Yes, the food is spiced or seasoned with chiles and peppers (more than any other cuisine worldwide), but when it comes down to it, just like France, it is comfort food. And salsa. And A LOT of corn.
Tamales are very common in Mexico and each region has their own speciality. In class we made mesa dough from hand and made four fillings: pork carnita, adobo-marinated chicken, chorizo, and frijoles charros (beans). We hand rolled the tamales using corn husks or banana leaves and then steamed them for over an hour. Our chef made sure for any of us who hadn't had tamales before that the husk/leaf was just a cooking vessel and not to be eaten. Although both were excellent, I preferred the banana leaf tamales. I think the corn husks ones were drier and just had less flavor. By the way, corn husks are used in the northern areas of Mexico where the banana leaves are in the south where it is warmer. Basically, you use what you have.
Other food we prepared included chicken corn lime soup, roasted poblano soup, a variety of rice dishes (green rice being a favorite...it was made with a garlic and cilantro pesto), duck breast with peach chipotle, veracruz-style red snapper, a variety of salsa and guacamole, jalapeno corn bread, chili rellenos (stuffed poblano peppers w/ chorizo), seared zucchini with chipotle, pineapple upside down cake, coconut milk ice cream, tres leche cake, and arroz con leche (rice pudding).
However, my favorite was on the last day when we could make an authentic recipe of our choice. I stretched my scope to include all of South America. Although Mexican cuisine does include empanadas, my recipe comes from a friend from Chile. She gave me the recipe nearly a year ago, and I thought I was LONG overdo to finally make them. They were the best!! Thanks, M!!!!
Below is my report of Mexico.
MEXICO
Geography
Bordering Nations:
Belize, Guatemala,
and the United States
Locations of coast and major bodies of water:
The Pacific Ocean
to the west
The Gulf of Mexico
to the east
Also the Gulf of
California
Mountain Ranges:
Sierra Madre
Occidental 2250-3000m runs down the western coast.
Sierra Madre Oriental
1800-3000m extends along the eastern coast.
Sierra Madre del
Sur 2000m rise in southwestern Mexico.
Major Cities:
1 Mexico
City
2 Ecatepec
de Morelos
3 Tijuana
4 Puebla
5 Guadalajara
6 Ciudad
Juárez
7 León
8 Zapopan
9 Monterrey
10 Nezahualcóyotl
Climate
Topographical changes:
Lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m
Highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
High, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus;
desert.
There are mountain ranges along the length of the country,
in the south there are rain forests and low coastal lands, the largest
topographical changes are because of the mountain ranges.
Desert along much of the country with little rainfall to
support crops. About 12% of Mexico’s land is arable enough for growing crops.
Situated south of the United States on the North American
continent, Mexico has an area of 1761,606 sq mi., including many uninhabited
islands off the E and W coasts, which have a combined area 1,959 sq mi.
Comparatively, the area occupied by Mexico is slightly less than three times
the size of the state of Texas. Mexico extends about 2,000 mi. SSE – NNW and
660 mi ENE – WSW. Bordered on the N by the US, on the E by the Gulf of Mexico
(including the Bay of Campeche), the Caribbean Sea, Belize, and Guatemala and
on the S and W by the Pacific Ocean, Mexico has a total land boundary length of
2,704 mi. and a coastline of 5,797 mi.
Mexico's capital city, Mexico City, is located in the
south-central part of the country.
History
Significant
historical markers that have influenced culture and food:
First populated
more than 20,000 years ago, the country produced complex indigenous civilizations
before being conquered by the Spanish in the 16th Century. The Aztec empire
once controlled a large portion of what is now Mexico, their temples and
artifacts are still with us today and are the cause of much study.
The Aztecs also
brought many contributions to the arts, education, recreation, class structure,
Mythology and religion, transportation, economy, Government, Architecture,
agriculture.
However, since the
Spanish Conquest, when the Spanish, in their quest for gold, destroyed Mexico
City in 1521.Mexico has struggled to fuse its long-established native cultures
with European civilization. Perhaps nothing better represents this hybrid
background than Mexico's languages: the country is both the most populous
Spanish speaking country in the world and home to the largest number of Native
American language speakers on the continent.
African, Spanish,
Latin American, American, Mayan, Cuban countries have all helped to influence
Mexico. Music, sports, cuisine,
architecture, religion, art, and language, have all been impacted by other
societies mixing with them.
The Mexican
government recognizes 56 different indigenous groups and these cultures that
have survived largely because of their rural isolation. These people are
generally poor and their main wealth is traditional and spiritual and their way
of life filled with communal customs and rituals.
The introduction
of Catholicism had a major impact on the peoples of Mexico, not only religious
reasons but also because of cuisine. Nuns from Spain brought their recipes with
them. One legend has it that mole was created by accident in a nunnery.
There is also no
single stereotypical Hispanic cuisine. Traditional Mexican, Cuban, Spanish,
Argentinean and Peruvian cooking, for example, all vary greatly from each
other, and take on new forms in the United States. While Mexican cuisine is the
most familiar variety of "Hispanic food" in most of the United
States, it is not representative of the cuisine of most other Hispanics.
When Spain invaded
Mexico, they not only took produce back to Europe, but they also introduced
aspects of their cuisine, especially their Moorish influences: wheat, barley,
rice, almonds, livestock (cattle) and sugar cane. They also introduced frying
food as a cooking method.
Major Food & Flavor Profiles
Proteins:
Legumes (beans)
beef, pork (chorizo), chicken, turkey, goat, lamb/sheep, fish & shellfish
(marlin, ahi-tuna, mahi-mahi, sea bass, calamari, spiney lobster, snapper.
Vegetables:
Nopales (cactus), tomatoes, corn,
onions, potatoes, lettuce, tomatillos, peppers, chiles, jicama, squash
(chayote, zucchini)
Fruits:
Apples, pears,
oranges, melons, papaya, limes, grapefruit, lemons, lemons, bananas, avocado,
sugarcane, pineapple, guava, cherries, mango, coconut
Starches:
Potatoes, wheat,
rice, barley, soybeans, plantains, corn
Dairy:
Milk (goat, sheep,
cow, coconut, sweetened condensed), many cheeses panela, Queso Blanco, Queso
Fresco, Requeson, Crema, Asadero, Chihuahua, Oaxaca, Chontaleno, Cotija,
Enchilado, Manchego, Queso Crillo, Queso Seco para Freir.
Spices & Seasonings:
1) Cumin,
used in many of their dishes
2) Flour and
Corn both used in tortillas
3) Chili
peppers (used in Mexican Cuisine more than any cuisine)
4) White onions
and Garlic
5) Mexican oregano, cilantro, chili powder, cocoa, cinnamon, Epazote,
cloves, anise
6) Beer, tequila, wine, honey, lard, vinegars, annato
Cooking techniques
Preparation styles and “unique” cooking styles:
Typical
preparation styles and techniques:
Charring and
sweating of peppers is common.
Mortar and
pestle for grinding are often used; for both peppers and spices.
Tortilla
Press to make your own tortillas
Sauté,
Grill, bake, deep fry, braising, blanching, steaming, pit roasting, dry
roasting
Techniques
unique to this area:
Rich sauces and
stews, colorful blends of proteins and vegetable (fruit also) Chili and
chocolate, cactus are also used.
Major flavor profiles:
sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
Sweetness comes from natural flavors. Smokiness is prevalent
with the use of herbs and chiles.
Unusual aspects of preparations:
The Mexican culture
is linked with the great empires of the past, Aztec and Mayan. They have a
broad range of land usage and poverty that has pushed creative boundaries to
help feed the people; inventing new and creative dishes from what little they
have.
Classic menus and dishes:
Today
Mexican food trends lean toward fresh produce and complex blending of spices
(mole) Seafood, a common export is seeing new uses in their cuisine as well.
Chocolate is also being more widely used.
Classic
dishes include
1) Tamale
2) Salsa
(many different kinds), pico de gallo
3)
Enchiladas
4) Empanadas
5) Red Mole,
Chicken in Escabeche, Chorizo.
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