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Mexican cuisine has been strongly influenced by other foreign countries culinary practices, which has intermingled with the Pre-Columbian culinary heritage; producing a rich blend of dishes. The Mexican food culture immediately before the European conquest of the land is known as the Pre-Columbian era. The diet in the Pre-Columbian era consist of corn, vegetables, sweet potatoes, chilies, rabbits, frogs, deer, fish, turtles, and mushrooms. Then in 1521, the conquest of Spain had a great impact on Mexican cuisine. It brought pigs, cows, sheeps, dairy products, wheat, rice, fruits, herbs, and spices were incorporated into their cooking. Today's, Mexican cuisine is a mixture of traditional, native, and modern ingredients that has made Mexican cuisine as it is today. So, Mexican cuisine is typically a diverse range of foods being served in contemporary Mexican culture, but the dishes do vary from region to region. The main staple is still corn, which is used to make masa (dough) for tamales, tortillas, gorditas, and many other corn based foods.
What really makes Mexican cuisine is its flavoring, which consist of many herbs and spices. The most common spices, herbs, and flavorings used in Mexican food are:
Ajo- Garlic Ajedrea- Savory Ajonjoli- Sesame Albahaca- Basil Alcaparras- Caraway Avellana- Hazelnut
Azafran- Saffon Canela- Cinnamon Clavode olor- Clove Comino- Cumin Estragn-Tarragon Jengibre- Ginger
Mostuza- Mustard Nuez moscada- Nutmeg Organo- Oregano Perejil- Parsley Pimentn dulce- Paprika
Pimienta negra - Black pepper Romero- Rosemary Sal- Salt Tomillo- Thyme
To make Mexican cuisine, a well stocked pantry of the ingredients is a must to have on hand. Below, is a list of ingredients and supplies to have on hand for Mexican cuisine:
Canned Foods- ~ Black beans ~ Refried beans ~ Chicken broth ~ Beef broth ~ Jalapenos ~ Evaporated milk
~ Dice/ whole green chilies ~ Sweetened condensed milk ~ Tomato sauces
Dried Foods- ~ Pinto beans ~ Black beans ~ White, long, or medium grain rice
Breads/ Flour- ~ Flour tortillas ~ Corn tortillas ~ White flour ~ Corn meal
Produce- ~ Tomatoes ~ Potatoes ~ Cucumber ~ Limes ~ Lemons ~ Peppers ~ Avocado ~ Jalapenos
~ Green onions ~ lettuce ~ Jicama (turnip shaped vegetable)
Protein- ~ Eggs ~ Ground beef ~ Steak ~ Chicken ~ Veal ~ Lamb ~ Pork loin ~ Pork Roast ~ Ribs
Other- ~ Tortilla chips ~ Vegetable oil ~ Tequila ~ Chile sauce ~ Sugar ~ Honey ~ Unsweetened chocolate
So now you have some of the Mexican ingredients and below is a list some famous Mexican foods for you to use some of those ingredients in:
Appetizer/ Botanas
Main Course/ Plato Fuerte
Dessert/ Pastre
Drink/ Bebida
When making the foods, having some Mexican cooking techniques comes in handy. These cooking techniques were developed to bring out the flavor of the foods. Cooking techniques used are grinding, sweating, soaking, stewing, soft frying, and dry roasting. Let's begin with the cooking techniques of grinding, sweating, and soaking. Dry ingredients like herbs and spices are grounded in a spice grinder or coffee mill. The skins of fresh chilies are removed by a process calling sweating. The chile is put over a gas flame or under the broiler then roasted until the skin is blacken. The chile is removed from the heat and put into a plastic bag to sweat for 15 minutes. Then the skin of the chile is removed and discarded. The hot chilies and onions are often soaked in vinegar and water to neutralize the strong flavors. In some regions, meat, poultry, and vegetables are cooked in pressure cookers. The sauce is cooked in another pot and the 2 items are combined to make 1 dish. Most of Mexican foods are not deep fried, but rather soft frying or sauteing is used to give ingredients more flavor. Tortillas are often soft fried in a pan with oil. Toasting is often done on a hot griddle or skillet using no oil. Tortillas can be heated on both sides before serving. Dried chilies are dry roasted for a few minutes to release flavor. Tomatoes, garlic, and onions are dry roasted before used in salsa. The skin of tomatoes should blister not burn. Onion skins may be peeled when roasted, turning golden brown. Garlic is roasted with the skin on all sides to a blacken state. Then remove and discard the skin. Using the cooking techniques will help you in the cooking preparation of Mexican cuisine.
So you have the cooking techniques down, having Mexican cooking tools would add the authentic flare to making Mexican cuisine in your home. So lets go over some basic cooking tools that are used to make Mexican cuisine:
Some stores do sell Mexican cooking tools or utensils. At Target, I have seen some cooking utensils or you can check out Mexgrocer an online store if you are interested in some cooking tools.
The biggest influence of Mexican food in the United States was Taco Bell, which first appeared in 1962. Taco Bell's prefab tacos is not anything compared to Mexican food. Having an taco or enchilada from Taco Bell does not mean you experienced true Mexican cuisine. You only scratched the surface of the countries traditional foods. The Mexican cuisine has developed through the fusion of different influences and resulted in a combination of a subtle, complex, and nutritious foods that ranks as one of the great cuisines of the world.