mexican oregano is not even a relative of the old world herb of the same name. While their flavors are similar enough that Greek oregano can be substituted if needed, this herb is actually related to lemon verbena, not oregano. Its flavor is slightly stronger than that of the oregano used in Greek and Italian cooking and can be found dried in Mexican groceries and specialty spice markets.
An herb, which is often used in bean dishes, especially those that include black beans, epazote is an herb, which has a flavor, which is not quite like anything else (though it is often compared to tarragon). If you cannot find epazote, however, simply omit it – there is no real acceptable substitute for this Mexican herb. You may be able to find it in your local Mexican grocery however, either in the produce section when it is in season or dried along with other spices.
Cumin is one of the spices, which we think of the most in connection to Mexican food. This spice is also a staple of Turkish and other Mediterranean cuisines; introduced to Mexico by the Spanish (who themselves were introduced to it by Arabs during the Moorish period in Spain), this ingredient was adopted by Mexican cooks with enthusiasm. This newcomer quickly became an important ingredient in a great many Mexican dishes.
You might say that Mexican food is among the world’s first fusion cuisines, with its blending of old world and new world flavors. Using ingredients from both Europe and the Americas, Mexican cooks created something unique, new and distinctively Mexican. It is a cuisine which has a flavor all its own and thanks in part to Mexican spices, it has become popular in nearly every part of the world.
Traditional Mexican ingredients which feature in many different Mexican recipes, such as corn, tomatoes, avocado, chicken and cheese, also make an appearance in a lot of Mexican salads. If the weather is warm, making your own Mexican salads can be a nice way to enjoy another facet of typical Mexican cuisine.
categories: mexican recipes,mexican food,mexico,recipes,food,home,home and garden,family,cooking,food and drink,diet,lifestyles,eating
Similar Posts Other People Have Read:
